Finally We Go Beijing: Day 2, Tiananmen, Gugong and Qianmen Street

The hotel has a gym! It is one of the few hotels that comes with a gym and doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket. I toyed with the idea of jogging outdoor but I think that is suicidal for somebody who lives in a tropical island. I do see people doing so and are all wrapped up while doing so. I opted for the safer option. 

The gym is opened 24 hours. Of course there were no other guests. I am the only crazy one. 

With a slower speed and some time to get used to the air and heater, I managed to clock 5km. Not bad! 

We had bfast. This time, only Daddy Lim and I bcos both kids couldn’t wake up. Ok, save us some money. We did tabao some cakes and pastry for the kids. 

The plan for the day - 天安门, 故宫 and some random shopping. We had arranged through B for an English speaking gudie. That cost us RMB1,000. If we had use an anyhow Chinese speaking guide, it would cost us only 15% of what we paid. However, I doubt Daddy Lim and the kids would understand a Chinese guide and their accent. So much for jiejie’s O levels A2. Lol. 

We took a didi to the hotel. We were told that it would take us about 1.5 hrs given the peak hours traffic. 

The traffic was really heavy. Fortunately, we arrived on time to meet the guide, C, on time. We left our luggage at the hotel and then took another didi with C to 天安门. 

Why did we opt for a guide? Bcos it is very difficult to get information in English about the places of interest and I am very lazy to read all the Chinese. I somewhat figured out that there are some ways to skip the queues to these 2 places, assuming that they are crowded. Apparently, it is really the off peak period and there was barely any queues. 

C did a good job explaining. But after awhile, I cannot really tell the difference between this building vs another building. I know they all looked different but…

Plus, the cold wasn’t helping. It was cold and windy and it felt even colder than Universal Studio. 

Look at how we were all bundled up. Whatever that we can find, we wore to keep out the cold. Still, it wasn’t enough. We were very amazed at how C didn’t look like she felt cold at all. You can barely see my face. Lol.

From 天安门, we walked over to 故宫. We have very limited pictures bcos only Daddy Lim was braved enough to not wear gloves and take pictures. This is the must take customary picture.

Entering through the main entrance. 

The big ass door. We were told that each royal door has 9 x 9 door pins and it is a sign of royalty. Not all doors are deserving of such door pins. 

It was crazy windy and it didn’t help that the place is super opened and thus no place to hide/ block the wind. The most amusing thing must be the frozen gold fish. 

It wasn’t dead. We saw it wriggling every now and then. 

C again did a very good job explaining the history and the small little details.

It is me.. I got lost with the different dynasties, so many kings and their concubines. Yada.. yada.. yada…

The wind also didn’t let down. At some point, it was announced that the halls would be closed bcos it was blue alert for the wind. I duno what that meant other than the fact that we were very cold. 

The entire tour took more than 4 hours and we had to ask C to cut short. We skipped lunch too bcos we wanted to have lunch outside of 故宫. It was already 3ish by the time we ended the tour. 

The sadder part was that there were no eateries nearby and we had to walk to another part where the didi could pick us up. We wanted to go to Qianmen Street bcos that is nearby and I read that there are things to see and eat. 

We were very hungry. When this happened, Daddy Lim and the kids would want to walk into the 1st restaurant available. The situation would be very tense bcos if I take a bit longer to decide on what/ where to eat, they will give me dagger eyes. 

We eventually decide on a Chinese restaurant - we wanted 北京烤鸭. Hoho. It didn’t feel like a cheap restaurant but the hungry tummies didn’t allow us to decide otherwise. 

The 北京烤鸭…

Yum, yum. This duck is damn fat. There was a layer of fats under the crispy skin. The rest of the duck was made into different unique duck dishes. 

We ordered another dish to go along, as well as a noodle and a fried rice. They were all very delicious. 

Of course we wiped out everything. We asked the waitress on what were there to see in 前门街 and was told that other than 小吃, there isn’t much. S**t, kena cheated. Lol. 

It is ok, eat, we will. The 冰糖葫芦 has started calling out to Nana now that the main meal had been settled. 

We finally tried the real 冰糖葫芦. The ones that we usually have are the fruits ones. The 冰糖葫芦 really tasted like haw flakes. Hoho. Other than these, we also had some fried beef steak that tasted like chicken. 羊肉串 was everywhere but we didn’t fancy the 臊味. We saw this old school china snacks shop.

The street wasn’t super long or maybe bcos it was really too cold for us to want to explore. We walked from one end of one street to the other end and decided that it was time to go back to the hotel. The challenge then was to find the pickup point. The didi took 15 mins to reach us bcos it was so jam and it was a one-way street. I also stupidly chose a pickup point that is like 500m away. We had to brave the cold and asked for direction a couple of times to be at the right place.

