Beijing 2015: Day 2 Part 2 (Beijing Zha Jiang Mian - Olympic Park - Bird's Nest)

Hi all, I'm back after a long hiatus again! 2018 was, well, a year of pretty drastic changes for me. There was quite a bit going on in my personal life so I had to take a bit of a break.

Here to continue with the Beijing travelogue. This post will be substantially shorter than the Forbidden City entry. In case you missed it, you can read the previous entries of my Beijing trip here:

• Planning for the Beijing Trip + Travel Tips
• Day 1: Changi Airport - Beijing International Airport - Hotel Grand Mecure - Bian Yi Fang
• Day 2 Part 1:  Tiananmen Square - Forbidden City

 Back to the travel diary!

After exiting the Forbidden City, we went in search of some food to fill our tummies. We practically wandered around the palace for hours having eaten nothing but steamed buns. 

We followed the crowd out and chanced upon this traditional street selling tourist memorabilia and souvenirs. There were also a couple of food stalls there so we headed into a random noodle shop in one of the alleys. 

Some souvenirs and shoes that we bought as we strolled down the alley. You might think that all the stores there are tourist traps but you'll be surprised that some were actually quite affordable.

We went in and ordered a Zha Jiang Mian (thinking it would be something familiar) and some tomato noodle thing. When they arrived, we were quite stunned. For one, the tomato noodle looked more like a mixed-vegetable dish (even though it tasted really good). The Zha Jiang Mian was more of a culture shock? It was a cold dish and this was different from what we expected. We've only ever eaten hot Zha Jiang Mian (Black Bean Noodle). I guess the temperature of the noodle would help to make one feel refreshed in the sweltering heat of summer but it was a little too unique for my tastebuds. 

You have a little black bean topping above the cold noodles, and some freshly sliced vegetables are served on the side.

The meal left us slightly unsatisfied (wasn't that much either) and we started looking for drinks. This cute snacks and drinks stall was just around the corner. It was really clean and I do miss some of the unique drinks I managed to try out in Beijing.

This souvenir shop is along Dafosi East Street 大佛寺东街, which is where we did our shopping. You can head towards that street if you are interested!

We spent most of our afternoon there and headed back to the hotel to dump off our loot. Souvenirs and shoes can be pretty heavy too! After resting for a short while, it was time to make our way to the Olympic Park (from the Olympics in 2008) where the popular "Bird's Nest" is.

Directions: 

Take Subway Line 2 heading towards Jishuitan 积水潭, and alight at Gulou Street Station 鼓楼大街站. Transfer at Gulou Street Station 鼓楼大街站 and take Subway Line 8 heading towards Zhuxinzhuang and alight at Olympic Sports Center Station 奥体中心体育场站. Take Exit C to head to the Olympic Park. 

It was already evening time when we arrived. The weather was pretty cool and great for an evening stroll since the grounds were HUGE.

 

The building where the swimming competitions were held, also nicknamed "The Aquarium".

View of the Bird's Nest up close

This was some kind of transmission/viewing tower I think.

There is a mall created in the area so my mum and I headed over to grab a quick dinner. We found a food court and shared this beef dish. We weren't super hungry but just didn't want to starve.

Black Pepper Beef Rice on a hot plate. If you know me personally, you'll know that I hate black pepper but this was pretty decent so I just bore with it and tried to think of it as pepper lunch? >.<

When we were done with cooling down with the air-conditioning and headed out again, the view was completely different. With coloured lights moving around, it was quite beautiful. 

Verdict? If it is your first time in Beijing, I'd definitely recommend you give it a whirl and go once. One particularly eye-opening experience I had here was how massive every building was. I'd recommend going in the evening so it is cooler and that will also give you a chance to see the buildings light up at night. If you're going in summer and the weather is too hot, you can duck into the shopping mall for some respite.


Olympic Sports Center 
Chaoyang, Beijing, China



And.... that's the end of Day 2! Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed reading this post. In the next entry, I'll cover Day 3 where my mum and I went to the Old Summer Palace (where the 12 zodiac heads were stolen). That'll be another picture-heavy post because there was just so much to see! Stay tuned!


Till then,

Fly Safe and Eat Happy, 
V


 

Beijing 2015: Day 2 Part 1 (Forbidden City)

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Day 2 Part 1 of the Beijing travelogue! Fair warning, this is a picture heavy post because of how huge the Forbidden City is. It was on the top of my bucket list to visit the Forbidden City because I'm a huge fan of Chinese history about the palaces and such.
I'm happy to report that I was blessed with the opportunity to strike it off my bucket list!

This was how we made our way there from our hotel, Grand Mecure in Beijing.

Turn right upon exiting the hotel and walk straight till reaching Exit H or E of Xidan Station 西单站. Take Line 1 at Xidan Station西单站heading towards Sihui East and alight in 2 stops (~4mins) at Tian’anmen East Station 天安门东站. Take Exit A and arrive. 

