Where I spent my [cold] nights in Beijing

It was a cold winter for me when I arrived Beijing. But it would not be for someone who already acclimatized to cold weather. Average night time temperature of -2 degree C is nothing compared to -20 degree C isn't it? I was concerned with any temperature lower than Malaysia has simply because I couldn't stand cold. In school's hostel, I would choose my bed the furthest from fan while everybody else aiming to have theirs exactly under the fan. So, the space and the bed in Beijing must be warm enough to keep me sleeping the whole night. 

My bed for the first 2 nights was so comfortable I forgot to capture it ;p
But lemme show u the place. It is situated in JiaMingTongCheng, a walk away from Datunlu East Beijing Subway. According to Steph, my host, this is a very good neighbourhood, the price of this apartment was CNY 3 millions when she bought it! (opsss no, actually her parents-in-law bought it as a gift to her and her husband) Would I marry a Chinese man? Not sure. Depending on what my parents-in-law can buy me :p



Steph's apartment


Steph Zhao, a local Chinese hosted me and Sayra for 2 nights. We had a room to ourselves complete with the most comfortable bed and warming duvet. I didn't wanna get up when I first lay myself down on the bed covered with delicate Pierre Cardin bedsheet and the pillow and duvet made from I-don't-know-what kinda make me lost in total comfort! Totally more comfortable than what I have back home :) She also let us use every other common facilities in her apartment freely. Do u know what I found most fascinating in her apartment?

NEEEEEMO!!!!!

 
Yes, it's a coral reef aquarium. I got to see an underwater lives at 20th floor apartment! They are just too amazing I admire Steph's husband dedication and passion maintaining it. I know it's not easy to have one like this. The oxygen, the temperature, the lighting, the water quality must all be correct.

Here are some views from my bedroom and the balcony.

And this is my lovely host, Steph. Thanks for the 2 wonderful nights stay!

The number of hutong decline drastically in Beijing to make way for new building and before they are all really gone, I decided to spend my nights in courtyard hostel at one of the hutong. 

Typical narrow alley in hutong

People here might not be living in posh apartment, but some own a Mini Cooper! My fav car :')

Located at Wangzhima Hutong, Peking Yard Hostel is easily accessible from Zhangzizhong Lu subway station and very near to main road.

If u wonder how does the hostel look inside, first let me bring u to the main door as an introduction.

Welcome to Peking Yard Hostel, Beijing 

Once I stepped in behind this door, I was greeted by one Malaysian family about to heading out for sight seeing. The parents were so cool to stay in hostel with their kids. I mean, not many couple with kids wants to stay in hostel right? But I think I would consider staying in hostel with my family too if it's Peking Yard Hostel. Now, I let u judge the place and tell me how u like it :) 

This is a common area where everybody freely do their stuff anytime they like. Most pictures in the frame hung on the wall are from the owner's masterpieces. You can found her in one of the pictures too! I can tell she has a very good taste in art from how she decorate this place. She managed to turn the old courtyard into this amazing modern contemporary hostel that not only provide bed at night but also bring real feeling of own-home's comfort after thousands miles of travelling.

And here are some of the facilities.

And this is my private room for another 2 nights in Beijing. The room was clean, spacious, sound proof and the air conditioning (heater) worked fantastically.

I LOVE this place.


The last day before checking out, I spent the whole morning till afternoon having breakfast, writing postcards, reading, checking email and talking to the other travellers in the common area. 

The tranquil ambiance they created and relaxing music they played made my mind rest for a while before hitting the busy subway again. I would extend my stay here if I could but I knew somebody else was waiting for my arrival at their home with open arms. So, till next time Peking Yard Hostel!


I was shocked when I saw this when I arrived at my second host's place.

Oh no, is he a criminal?!
I'm sure if he is, many girls would try their best to keep him away from police but under their own good care :')

Ok, that is Matteo. He's not a criminal but my Italian host in Beijing. How can a guy with such look be a criminal aight?

Matt was working when I arrived at his house but Jessica, her girlfriend was at home and welcomed and greeted me and Sayra happily. We stayed at their place for 2 nights until our last day in Beijing. Both Matteo and Jessica are Italian and they first met in Beijing 3 years ago. Since then, they decided to become Beijinger :)

During my stay, they really made me feel like I was at my own house. They even gave me one set of their house key! Having a room enough for the two of us and be able to stay in the same house with them was such a pleasant experience. Jessica cooked a wonderful, authentic vegetarian Italian pasta for our dinner together on the first night and so many stories were shared over dinner until we didn't realize midnight had passed us. Topics covered everything from life, travel, politic, love, future, geography, history to religion. Jessica studied political science for her degree, so it makes the conversation more interesting. Matt on the other hand studied language and it was kinda cute when Jess had to explain some layman term in Italian to Matt when we talked about something factual ;)


Here I present to u my 'Little Italy in Beijing'.

Great people are everywhere :) I am thankful and feel blessed to get to know this wonderful couple and hope our paths cross again one day! Ciao!

