Beijing Yuyuan Hotel

Today was my first time going to the university, but only to enroll; the classes start on Friday. It took awhile to get there, as it is on the other side of Beijing, and there was no clear route there. Beijing Language and Cultural University is the largest place I have ever seen. I think that the city of Melbourne could fit inside its gates- pe...

On Saturday, after sleeping for approximately two and a half hours, Ellie's phone alarm starting sounding the siren for wake up time. UGH! Both of us needed to shower, as we were still sticky with sweat and smelled like cigarette smoke. She got up first - at 7:30. I just laid in bed listening to the water in the shower beat her body. That sound ...

We woke up bright and early (4:30am) Monday morning to make sure we made it to the train station on time-since it was a holiday, we were told the train station would be extremely chaotic- and it was. Once we got on the train, we sat in our seats and got comfortable which was unlike any other person on board- throughout the entire trip people we...

After what seemed like an eternity on a plane, we finally arrived in China. I got a major clue of what the pollution was like just based on the landing alone. Looking out the window, all you could see was smog, no ground at all. It just felt like we were going down into nothing, and suddenly we were on the ground. It was a little freaky, I have ...

Of the selection of Great Wall tours available, we opted to avoid the more touristy spots (which get incredibly crowded), for a tour called the "Secret Wall Tour", which offered walking on part of the wall further away from the city and away from the crowds. We got picked up from the hostel and driven perilously, horn blaring, to a dusty road in...

The first time visit to China was last year, but the destination was Shanghai. The city of Shanghai was less attractive than Beijing except some canal towns in the suburbs, because Shanghai was too modernized or westernized. In that meaning, Beijing may be better for tourists to feel real China. Especially, old buildings like the Great Wall, For...

Well, we reached the end of our China journey. And what a journey. Happy to leave behind the squat toilets and miles of red tape (not to mention little red books!). We even needed our passports to use internet cafes. We started out our Beijing experience with a tour of Tiananmen Square, under the watchful gaze of Mao himself and a host of police...

What an incredible response I got to my last post: Cherikoff's bakery? Jul 17, 2007 04:28 EST by cherikoff (211.30.230.17) New! "My grandfather started the first Cherikoff bakery on Nathan Road as you say and I read about you wanting to get to one of the many Cherikoff bakeries now in China. Are they a quality bakery? Or is it because they still...

Woke up to snow and after visiting the Temple of Heaven realised we needed warmer clothes. Viewed an art exhibition and took a recommendation from one of the art students to visit the Silk Market for trekking gear. What an experience we become masters at haggling by accident, the formula is walking away having tried on jackets only to be tracked...