Caution for first timers there:
You have to queue for tickets (don’t get cheated by touts selling you tickets saying you don’t need to queue). The official tickets have to come from the official queue.

The Forbidden City is connected to Tiananmen Square. It is extremely crowded because this is a popular tourist spot and countless tour groups visit this place. It's rare that you'll be able to take photos without any other visitors around. However, I was just so psyched and thrilled to be there that this did not bother me.

Large crowds heading into Tiananmen Square 天安门广场

Decided to stop for a bite to eat before we went on the really long tour. There is only this one place at the entrance of the Forbidden City for you to fill your tummies. Also, while there was a menu up there on the wall, they were only serving steamed buns. Like, only steamed buns.

Menu of so many items but they only sold buns >.< 
No complaints since the buns were so good though

Bag of steamed buns!

The steamed buns are sold by the bags. Everyone was eating this because it was the only thing sold. Thank goodness it was really yummy though! The skin was so thin, yet did not break easily. The fillings were also piping hot and packed full of flavour.

Once we were done consuming some insanely delicious steamed buns, it was time to head in. You would have to queue under the sweltering heat to purchase your tickets. Once again, please do not buy the tickets from touts just to save yourself time queueing. There are many cheats out there whose tickets are fake.

Very magnificent looking. There are basically queues everywhere. Queues to enter, for tickets, and all that. Don't fret too much and simply enjoy your time there. Take in the sights and sounds and allow yourself to soak in the atmosphere and environment that once belonged to the Emperors of China.

According to the engineering standards relevant in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) , there were three kinds of arrangements for the gilded ornamental knobs on each of the double doors of the Forbidden City, ranging from 81  (nine rows of nine knobs) , 49 (seven rows of seven knobs) to 25 (five rows of five knobs). These knobs symbolised three different ranks, of which nine was the highest.
http://www.beijing-tours.cn/forbidden-city/door-knobs-mystery.html

Most of these tiles have not been replaced since the palace was first built all those years ago. It's amazing to be so close to history.

Amazing how these architects/builders of the past could manage to create something so magnificent.

Haha this tourist was hilarious. Typical white person's idea of what it means to be "Chinese" I believe. This would probably be a better pose for a Shaolin temple though.

Intricate carvings and engravings showing both the dragon and phoenix which are said to be auspicious animals in Chinese culture.

Traditional Sun-dial - overlooked by most tourists who are trying to walk around quickly and escape the sweltering heat.

More dragons, and not just for decorative purposes. These are actually subtle drainage systems which allow water to drain from that level to the lower tier.

This is one strong grandpa. The stairs at the Forbidden City are so steep and uneven, with many older folk having difficulties climbing up. However, he managed to carry his grandchild on his sturdy shoulders. 

Stopped for some refreshing drinks (sold somewhere in the middle of the Forbidden City)

Exploring the various palaces. Yes there are various palaces within this huge cluster.

The place I was very psyched to visit. This is the palace of Emperor Yongzheng, the fourth son of Kangxi who was actually one of the most successful emperors despite his short reign. Effective how you may ask? He took a hard stance against corruption and focused on improving the lives of the people. His succession to the throne is still a hotly disputed topic because many believe his blood brother, the thirteenth prince, was the chosen heir instead.

The Yongzheng Emperor's favourite flower was the lotus and thus, you can see countless lotus murals around his palace.

Barriers are placed here because they want to preserve these original artifacts. Hence, the best way is to prevent visitors from getting their grimy hands all over these treasured items.

Clear sign of how aged these buildings are.

Apologies for the grainy photos. Had to constantly change my camera settings in the hopes of capturing anything.

Where my favourite emperor sat.

Amazing how all these structures have stood the test of time.

The living quarters were completely sealed off and you could only glimpse them by peering through tinted glass windows. I captured the following photos by pressing my camera lens against the glass.

Headed to the next section of the Forbidden City to continue exploring. There are seats around so take a rest if necessary! The heat from the unforgiving sun can be really draining!

More lotus flowers

The extent of how high these rocks are. The royals were said to have studied in that structure above.

Goodbye Forbidden City. Thank you for being the top item on my bucket list.
A day well spent for sure.

Peaceful waters at the back of the palace.

Verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDProbably my bias speaking here but if it is your first time in Beijing, you should definitely take the time to come to this remarkable landmark. Chinese history buffs most certainly should not miss out on this experience. The paths and steps are really old and uneven so please ensure that you are equipped with comfortable and suitable footwear. If you are headed here in summer, pack a cap as well as bottles of water because it is really hot!

 

That's all for this post. Thanks for bearing with the overexposed photos (my apologies!) but I hope it gave you a great insight into the beautiful world of Chinese history which I stepped into. 

Stay tuned to my next post where Mum and I checked out the "Bird's Nest" aka the Olympic Stadium of 2008. 

Till then,
Fly Safe and Eat Happy,

V