We were finally back in the hotel safe and sound, only to be told that their computer system glitched up, all check-in done before 4pm had disappeared and check-in cannot be done until 9ish. We were given the alternative to move to another hotel for 1 night or wait. The alternate hotel is supposed to be less than 500m walk away. 

Given how tired we were, we opted for the replacement hotel. Maybe bcos we were tired and cold, the walk felt so much longer than 500m. We simply followed the uncle who was tasked to bring us and he was just turning here, walking fast, another turn and walk some more. Each time we passed by a hotel, I wished that it was the One. 

Finally after duno how long, we arrived! Checking in took a bit longer than usual but we made it safe and sound eventually. We booked 2 rooms and I got to sleep with Nana this round. We all huddled in one room, snacking away until it was night time.

Our rooms were opposite each other and I was busy walking from one room to another to unpack stuff. We survived! We also managed to wash some of the heat tech. We didn’t see any laundromat in Beijing and read that there are far and few. I bought this dryer especially for the trip and it is good! 

Coupled with the dry air, the wet clothes were dried overnight. The only problem is that it could only hold 4 pieces at one time. 

Sleeping was so easy bcos we were so tired from the waking and the cold. Sleeping with Nana is very comfortable as well. She is a good sleeper. Hoho. 

Mummy Lim

Finally We Go Beijing: Day 1 Part 2, Still Universal Studio Beijing

Our energy was replenished with lunch. Then the kids asked for ice cream. Ya, in cold winter. We sacrificed for the minion. 

We wanted to catch the minion rollercoaster but I also wanted to catch the “Train the Dragon” show at 2.30pm and the tour guide said that we should queue 30 mins before to get a seat. So, we left with just the ice cream. Lol. Then, our plan was further disrupted by the parade. 

We ended up watching the entire parade bcos our way to exit the minion land was blocked. We made it just in time for the show. 

It was quite strange that the actors were singing and talking in Chinese. “小哥哥…” I cringed. 

There was this part, where the 小哥哥 was riding toothless and flying in the sky. That was quite impressive.

The story is about the 小哥哥‘s attempts to tame a ferocious dragon. They were singing and dancing about it and I dozed off. I woke up towards the end of the show and saw that Daddy Lim and the kids had all dozed off. Lol. So, we all didn’t know if he managed to train the dragon eventually. Hahahah. 

Every single ride worth taking then had a waiting time of at least 45 mins. We decided to brave the queues despite the long waiting time. However, 1st, we needed more food. Foot long…

We actually only intended to find cakes and coffees at a cafe to rest our tired legs and to hide from the cold but apparently everybody was doing the same and the cafes were all full. Nobody complained that we had to have hotdog instead. 

Minions! Here we come! We were turned into minions in this ride. The wait was 45 mins long but the queue was created in like a maze-like way. In a small area, we were going up and down, turning left and right. As such, we were almost constantly walking and the wait didn’t actually feel that long. 

 Next, it was finally back to the Harry Potter. It would look magical if it snowed. Then again, we already had our asses frozen off and any colder would probably kill us.

The queue for the ride was 70mins long. We joined the queue with probably thousands of others. See the windy queue.

After 60 mins, we were finally inside the castle. 

The ride was really good and totally worth the wait.

It was already 5pm and we were ready to go, except for Zaky, who eventually compromised and agreed to one last ride. To Jurassic Park we go. 

This was another good ride! A perfect one to end the Universal Studio trip. 

We left the park and had dinner at one of the many eateries outside. The plan was to have a slow/ chill dinner and rest until 8pm for the free shuttle back to the hotel. We opted for the SEA hawker food place. Lol. 

We had a long rest after dinner, until almost 8pm to head to the carpark for the bus. Zaky dozed off. 

He continued to sleep in the bus and then back in the room. At least he doesn’t make him carry him now. Lol. 

We were all very tired - the late night, the long day, the crazy walking and waiting. Did we get 30k steps? 

Bingo! 

Altogether, we took 7 rides, 1 parade and 1 show. We intentionally skipped some of the kiddish rides and some rides that are also available in USS. Was it a right choice to miss the express passes and the 小管家? Zaky is our 小管家 now whenever we go to the theme park, so we made the right choice to save the money. 

Mummy Lim

 

Finally We Go Beijing: Day 1 Part 1, Universal Studio Beijing

The main reason for choosing the Park Inn by Radisson Beijing is bcos we wanted to go Universal Studio the next day and the hotel is near to the Park. Choosing which day to go to the Park is an art. It would be crazily crowded from Friday to Sunday and also increasingly crowded as we near Christmas and New Year. Thus, we opted to go to the Park the next day we arrived, even if it meant that we would be tired. 

