Lanny and I were doing a China roundtrip. Our first stop was Shanghai, where we met David. Our next stop was Beijing, where we again happened to know people: Will and Maria, who had also recently moved to China and were planning to live there for the next three years. They invited us to stay at their home, which we more than happily accepted =). You can read what happened previously here.
Day 5 – Arrival in Beijing: 19th May
Our train ride from Shanghai to Beijing was super smooth. The distance is around 1,200 km, and with the train going up to 300 km/h, the journey only took around 4.5 hours.
We arrived at Beijing South Railway Station at around 6PM and had to take a Didi into the inner city, where our hosts were already waiting for us. But that ride was anything but smooth. Right into rush hour, we were stuck in traffic for about an hour. Finally, we arrived at Will and Maria’s residential area. Admittedly, I am not good with faces, and the last time we saw each other was about four years ago. But when Will came down to pick us up, that smirky smile and those cheeks were unmistakably his.
After unpacking, a huge room tour, Lanny getting to know Anna, Will and Maria’s little daughter, and some Chinese barbecue, we concluded the day in our fresh and cozy king-size bed.
Day 6 – First sightseeing in Beijing: 20th May
We had already booked, or at least planned, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City for the following days. So today we kicked off Beijing with something that did not necessarily require a reservation, but was still equally amazing: the Temple of Heaven.
This was the place where the emperor used to pray to the gods. It is a huge complex south of Tiananmen Square, surrounded by a wide park area. I believe locals, or maybe a specific subgroup, can enter the park for free, because we saw a lot of aunties and uncles dancing, playing sports and spending time around the area.
The surrounding park was green and spacious, but the actual temple area was a very different experience. Especially because we came around noon, it was super hot and bright. There was barely any shade, and the white stone reflected the sunlight quite strongly.
After finishing the Temple of Heaven with Maria, Lanny and I headed to the south entrance of Tiananmen Square, only to notice a small poster mentioning that a reservation was needed. Oh well. I did actually read something about needing a reservation before, but I had totally forgotten about it. Luckily for us, some people on the internet mentioned that if you had a Forbidden City ticket reservation, you could also enter Tiananmen Square. And even luckier for us, we did have one for the day after tomorrow. So that was going to be our plan.
That turned out to be a good call anyway, as it was already getting closer to evening. To get a first glimpse of the Forbidden City, Lanny and I headed to Jingshan Park, a park with a small hill where you can look over the Forbidden City. And again, the internet kind of betrayed us here. We were expecting the Forbidden City to light up after sunset, but it never did. So not only did we set up our tripod for nothing, we also baited other people into thinking something amazing would happen.
Day 7 – Great Wall: 21st May
There are several sections of the Great Wall that have been restored for tourism and are easily accessible from Beijing. We decided to go to Mutianyu, which seemed like a good compromise between distance from the city center and the expected tourist crowds.
We went there by Didi, which was surprisingly affordable and comfortable. However, we didn’t arrive as early as other blog posts had suggested. We got there around 10 AM, roughly the same time as the tourist shuttle buses, so there was already a longer waiting line for the cable car and later also for the slide down.
It was not too crowded on the wall itself, though. And truth be told, in the end, it was a very long wall with a lot of not normalized steps. But at the same time, it still felt like a huge privilege to visit one of the most recognizable places in the world.
In the evening, we concluded the day with Maria and Will by eating out at a famous Peking duck restaurant. The duck is eaten by wrapping thinly sliced meat into something like rice paper, adding toppings as you like, almost like a little summer roll, and then eating it like that. It was definitely a pleasant experience and very tasty. But for me personally, it was not tasty enough to make it feel super special.
Day 8 – Forbidden City in the rain: 22nd May
It does not rain much in Beijing, but when it does, it is apparently exactly when we visit the Forbidden City. However, we could not really postpone our visit either, because Maria had already booked a tour guide for us.
