8 Days in Beijing - Day 3 (part 2)

Travel date: 14.12.2013

Day 1 click HERE

Day 2 (part 1) click HERE

Day 2 (part 2) click HERE

Day 3 (part 1) click HERE

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Day 3 Highlights -

National Aquatics Centre 水立方游泳馆

Beijing National Stadium Bird's Nest 鸟巢

Hutong Alleys 胡同/Old Beijing Courtyard 四和院

Quan Ju De Peking Duck

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As mentioned in the last post, instead of spending more time at The Summer Palace, we were lead to this place that sells silk bed spreads.

Initial introduction of silk was educational and interesting.

But it was really unfortunate (to the silk shop) that many of our tour members are frequent and "experienced" travellers who had bought such silk bed sheets before.  Another couple were from China migrated to Singapore, they had seen more silk then anybody else.   And me, don't like silk at all, feels naked in them.  So what if  I love my cheap cotton bed spreads huh!   So none of us were impressed.

Not able to quiche a single deal from our tour group, the sales people began to panic, one sales girl even pull my hubby's arm trying her ultimate best to stop him from walking towards the exit, what the hell!  My patience was wearing thin, hubby said my face was rarely so black.  I stormed my way back to the bus, the rest followed behind me.  By doing so, I supposed my poor tour guide gotten a hard time accounting to this silk shop.

Lunch.

We had a quiet and relaxing meal.

Drove pass Beijing National Stadium Bird's Nest 鸟巢

It host 2008 Olympics, famous enough, no need to elaborate further.

Spotted a mobile stall selling 冰糖葫芦 sugar coated candies.

Some people selling kites here.

*Hint - DO NOT buy unless they are willing to sell you the one that's flying in the sky.

This man in orange tailed and pestered me for photo service.  It's not expensive but my hubby can do it FOC.   Seek "refuge"  from our tour guide in blue, while hubby 袖手旁观 and took photo some more  -____- 

Me:  他怎么老纠缠我？

刘导 (tour guide): 他被您的漂亮吸引了！

Me: 什么话嘛？

Old auntie liao, pretty si mi sai lah....

刘导 (tour guide): haahaahaaa.......

Throughout the entire tour, it's always me and only me who kena pestered by sellers, irritating sia.  Why me.....  Ok, seriously, we were advised not to buy from sellers who loiters outside tourist spots cos' some of them circulate counterfeit notes.

A pic of me infront of both Aquatics Centre 水立方 and Bird's Nest 鸟巢.

Aquatics Centre 水立方游泳馆

Host Olympics swimming/diving events in 2008.  After which, a RMB200 million revamp turning half of its interior into a water park and the building was officially reopened on Aug 2010.  Not included in the itinerary, we didn't get to enjoyed the water fun :(

image from www.water-cube.com/cn

 After silk was tea-leaves.

It's difficult to get good tea leaves in Singapore.  Bought pu-er 普洱 to replace my existing Slim Spa tea.  It's soothing and not bitter, a little bit of leaves can brew a big pot.  Flora fruit tea tasted like ribena, my kids like it, bought one and gotten another for free.  Another free item is this 田七花, very interesting never know 田七's flower can be brew as tea  , love the fragrance and taste. 

Just one set back, merchant's lack of honesty and sincerity, we were charged at different prices.

My dear tour guide was quite relieve that we didn't leave empty handed this time though lolxx....

Street scenes while on our way to Hutong Alley 胡同.

Spotted an over decorated shopping centre with a hospital building beside it.  Too contrasting, too weird lolxx...

Hutong Alleys 胡同 and Old Beijing Courtyard 四和院

It's view as part of old Beijing's culture, where local folk's daily lives are.

Trishaw ride was good to browse through the vintage alleys but it's really chilly against the wind.

Some pics taken during trishaw ride:

So cute and small, like a toy car.

Took a video also:

Walked into a Beijing Courtyard 四和院

Board the bus and concussed.

Then woke up and eat again.  Big juicy sugar coated strawberries, enuff said.

Beijing got Carrefour wor, heeheeehee...... we popped in to walk one round before dinner time.

Across the road is famous Quan Ju De 全聚德 which we had dinner.

Only ducks above 3kg are used, roasted with wood from fruit trees (date wood, pear wood etc.)

When the Peking ducks were brought in, the aroma invaded the whole room, the smell was tempting enough to make saliva drip =P~~~

Cold dish made from lotus root, it's sweet and crunchy, surprising refreshing that I ate the most, ooops.

Another cold dish, it's jelly with pork, something not too common in Singapore.  Savoury jelly was new taste, very interesting to me and it didn't disappoint.

After dinner, we went for Shaolin Gongfu Performance.

Some stunts looked so dangerous eeeew....... scared scared but enjoyable!

Passed by Beijing Railway Station every day on our way back to the hotel.

We made it just in time to watch 非诚勿扰.  It may be just a match making variety show, but I gain a lot of knowledge from this programme.  香飘飘 sponsored this programme, that's how we got to know about this milk tea.

Had received many enquires on 香飘飘 milk tea, asking whether is it really that nice.  Well, taste is very subjective lah,  but my entire family is hooked.   It's smooth and fun with nata de coco.  We drunk it every night before bed during our stay in Beijing.

We gotten our entire tour members hooked, they all bought and tried, all thumbs up ^^  It's RMB 5 from 7-eleven, RMB2.90 from Tesco Supermarket.

Day 4 was superb to The Great Wall!!  Stay tune wor, thank you!