I had been contemplating getting the set of 3 express passes given how crowded these Parks usually are but was told by the same contact B (who arranged the car for us) that it is winter, off peak period and express passes are not needed. There are private services of 小管家 at RMB150 per pax, who would guide us in the Park, bringing us via the shortest route and planned the day for us, ensuring that we spend the least time queuing. I didn’t pay for that service too after checking 小红书 again and again, to see prediction that it wouldn’t be too crowded. Now, I wondered if I can trust what the contact had advised. Zzzz. 

In the morning, B finally replied to my WeChat. He said that the driver “was” there, holding a placard with my name. I don’t know how the 4 of us would “miss” the card. B said that the driver left at 2am and sent me screenshot of the driver and my name card taken at 2am. Well, it proved that he was there at 2am but not when we exited the gate at 12ish. At least B apologised for falling asleep and not responding to our calls/ wechats.

The hotel provides free shuttle service at 8am, 8.40am and 9.20am. The park opens from 9.30am to 7.30pm. We opted for the 8.30am shuttle and planned to wake up at 7am. 

Did we wake up on time? Yes! Even though we were very tired. The hotel room came with 2 free bfast and we had to pay RMB67 for additional pax. Just nice, Nana was too tired and asked to skip bfast for another 30 mins of sleep. Look at how blur Zaky looked. Lol.

The bfast spread is decent and the food looks good but actually looked better than it tasted.

When we went back to the room, Nana was still sleeping. We were rushing to dress up - I had the foresight to put out the heat tech and winter gears for the different people in respective pile, so that nobody keep calling for me. 

We were on time for the bus and it was full of park goers like us. The bus ride took about 20 mins. On the way, the tour guide gave very good advices on which ride to try, which one to go 1st, etc. She said that it would be a 30k steps’ day. I thought she was joking. She also shared that they provide the 小管家 service at RMB220 per pax. I was tempted but decided that we would risk it and save some money. 

The bus dropped us at the carpark and it was a long way to the park entrance. 

The must take picture at the globe. The tour guide reminded us not to spend too much time taking pictures bcos queue would have formed at the entrance. We took her advice and had 1 picture. Hoho. 

Ok, go, go! 

December is considered as the off peak period. During the peak months, people would queue at least 1 hour before the park opens. There was already a big Q when we arrived at 9am. While it was cold, the thousands of people huddling together did help to retain some warmth. 

While waiting for the gate to be opened, we discussed about the “strategy”. The original plan was to attack the Harry Porter ride 1st. Then we realised that the ride already has a 35 mins waiting time, probably from those who had early park access. We changed our strategy and decided to head to Transformer land for the rollercoaster.

The park opened right on time. Gaining entry into the park was very efficient. We simply followed the crowded, that was then split into smaller groups by barricades that winds this and that. At one point, I told Daddy Lim that I felt like a cow to the slaughter house. Our entry tickets are tagged to our passport. In China, we have to bring our passports everywhere. I was worried that maybe I had keyed the passport no wrongly when buying tickets or whatever that can screw up. Nothing of such happened. Yay! Into the park!

We ran and we jogged and we did fast walking, all bcos we wanted to be the 1st to reach the ride. It was damn tiring and breathless to do this in the cold morning. It paid off. We were the among the 1sts to take the ride. Daddy Lim wasn’t keen on a loopy loop roller coaster and was our bag man. He said that he would wait for us in the toilet and we were done the moment he had just.finished with his toilet. 

The ride was so good. It is like the human/ cylon ride back home. 

Our 2nd ride was the Transformer 3D show. It is exactly what we have back home and the ride was glitched midway. We were offered a re-ride but skipped  bcos we had enough Transformer rides in Singapore. 

We then headed over to the Kungfu Panda zone. Along the way, Nana, who skipped bfast, had a chicken leg. It was gone so quickly that I didn’t even have a picture. 

Kungfu panda zone was totally indoor and a perfect hideout from the cold.

We took a boat ride that is similar to the Madagascar ride and then some kiddish flying parachute ride. It is ok, bcos there was almost no wait to both rides. 

Next, it was to Harry Potter, despite the ride being 70 mins long. We were there to do sightseeing bcos the castle was beckoning us from afar. Butter beer, we must have. It was very sweet and good for sharing. The tour guide was telling us that for people who only wanted pictures, there will be plenty of “leftover cups” at the rubbish bin for poisoning. Lol.

I actually borrowed a “ward” from my colleague, who said that there are something interactive to do with the ward. The ward came with us to Beijing and then to Universal Studio but we didn’t find a use for it, other than to pose for pictures with it, like many other hundreds who were doing so. Lol. We got the Elderward some more ok. 

The tummies were starting to rimble. We went back to Transformer land for chicken burger and beef skewers. The combi is so weird. 

Yum, yum, chump, chomp. 

Mummy Lim