Travelling around the world

I’m went to Beijing and Shanghai in 7th April 2009 to 16th April 2009. I went with Super Travels at the price of $688+$265(airport tax) = $953 per person for 7 days Beijing and 2 free day accommodation in Shanghai.

Super Travels does not provide good service, first they tried to wriggling off checking in for us at the Changi Airport. That pissed me off, then they gave China’s side the wrong information. Ended up no tour guide at the airport to pick us up. Luckily, there were 2 group of Super Travels tourist from Singapore. The other group tour leader gave a call to his colleagues and she came rushing to the right terminal.

Super also told us that there is no optional tour in this package but when we reached Beijing, it’s a different story. There is an optional tour of RMB300 which include a Kungfu performance, a mutton meal, a night tour of Beijing’s night scenery and a visit to Xiushiu market. I don’t think it’s worth joining the optional tour, might as well save the RMB300 for shopping.

Tipping is 20 yuan per person per day. We paid for 50yuan at the Chengde summer palace + 10yuan for the tour guide in Chengde. The 50yuan is for the ride in Chengde summer palace. Super didn’t inform us about the additional tips for the Chengde tour guide. Out of commpassion for our Beijing tour guide Dandan, I decided to give her another 10 yuan. If not, should have deduct this 10 yuan from Dandan’s tipping.

We also paid 120 yuan for additional plate of version meat and chicken meat in Chengde. Each person work out to be 11 yuan.

Total cost:

RMB = 140+50+10+11+300=511/4.48 = SGD115
SGD = $688+$265+$115 = $1068

It cost $623 to fly there (From Singapore to Beijing), so i pay additional $445 for 9 night of hotel accommodation + meal + tranportation + all the entrance fee to the places of attraction. I still think i got a good deal. =)

Forbidden City

Tian An Men

Classic examples in China, some mainland Chinese will push you out of the way just because you are looking at some thing and they want a look in regardless of whether you have finished looking or you just step on the platform. Just your bad luck, no apology, nothing, you are like a transparent piece of paper. If you try to push them back, they will shout at you and claim that they have an old people with them. You should be more considerate, i don’t even know where they get the old people from.

Anyway, I will still go back now cas I wont want to go back China if things are expensive there. There sufferings is not worth the money spent.

In between the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square is Chang An Jie. This is the street where the bus will bring us for a tour of the night scenery (In the optional tour) which is a a joke. Just a street filled with lamp post.

After Tian An Men, I went to take an exterior facade of the China National Grand Theater. My tour guide told me that the Olymics Park, they have a Bird’s Nest. China National Grand Theater is like the Egg. From a bird eye view, it’s really an egg from the top.

Transfer to Bejing Laffitte Chateau Hotel, it’s a hot spring center. I went for a dip in the hot spring. The night air is a little cool and the water is a little hot. So nice to dip in the hot spring. The good thing, can wear swimming costume. (Japan, must be naked)

8th April 2009 – Beijing,China

First thing in the morning, we were brought to a Jade Factory. If you join package tour in China, they will bring you to a lot of shopping places which claimed that they have the best products in China, no bargaining and you wont be able to find the product outside. All bull shit, you can find cheaper products outside, it’s ridiculously overpriced. The shop were set up to con tourist’s money, if possible, don’t spend your money in these shops. If you really want to spend your money in these shop, no problem, bargain, there is no such things as no bargaining. I think the only places cannot bargain is supermarket, so far, i haven’t seen anyone bargaining in supermarket. Even the local don’t do that, maybe one day i will try.

Great Wall of China

Next, we went to Juyong Pass Great Wall through the mountains located in an 18km long valley named GuanGou which is in ChangPing Country, more than 50km from Beijing City. It is one of the three greatest passes of the Great Wall of China. There is no way to finish Great Wall of China in one day. It span over a few provinces and will take quite a number of days to finish walking it plus some parts have crumbled away. The Great Wall snakes through the countryside over deserts, hills and plains for several thousand miles. The Great Wall was created only after the unification of China under Qin Shi Huangdi. The amazing part about the Great Wall of China other than the length was that it was build with stone slabs, bricks, earth, rubble, rock, stone surrounded by kiln-fired bricks cemented with a mortar of lime and glutinous rice. Oh my god, glutinous rice……something that we eat can stick the Great Wall of China together. I was very amazed and keep looking at the fillings between the bricks. Of cos, it’s cemented now cas it has been restored but many years ago, it was held together by GLUTINOUS RICE. I’m amazed at the cleverness of ancient man.

