A very important changes happened this year, that’s my wedding @ 28th September 2008. Hence, we were always planning for a honeymoon trip. Initially, we are targetting either Tokyo or Hokkaido in Japan but due to air ticket unavailable, we then switch our focus towards China and end up chose Beijing as our honeymoon destination. Since we are buying our air ticket, we decided to extend the trip a little, it’s a 11D10N trip with a 8D7N guided tour in between.
18 Dec 2008
We are flying MAS Business Class, this is the first time for my wife to go on Business Class and she enjoy the MAS Golden Lounge in KLIA! Since we arrived one day prior to the guided tour, we took the subway from Beijing Capital International Airport to downtown then a change of line brought us to Beitucheng station where Holiday Inn Express Mingzuyuan is just 300m away.
After check-in, we spend the evening in Wangfujing shopping area and pamper ourselves with the famous Beijing roast duck at QuanJuDe.
Travelling around Beijing in subway is really convenient and cheap, just 2 Yuan per trip regardless how far you travel.
19 Dec 2008
After breakfast, we head over to the famous shopping spot for cheap (i.e. fake) branded goods – Silk Street. We were amazed by the way the shop keeper approach customer and the variety of bags, clothes and jelwery. Practically, you need to bargain and pretend walk away to get the price you want, you will be amaze by the discount you can get 
We had Thai food for lunch before heading back to airport to join the guided tour arriving from KL. In the evening, we start the tour by watching an Acrobatic show in a theatre follow by a “very vege” dinner.
20 Dec 2008
The luxury of guided tour to us is the bus transport, it brought us to our destination without much walking. We depart at 8am, first stop – National Theatre (Bird Egg), TianAnMen Square, Forbidden City. All together it’s about 4 hours walking and photo shooting, then lunch. In the afternoon, “Temple of Heaven” where the emperor pray for better future. Most of the days, the last activity will be dinner. We were starting to get use to the dishes served during lunch and dinner
21 Dec 2008
Weather getting colder, wind getting stronger, we were told to wear more and more! The first stop before Great Wall was a Jade factory. When we reach Great Wall, the wind is even stronger and we can hardly walk! Anyway, we still given the chance to climb up and enjoy the cold breeze. After lunch, we move on to Ming Tomb. This is one of the emperor’s grave from Ming Dynasty. In fact, you won’t enjoy most of the attractions in Beijing without a very knowledgeable tour guide. We were lucky that our tour guide was great, he manage to explain and relate very well. Before heading for dinner, we went to a medicine factory for the famous “Bao Fu Ling” cream.
22 Dec 2008
“Summer Palace” – the resident of emperor’s mother. There’s a huge lake in this place and the surface is frozen with a thin layer of ice on top. There is a long corridor about 700m full of painting from the olden days, very nice but very cold! Before lunch, we were asked to pay extra RMB 250 per person for 7 additional attractions where 3 of them are shopping place. As expected, everyone joined so we just follow the crowd.
After lunch, we go to JingShan park, a huge park behind Forbidden City where we climb to the hill top to get a good view of Beijing skyline and bird-eye view of Forbidden City. Then, we were given a chance to visit one of the old Beijing “Si He Yuan” house follow by Trishaw trip along the hutong (small alley) in the village. Later on, we were brought to first shopping spot and given 75mins to do some quick shopping at YaShow before dinner.
After dinner, touring the famous ChangAn Jie in our bus to get a night view of TianAnMen Square (the biggest square in the world) then head over to WangFuJing for a quick walk including the famous DongAnMen snack street.
23 Dec 2008
First stop for the day, Tian Ya Hong Qiao shopping mall. The tour guide suggest we do last minute shopping for more winter gear before we head to ChengDe in the afternoon. This place is similar to YaShow and Silk Street but review says you can get better bargain here since there’s less crowd and they willing to let go at a lower price. After lunch, we start our journey to ChengDe, it’s a 4 to 5 hours ride. We were given a toilet stop halfway thru and the toilet cleanliness was “world class” :p
Soon after arriving in ChengDe, dinner then check-in to a local hotel for one night stay.
24 Dec 2008
It’s Christmas Eve but the surrounding doesn’t look or feel like it. We were told X’mas wasn’t a very big celebration in China, even the capital city – Beijing, there won’t be much decorations and events. There’s 2 attractions in ChengDe, the Bishu Shanzhuang Imperial Palace and Small Potala Palace (Temple). We get to enjoy walking on top of frozen lake in Imperial Palace and taste some local delicacies in Small Potala Palace. There goes the whole morning, after lunch journey back to Beijing!
Despite a little hiccup on the bus tyres on the way back, we still manage to make it to Silk Street for 2 hours shopping before dinner. Great!
25 Dec 2008
We found a wonderful companion for Christmas – The Panda! There’s two Panda Zoo in Beijing featuring Asian Games and Olympics. There are about 15 Panda being brought from its home town – Si Chuan. Then, we head over for a foot bath and massage (we were told this is a FREE gift from China Government). After lunch, bus ride to a light industry town 150KM away from Beijing, that’s Tian Jin. Another 2 so called attractions but since we were late, there isn’t much to see. Dinner in Tian Jin, one of the dishes was the famous “Gou Bu Li” bao/dumpling.
26 Dec 2008
The tour guide thinks we didn’t had enough shopping so we were brought to Tian Ya Hong Qiao for last minute shopping but before that, we visit the famous Silk factory where we had some good understanding how Silk is made from the very begining. This factory was once producing the emperor’s constume.
Both of us spin off from the tour as they heading to the airport and go home! As planned, we extended 2 more nights in Beijing just to get some personal time around the city. We walk to the nearest subway station and jump off at one of the up-market shopping district – Sanlitun Village. It’s just right next to YaShow market, my darling enjoy browsing some of the finest quality goods compare to the cheap (a.k.a fake) stuffs we seen for the past few days. Early dinner in a HK Herbal Cafe at the top floor in Sanlitun Village then head back. It’s an early finish since we were rather exhausted with the busy and packed schedule with the guided tour.
27 Dec 2008
Another late start since we were on our own, plan to check out the Underground City. Do some googling in hotel then took subway and stop at the nearest station. After 15mins walk, we realise the Underground City was closed for refurbish since April 2008 and there’s no sign of when it will be opened. Thanks to Lonely Planet! Hene, we wander around the vicinity, browsing some mid-market shopping malls…
Lunch in Ajisen Ramen and continue shopping at SoShow mall, a “Sungai Wang” like shopping mall around the corner. Spend the evening in WangFuJing (yes, again!), laze a bit in Starbucks and end up shabu-shabu for dinner.
28 Dec 2008
Initial plan was to check out MingZuYuan which is just a stone throw away from our hotel but really don’t feel like going out after breakfast. Eventually, just enjoy the free internet from hotel, busy updating facebook, blogging, chatting, etc. Check out and leave the hotel around 12noon, took the airport express train to BCIA Terminal 2. Call it “A Trip”! Yay!