Entering the Forbidden City was also a bit more organized than I had expected. There was a proper security check, and unfortunately my tripod did not make the cut. Luckily, it was not a big issue. I could just hand it over to the staff, and they would transport it to a designated exit gate for me to pick up later. With that solved, I entered the Forbidden City a little later than the rest of the group. Finding our tour again proved to be a bit difficult, because with the rain and everyone holding umbrellas, it was hard to tell people apart. The rain dampened our mood a little when it came to exploring more than necessary. But in the end, it might have even been fortunate. Even with all that rain, there were still so many people visiting the Forbidden City. Imagine how crowded it would have been with good weather.
The tour lasted around three hours. At the beginning, it was quite interesting because we heard some background facts and stories. But towards the end, it slowly turned into more of a museum tour of random treasures, where the guide was almost just reading from the plaques. After the tour, I separated from Lanny and Maria and spent another solid hour exploring the Forbidden City on my own. But the rain did not make photography any easier, and in the end, I did not really get the shots I had hoped for.
After meeting up with the girls again in the afternoon, Lanny and I decided to try Tiananmen Square a second time. We now had the tickets for the Forbidden City and had read online that this might be enough to enter the square as well. Luckily for us, the sun was also finally shining warmly in the afternoon. I was also considerate enough to store my tripod at a nearby location, already suspecting that it might not make it through security again. But all of that was in vain, because the officer told us that the Forbidden City ticket was not enough to enter Tiananmen Square. In retrospect, I believe it might only work if you visit Tiananmen Square first and then continue north towards the Forbidden City entrance afterwards. But honestly, it is not that hard to make a reservation for Tiananmen Square. Just do it one day in advance, which we then directly did.
We finished our day by going to Shichahai. It is quite a scenic but also touristy area with lakes, hutongs and many places to walk around. Here we again saw photographers with flashlights offering their services. We even passed a street with many bars next to each other, all with open doors and show dancers inside. It reminded me a little of Bui Vien Street in Ho Chi Minh City.
For the historically accurate round up of the day we ended up eaeting dinner at .. MC Donalds.
Day 9 – Third time’s the charm: 23rd May
Third time’s the charm. Now we had all the information. We had a reservation, we started early, I stored my tripod away beforehand. Nothing could stop us now.
And then, finally, we made it through security. Tiananmen Square is huge, and there were loads of toilet containers near the entrance, as well as not-so-obvious-to-find indoor toilets.
Walking around and navigating Tiananmen Square was quite straightforward. We entered the square, walked towards Mao’s Mausoleum, passed under the big building, and from there you can only continue north towards the exit that leads to the Forbidden City. There was also an option to go up the tower, but here again, we would have needed an online reservation.
Lanny and I spent part of the remaining day completing a little side quest. It was Maria’s birthday, and we wanted to get her a nice gift, so we decided to print one of the pictures we had taken of her and put it in a frame. I was honestly quite proud that my hobby skill could be put to use so spontaneously.
For our last meal in Beijing, we decided to eat at a nearby local restaurant. We ordered three really tasty-looking dishes but forgot to ask for one crucial thing: no spiciness. As it turned out, I could not eat any of those dishes at all. Even the vegetables were spicy. Some of it was not even pure chili spiciness, but more of a mild, sweet Sichuan pepper kind of spiciness. Still, I could barely get many bites down. Lanny had to finish almost everything, and after we left the restaurant, we went to the one next door to get me some dumplings, so I could at least fill my empty stomach with something.
I guess that was very good preparation for what would await me in Chongqing in the coming days.
Day 10 – Departure from Beijing: 24th May
Our train departed fairly early, so we had already said our farewells to Will, Maria and Anna the day before. Today, we only grabbed our stuff, said goodbye to our wonderful guest room, and took a Didi to Beijing West Railway Station.
When booking a train ticket through Trip.com, the seats are assigned automatically. Since Lanny and I booked separately this time, we ended up sitting quite far away from each other. But that was not really a big issue, since both of us would spend most of the ride sleeping anyway.
Actually, you can also order food directly to the train, as the train only stops at designated cities along the route. I had planned to maybe try that, but I even overslept the last possible station where I could have ordered anything. And that station was still two hours away from our destination.