Jin Tai Lian

Then lunch followed by another shopping tour of the Cloisonne Factory (Jin Tai Lian). It’s copperwear beautified by coloured sands. This is very interesting but it’s quite expensive, if not, i will love to bring one back to Singapore. But then again, I think I wont buy anything expensive during the travel tour shopping.

Ming Tomb

The resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming emperors, the Ming Tombs are China’s finest example of imperial tomb architecture. The site was selected because of its auspicious feng shui alignment, a ridge of mountains to the north cradles the tombs on three sides. The resting place of Yongle emperor, although the burial chambers has never been evacted. I love to visit the inside but unfortunately not evacted so closed for tourist. The inside was build with namu (fragant cedar) which is currently rare in the world and more expensive than gold. Cedar columns supporting the huge weight of the roof, the colossal 43-foot namu columns are topped with elaborate dougong bracket sets.

Later, we proceed to watch a Holy Water Goddess of Mercy Show (Shen Shui Guan Ying). The only thing interesting about the show, a portion of the theatre is filled with water. Then another performance Beijing Acrobatics. The acrobatics was more interesting but the performance is too short.

Da Guan Yuan

We went back to hotel after the performace. Today, we stay in Da Guan Yuan.

Temple of Heaven

Then another shopping tour at Tong Ren Tang. The Chinese doctor is much better than the one we encounter in Shanghai. By the way, they will start with an introduction of Chinese medicine and the reputation of Tong Ren Tang and then end it with introducing a Chinese doctor to read your pulses and prescribe chinese medicine in the range of thousand RMB.

Mummy didn’t buy anything and we pop downstairs for some cheap chinese medicine. Downstairs, the medicine only cost 10plus RMB, the most expensive was 100plus RMB. And we have seen the medicine in our medical hall in Singapore. At least, it’s approved.

Yi He Yuan

Long Corridors at Yiheyuan

The most impressive thing in Yihe Yuan was the Long Corridor, the beams along the length of this 2388ft walkway are decorated with 14000 scenic painting, each one is different and unique. After that, another shopping tour, pearl factory. Didn’t buy anything again. Too much of these factory tour is boring.

After that, we went to Wangfujing Street. This is Beijing’s modern, mall-lined and main shopping street. There is a food street which is more interesting. They sell seahorses, scorpions and beeatles as food. Don’t know how to eat, i don’t dare to try.

Wang fu jing street

10th April 2009 – Beijing, China

Today, we went to Capital Museum. With it’s magnificent architecture, abundant exhibitions, advanced technology and complete functions, the large and modern Capital Museum, makes its contribution to the titles such as famous historical and cultural city of Beijing. Not a bad museum, I’m not a fan of museum and don’t really like to visit old things, always feel uncomfortable around them. This is okie and i don’t have to spend a long time inside.

Bird Nest

After that, we went to Bird Nest’s and Water Cube. We are allow to enter Bird Nest’s, included in the travel package but only allowed to view the exterior of Water Cube. I think the entrance fee of 20RMB to Water Cube is not included in the travel package. It’s look like a normal building from outside. The best view should be at night. Water Cube has a 3D effect at night which is more interesting and beautiful.

Water Cube

Then another shopping tour disguising as foot reflexology. The tour guide brought us to a complex which claim that it does foot reflexology for Chinese Olymics participants. Again, the same selling, they start the presentation with healthy living, then end it with introducing Chinese sinseh from Tibet. The sinseh will take your pulses rate. The Chinese doctor taking my mum pulse said she has weak bones, digestive systems not good, heart not good, liver not good and prescribe medicine costing RMB3600. So expensive, anyway, i just told the doctor that I’m not interested And he left without saying much….heehee, i thot he will try to persuade me. Luckily, he didn’t.

Then we end the day at Yaxiu Market where i bought 2 bags for 100RMB and 130RMB. Not a bad deal but i think i can get it cheaper. By the way, the starting price is 1200RMB per bag, just cut the price all the way to a reasonable price. Even then, 100 RMB is too expensive, but the young lady serving me is quite nice so treat as helping her in her business.

Zheng yang men

11th April 2009 – Tianjin, China

Early in the morning, we went to Zhengyangmen for a visit. Before that, Qianmen Street. Located near to Tiananmen Square, Qianmen Street is no more than 2km long, has been a prosperous street for more than 600 years and has accummulated a long of long-standing store. There is the traditional tram car in Qianmen Street, dandan car. But now, it’s newly reconstructed, not much shops are opened. So we only took a pictures and left the street.