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To China...What You Need To Know and Prepare

Ticket to Beijing was booked so much earlier than the travel date. It was all because Air Asia was having zero-fare promotion that I think nobody in this world couldn't afford to miss. But since the decision to go was made a little bit late (not on the first day of the promo), I had to satisfy with the cheaper-than-normal fare, not zero-fare. Note to self: prepare destination and potential dates in advance to avoid frustration of not getting much cheaper fare. A friend who bought on a first day, on the very minute the promo started got the same ticket cheaper by RM300! Procastination and undecisive mind do cost a lot.

The gap of 10 months between booking date and travel date do give me a leisure time preparing it. U see, I travel independently. With preparing, I mean I arrange my schedule, itinerary, budget, accommodation, transportation, food etc myself, without the help of travel agency. Yeah, literally it is backpacking, but since I don't carry a backpack except for mount climbing and hiking, I think independent travelling suits my style better. Whatever I call or u call it, I hope we are on the same level of understanding on this concept of travelling :')

Preparing for an independent trip can be a tedious task especially if u have no experience doing one. But that doesn't mean it is imposible for first-timer. Here, i'm gonna share some useful guideline (I hope) to those who wants a DIY trip to BEIJING, CHINA that doesn't burn a hole in your pocket and giving different perspective from your usual travel-agency trip. 

DESTINATION - BEIJING, CHINA

TRAVEL DATE - It's all depends on your liking of the weather as China (Beijing) is a four-season country.

Spring (April - May)
- windy, dry season with frequent sandstorm, 12-14 degree C
Summer (June - August)
- long and hot with rainfall, temperature above 24 degree C
Autumn (September - October)
- most comfortable with 10-20 degree C
Winter (November - March)
- longest winter with average temperature of 0 degree C

Legal Documents

1) Passport
With minimum 6 months validity.

2) Visa
All visitors to mainland China need to obtain visa prior arrival. There's no visa on arrival. It can be arranged at Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC). I'll dedicate one separate entry for visa application.

3) Travel Insurance
This is optional but I recommend you consider it. Remember, u are on independent travelling now, EVERYTHING is on your own shoulder. 

Time Zone
Beijing time is similar to Malaysia, in fact the whole China has same time zone. 

Electricity Supply
Voltage used in Beijing is 220V 50Hz which is fine with Malaysia's 230/240V 50Hz electrical appliances. You just need an adaptor to fit in the socket. It is best to invest in international adaptor which suits most countries in the world and can normally be found in local electrical shop.

China power point socket

international adaptor

Currency

The official currency of People's Republic of China is Renminbi (CNY) with Yuan as primary unit. It is also often called Kuai as nickname. Check current rate here. *I noticed the price drop as low as RM46.3=CNY100 after Chinese New Year, it's the best deal so far.

Transportation

1) Flight

The fastest way getting into Beijing :) There are many airlines offering direct flight to Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA: PEK). Air Asia however arrive at Binhai International Airport (IATA: TSN) in Tianjin, 147km from Beijing.

2) Metro

Getting around Beijing is easy with their extensive metro line (compared to Malaysia). Check map here for yourself. Most of attractions are highly accessible by metro. Metro fare is fix to 2 Yuan anywhere.

3) Taxi

Basically there are a lot of taxi everywhere and you can hail them just anywhere at the road side. All are metered and priced reasonably. Most taxis are Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen.

4) Bus

It's the cheapest way getting around Beijing. 1 Yuan anywhere.

Language

Chinese speaks Mandarin, Mandarin and Mandarin :') It's worth knowing few basic phrases in Mandarin to ease your travelling. But in a big city like Beijing, teenagers, students and some staffs/sellers at highly populated foreigner place do speak basic English. 

What to Pack

It's all depends on which season you're going. I'll outline a general guideline in later entry but always keep to light backpack (luggage is pretty troublesome, from my experience :') who moved a lot from one place to another).

Infos here are just a general introduction on Beijing which will give some idea when planning your trip to capital of People's Republic of China. It is also worth reading some culture, history and political background of Beijing to give more in depth understanding of the metropolis with its 22 millions population. 

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I'm Back!!!

Yeah, just got back from an enjoyable trip few hours ago :D (and i couldn't sleep now)
Lotsa pics and stories to share. Stay with me.



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Weekly Travel Quote

"Some roads aren't meant to be travelled alone" - Proverb

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Greeting from Nami Island!

It took almost 3 weeks for this piece to reach my home address.

It's not a self-address postcard but from someone who went to Seoul recently. Someone I lent Korean phrasebook to. And it was from this blog I gotta know her. Thanks Nana :D

I was touched when she made an effort to send one to me from Nami Island as she couldn't find post office in Seoul. And with that, I got a Naminara Republic stamps on my postcard! U see, although Naminara Republic is an imaginary country but it has its own national flag, anthem, passport, postage stamps, currency etc like other republics have. The stamps usually have national flag and the famous Nami Island image (I got both!). Its flag could be mistaken to some Islamic countries with crescent and star-like but they actually potray the oriental sentiment and environmentally-friendly image of Nami Island. Read more here.

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