Beijing was extremely hot and stuffy. But the dry weather made me sweat lesser than I would in Singapore. The air was forever bad, with very poor visibility. Dusty roads. I still prefer Shanghai and Suzhou anytime.
Enjoyed Peking Roasted Duck the most and the turtle soup at 全聚德烤鸭店. Expensive though! At about S$40 per pax for dinner with only three dishes in total. Yet there were many Chinese tourists patronising the famed restaurant, besides foreign tourists.
Flew to Xi'an (18 July 2010) and I found the Army of Terracotta Warriors stunning. They were excavated in 1974, after being discovered by a nearby village digging a water well at that time.
Went to Inner Mongolia (19 July 2010) as well. Stayed at a Mongolian Yurt for a night (20 July 2010), and the weather at night and the next morning was chilling, with vapour that came out from my mouth when I speak. Regretted not bringing along a jacket. The Mongolians work only during summer season from June to August. Come September temperature drops and snow starts falling in October. Winter temperature dips as low as minus 30. No tours come after August.
Rode a horse for two hours, until my hips and butt ached. After my china trip, I could manoveur a horse! And ride with confidence. Most Chinese from Northern China know how to ride a horse since young, because it is their transport.
My butt got a second blow the next day (21 July 2010) when I rode on a camel. Thank God the weak-looking camel could not run, but sauntered along the desert path as though it would collapse anytime due to heatstroke.
On the bus back to the city, a french guy seated behind me asked: "Is this bus going back to Hoh-hot?"
Hoh-hot is the capital city of Inner Mongolia. I replied "yes, going back to Hoh-hot."
Then I told dearie that I should have said we're going back to "Hot-yit" (which means very hot in cantonese) and not Hoh-hot!
Got back to Beijing (23 July 2010), visited Temple of Heaven and had Peking Roasted Duck for the next two nights!
Joined a tour to Tianjin (24 July 2010), the fifth busiest port in China, but it wasn't busy at all. I can't see any cargo-lifting work in action. It was 1.30pm, and perhaps the workers were still taking an afternoon nap. The tour bus stinked like hell. I wouldn't want to remember this unpleasant experience, but I wouldn't want to forget that I have to carefully choose the right tour operator next time. No more CYTS!
Still, I would say the Great Wall (25 July 2010) is still the most marvellous structure amongst the other six wonders of the world. Even surpassed the colosseum in Rome. Needless to say, Tower of Pisa.
This Zha Jiang Mian 炸酱面 that I had at the Great Wall filled my final night in China with unforgettable trips to the toilet, even in the sky back to Singapore. SIA should consider installing TV in toilets. So I can come out only when it's about time to land.
A simple cup, above a simple sky. Don't you think I have a flair for marketing photography? I love this pic the most.
Went for my second IPL treatment yesterday at Vivocity. Had an injection on my face after doing carbon peeling. Carbon peeling was kinda unbearable due to the high heat. Felt as though a construction worker was performing soldering work on my face.
Dental appointment today. Paid almost 140 bucks for my broken retainer. Met jc and jm for fyp project discussion, amidst an impending stress. So I went running at Bedok Stadium.