Zhengyangmen is the starting of the dragon pulse in Beijing, which means dragon’s head, ‘long tou’. The whole ‘long mai’ extend from Zhengyangmen through Tiananmen Square, through forbidden city and ends at Jing Shan Park. We didn’t went to Jing Shan Park, only caught a glimpse of it when we enter Forbidden City through the back gate. It’s hill was created from earth that was evacated while building the palace moat. By the way, the last emperor of Ming Chongzhen killed himself by hanging from a locust tree (huaishu) in the park in 1644.

There is another shopping tour in Zhengyangmen which talk about the fengshui and selling of pi xiu. An auspicious beast engrave in stone. Again, nobody bought cas too expensive.

Tianjin Gu Cheng Jie

12th April 2009 – Chengde, China

This morning, we visited the Royal Summer Retreat, a sprawling resort build on a 564,000 square metre piece of land. Surrounded by mountains with babbling brooks and crystal clear streams running through the entire resort, the landscape is typical of both northern and southern China. It was built over a period of 6 years, started by Emperor Kangxi and finished by Qianlong.

Chengde Royal Summer Retreat building consists a lot of Emperor Kangxi & Qianlong’s words. According to what my Chengde’s tour guide said, if it is a four letter word, it’s penned by Kangxi. If it is a three letter word, it’s penned by Qianlong. The building was mainly built with Nanmu. A wood that can prevent insects from invading your warerobe. Royal Summer Retreat is very beautiful and peaceful. Standing in this vast resort, you can somehow understand why the Emperor loved coming to this resort.

There is a lot of deers in this Royal Summer Retreat. The deers here are mainly for the Emperor’s hunting game many years ago. Again, we are brought to a shopping trip. This time round, we are encourage to purchase a drum-like necklace and deer-related products like chopsticks made from deer’s bones. The drum-like necklace is a Manchurian’s custom. Family with Manchurian’s female like to give their daughter a set of jewellery made in the shape of a drum for protection and good luck.

After lunch, we went to Little Potala Palace. The 8 Outer temples was built by Emperor Qianlong to house the Tibetan lamas as well as their followers amongst the minority tribes in the North West and South West Provinces of China. They came in huge numbers for the important occasion of the ‘Joint Birthday Celebration of Emperor Qianlong’s 60th and his Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday’, a grand occasion to be shared with the whole kingdom.

In Chengde, the main source of income for the whole town was tourist. Even the resoration of the Little Potala Palace falls on the tourist’s shoulder, to the extend of them resorting to high-handed method of asking for donation. We were asked to pray infront of a buddha before visiting the Palace. We were told before the prayers that each donation of 100RMB will entitle a Tian Zhu and you will be allowed to place your name in a book where the lama will pray for you. Immmediately after the prayers, we were asked to sign on the book. After signing, they will ask 100RMB from you. I was shocked and totally disgusted by the behavior. This made me doubtful of whether the 100RMB really went to the resortation of the temple or into business man’s pocket. I was planning to donate some money to the resortation of the temple but was turned off by the method used. Decided to keep the money for myself.

After Little Potala Palace, we went back to Beijing for dinner. Before dinner, another shopping trip. This time round, it’s jewellery. Again, different sales tatics was used. The boss came to serve us and told us that all the jewellery were from Thailand like Chiangmai or Burma. Then he proceed to use a piece of jade to cut glass. Everyone was amazed and my auntie bought a set from him. Then we were asked to look around at the different precious stone. Whatever caught our eyes, he will ask the sales girl to bring it out and show us. Then the jewellery will be discounted from 2000 plus RMB to 150 SGD and then he will ask the sales girl to wrap up. This method manage to convince my cousin’s husband to buy a set for her for 150SGD.

After dinner, we mangaed to caught a sight of the Water Cube at night. We went to Nan Luo Gu Xiang. It’s a little alley filled with some eatery, bars and resturant in small shops.

13th April 2009 – Beijing, China

Our last morning in Beijing. This morning, we take a rickshaw for a Hutong Tour. Then followed by Xiushui Market. Actually, Yaxiu and Xiushui Market is similar. I don’t see the need to visit 2 different market.

After 2 hours of shopping, we went for lunch followed by a visit to a Tea house. Again, they tried to sell us tea leaves. After the expensive experience in Hangzhou, I refused to buy anymore tea leaves from them. I like tea and loved buying different tea leaves to try. Due to the hard-selling tatics encountered with such travel tours. There is no reason for me to spend unncessary money in China.

After that, the tour guide brought us to the airport. We paid her the tipping for 7 days. After receiving the tipping, she didn’t check in for us at the airport and actually left us stranded. She misinformed us that we can actually check in immediately when in fact the gate was not opened. Then she quickly ran off. They actually brought us to the airport 2 hours earlier, there was no proper place to wait unfortunately.