cenjun

[cenjun]

Simatai - Great Wall of China

Beijing day 3 Our 3rd day in Beijing is my favourite! We went to the Great Wall of China and was completely blown away by the grandness of it. Although it was a second time for me, the first time i had gone to Badaling (a different section of the Great Wall), it was just as stunning and breathtaking. Badaling is one of the most popular section due to the lower level of difficultly compared to other sections and closer proximity to Beijing. This time we went to the Simatai 司马台 section, which is known to be a slightly more difficult hike but more scenic because it is surrounded by beautiful mountains and river. The journey was said to be around 2h from Beijing, but we took the wrong bus and our journey was around 3h instead hahah :/ It is recommended to book your tickets online for Simatai Great Wall at least one day in advance, as there are limited tickets per day. You can still get your tickets upon arrival if the daily limit has not been reached. Actually we had already set off from our apartment late, and with the wrong bus route we only arrived at the Great Wall at 2pm and the Simatai Great Wall starts to clear people from the place at 430pm. So we did not have enough time to start the hike from the bottom (thankfully). Instead, we bought the cable car tickets, which took us directly to Tower 8 of the Great Wall. (From the same cable car drop-off point, you can take another footpath to start your hike from tower 5) For the entrance fee of Simatai Great Wall + round trip of cable car + entrance fee of Gubei Water Town 古北水镇, it was RMB 280 per person. This was a ticket combo that we had bought, which gives you a slight discount. In my opinion, the water town (RMB 100) was not worth it, and can give it a miss. The cable car will be well-worth the money if the weather is not in your favour or if you are not THAT fit. The Great Wall is sectioned by towers. Simatai has total of 34 towers, out of which only 1 to 10 are open for hiking and while the remaining is closed as it has not been restored. The hike up from tower 1 to 10 is said to take 2.5h, and 0.5h down. This is a very rough estimate because the weather is also an important consideration. We went in early Sep and we were burnt and were sweating like there was no tomorrow. There was also a lady in her mid-thirties that fainted while resting under one of the towers. So, remember to bring lots of water and some fruits or snacks to keep yourself hydrated and energised. We climbed up from Tower 8 to 10, and then down from Tower 10 to Tower 5. All in all, I think it took us approx. 1.5 hours and omg the heat was really killing us. We did take a break at each Tower on our way up to cool down and load up on water and fruits. The view is really insane though - breathtaking. It is really one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen. It is so grand and so beautiful, and considering that it was first built in during the Qin dynasty thousands of years ago is just jaw dropping. After the climb, we explored the small water town 古北水镇 at the bottom of the Great Wall. It's a cute little town with buildings of ancient Chinese architecture and streams of small canals (i.e. think Chinese version of Venice). It is very beautiful and relaxing to stroll down the streets, BUT it was not worth the RMB 100 that we had paid per person to visit the town. You could feel that the entire town was built for tourists and it does not have the quaint charms like Venice as it lacks authenticity. From there, we managed to take a direct bus back to Dongzhimen 东直门 for RMB 25 per pax. I would suggest searching for the direct bus service rather than taking bus 980 or 980 express (RMB 15 for 980 / RMB 17 for 980 express) from Dongzhimen station like we did, because we ended up getting off at the wrong stop and getting lost.

[cenjun]

Second day in Beijing

I've been getting really bad wifi in China and haven't been able to figure out how to post text and photos in the same entry in Tumblr app :(

