Beijing (1 Viewer)

[La La]

going end of jan. apart from the obvious (forbidden city etc) any tips on what to see and do? ill be snowboarding most of the time but will have about a day and a half to wander. ta

 

[guy of the tiger]

going end of jan. apart from the obvious (forbidden city etc) any tips on what to see and do? ill be snowboarding most of the time but will have about a day and a half to wander. ta

Not much response eh La La?
I'm going in a couple of weeks for 3 days or so.
Anyone got any touristic tips?
Or Accomodation tips?

 

[RSJ]

Learn to spit noisily/constantly. You'll fit right in.

 

[guy of the tiger]

Learn to spit noisily/constantly. You'll fit right in.

Grand. will do, thanks.

 

[Umfufu]

Order the duck!
Although be careful it's not Duck Feet Soup as happened an American couple we met over there.

Tiananmen Sq, The Forbidden City & Chairman Mao Mausoleum are all in the same area.
We were brought to a lovely area on the river where there was loads of bars & a huge park that was, like most things in China, reeeeaally old.

I'll have to have a chat with the girlfriend to get more useful details if anyone's still interested.

 

[guy of the tiger]

I'll have to have a chat with the girlfriend to get more useful details if anyone's still interested.

yeah that would be great thanks!

How will I get on without any mandarin?

 

[Umfufu]

yeah that would be great thanks!

How will I get on without any mandarin?

We met up with an Irish friend who's been living there for a couple of years & his Chinese girlfriend on the first night.
After that we were with a small tour group.
Beijing & Shanghai might not be too bad (maybe) but I honestly can't imagine trying to travel around China without someone who speaks the language with you.
The language is pretty impenetrable, imo.

 

[guy of the tiger]

We met up with an Irish friend who's been living there for a couple of years & his Chinese girlfriend on the first night.
After that we were with a small tour group.
Beijing & Shanghai might not be too bad (maybe) but I honestly can't imagine trying to travel around China without someone who speaks the language with you.
The language is pretty impenetrable, imo.

Is a day-trip to the great wall a viable option from beijing?
Or is it too far, too difficult etc

 

[Umfufu]

Is a day-trip to the great wall a viable option from beijing?
Or is it too far, too difficult etc

We did a day trip. Think it was about an hour on the coach so very do-able.
Again, we were on a Trailfinders tour so they had it all arranged for us but your hotel should be able to help you out.

I THINK the huge park I mentioned is the Temple Of Heaven park.

Also, there's another park with a big lake in it. It's quite touristy but at night there's loads of tiny bars with couches, no glass in the windows & Chinese lanters outside. It's a lovely spot for a drink.
Our Chinese friend went up to barman & arrived back with a game called Perudo (I'm sure that's not what it's called in China but I had played it before & it what I know it as).
We sat in this tiny bar, drinking & playing Perudo on our first night in Beijing. Perfect start to a holiday.

 

[La La]

yeah fancy, none of the fuckers here would help!

in the end, i was up in Miyun County for most of my stay, only spent a day and a half in Beijing. we went to some mental club (somewhere) and all I remember doing were lots of shots of something. the next day we went to a japanese place where i mistakenly ate duck tongue, then we flew back to HK.

some of the taxi drivers are funny - they'll rev up into 4th gear then shift into neutral to save petrol. LOL.

my greatest regret is having not been to the Forbidden City.

 

[Umfufu]

Oh yeah, almost forgot, the barber shops turn into "massage parlours" at night.
Apparently everyone there knows about it but no one talks about it.

Ya gotta love Communist Capitalism.

 

[hugh]

Oh yeah, almost forgot, the barber shops turn into "massage parlours" at night.
Apparently everyone there knows about it but no one talks about it.
.

Oh yeah I noticed that in Shanghai as well. The language thing can really be a barrier. I found myself standing in the lobby of a hotel somewhere one day trying to order some food by doing an impression of a chicken.

 

[Umfufu]

I wonder if Beijing is more accessible since the Olympics?

 

[RSJ]

We spent a week in southern china before christmas with no mandrin. It's possible but very very tricky. That said, it should be easier in beijing. We found when we got mad stuck (like trying to book an overnight bus) that going to a nearby travel agent helps, many have some understanding of english, and in many cases they came back over to the bus station with us to translate.

And again, learn to spit, loudly.

 

[kiNg duMb]

That Lake is called HouHai, it is worth checking out for a different side of China,
map here

It is located just north of Jingshan Park, which is just north of the forbidden city which is just north of tian'anmen sq. so it should be possible to do them all in a day.


Althought might not be much happen around HouHai if you are going there in January.

 

[guy of the tiger]

Deadly. Lookin forward to this now.
Arseome.

I have booked a suspiciously cheap hostel. And they're gonna pick my ass up at the hairport when I land.

Great wall is gonna get it.

 

[kiNg duMb]

rent a bike, the best way to get about, it is a bit scary for a while then its a great buzz ....

Deadly. Lookin forward to this now.
Arseome.

I have booked a suspiciously cheap hostel. And they're gonna pick my ass up at the hairport when I land.

Great wall is gonna get it.

 

[Umfufu]

It was weird when we were at Tiananmen Sq.
Most of the tourists were from other parts of China & were smiling & getting photos taken.
A lot of them don't seem to realise what went on there.
The only ones who do are those who were in Beijing & heard the guns.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8082604.stm

 

[guy of the tiger]

I had a great four days in Beijing. Saw the forbidden gardens, temple of this, temple of that etc. The highlight by far was The Great Wall. Stunning.

http://www.backpackingchina.com/ProductsView.Asp?id=33

These guys organise what they call a 'different great wall' trip. They took us out on a minibus to a section of the wall that looked like it was being prepared for tourism and therefore devoid of other tourists. Half of it was run down and crumbling which made it very authentic to me. You're gonna want daycent runners at least (not flip-flops or heels, and no prams!)

So we (the minibus) pretty much had the wall to ourselves except for a few workers and a handful of people selling bits & pieces. It really was stunning.

I can't reccomend it enough. I stayed in the associated backpackers hostel (which isn't required to book the great wall trip). I recommend it as a budget accomodation option. Clean, cheap, very friendly english speaking staff, great location too.

That's my number 1 tip for any of yissers who are doing a short trip in Beijing.