The initial itinerary of the day was to visit Summer Palace -> 798 Art district -> Sanlitun night life. Of course we were too ambitious haha but I am very proud that we were soooo much more prepared (I think it's because we had just slept >12 hours :D) First task of the day - get breakfast! There was a nice cafe directly outside our apartment so we shared a large cappuccino (33 yuan / sgd 6.80) slightly expensive but coffee is essential and it came with small cookies too. The owner is also very friendly, and recommended us a place just 50m away for some beijing xiao long bao 小笼包 - 100x better than what we had at Wangfujing street! It cost us only 7 yuan (sgd 1.50) for one serving of 12 dumplings. But just note that the Beijing xiao long baos are not the same as the shanghai ones that have very thin skin and filled with soup. The Beijing ones are of similar size and meat filling, but it has the normal bao skin. Then we headed to Summer Palace. It was one of the main tourist attraction that I did not do during my internship in Beijing so I was happy to finally visit it and it did not disappoint! Entrance fee: 60 yuan per person (incl. entrance to the different sites e.g. Suzhou Street) or 30 yuan without entrance to the sites. We bought the 60 yuan one, and it was worth it. Tip #1 - take the route starting from East Palace Gate, then take a right to see the Garden of Harmonious Pleasures, then follow the trail to Suzhou Street and Longevity Hill, and exit at the same East Palace Gate. If you follow the "normal" trail of seeing the Longevity Hill first, you will mostly likely die from climbing up 20 storeys of stairs under the scorching sun (no joke). If you take our recommended route, you will be climbing down instead of up. It will still be tiring and very very sweaty, but much more manageable. The Garden of Harmonious Pleasures was my favourite personally. The pond was filled with huge lotuses; the architecture and pavilions was so beautiful and also kept us cool and shaded. Walking in the garden was really such a joy :) No wonder the royalties were spending their holiday there. Second was the Suzhou Street - it was so adorable. It is 2 lines of small streets with traditional little shops. Between them is a small river and you can take a boat down the stream (think Venice gondola). Apparently the royalties were doing their shopping there back in the day. Today, it is filled with souvenir shops, which we had such a fun time browsing everything. We even bought some traditional bells that we can't wait to display it in our future apartment in Switzerland :) We had lunch at Suzhou Street and continued to make our way to the main area - Longevity Hill. I think by this time I had used up most of my energy and wasn't super excited anymore :D From the peak of the Longevity Hill, you will be able to look over the whole of Beijing. It took us more than 4 hours to finish the Summer Palace and we were wayyyyy to tired to make our way to 798, which is all the way across Beijing. We headed back to the apartment and had a nice cool shower. At night, we went to Sanlitun just to show Philippe the nightlife and the shopping district (Orchard road equivalent). Along the Sanlitun Bar Street, there are some funny bars offering view of pole dancers / KTV singers while you enjoy your beer. All in all, it's funny to walk pass but nothing out of this world.

[cenjun]

So the funemployment travel has officially begun!

We arrived in Beijing yesterday at 4:25am and we were ridiculously tired. First, I didn’t manage to sleep on the plane almost at all. Second, we made the clever decision of setting off to the Forbidden City right after putting our very heavy backpacks down at the Airbnb apartment.

Some quick facts for Beijing metro:- - Airport Express costs 25 yuan for a 1-way ticket, and you can purchase the yi ka tong 一卡通 (ezlink equivalent) from the same booth - Airport Express operates from 6am - The deposit for yi ka tong 一卡通 is 20 yuan and min first top up is 20 yuan (unused balance is fully refundable at selected metro stations) - The public transport in Beijing is generally cheap - min 2 yuan per metro ride, and additional 1 yuan every km after 6km (something like that)

Beijing metro map

We were starving and literally could not find any food around our apartment or outside Tiananmen Square. Hence, my tip #1 - eat and load up on water before hitting the tourist spots. It’s strange not to find food/drink at tourist spots, but I think it’s mostly because of all the security checks and restrictions that prevents any small vendors from setting up stalls. So, we walked 1 metro stop to Wangfujing to the famous street food area. The food was sadly disappointing :( we ordered some small buns which looked really yummy but tasted like cardboard. If you’re used to eating Asian food or has ever tasted Ding Tai Fung, you will know that those buns at the Wangfujing is a complete tourist scam. I’m not sure if it was because we went at the wrong time (because they’re more known for being a night market), or if it’s really just a tourist trap. We did see some fried and live scorpions though :/

We headed back to the Tiananmen Square after. So… another strange thing about visiting Beijing. You need to follow the route that’s been marked out. Once you reach the area, you could literally be next to the atrium but you’d be block by a metal barricade with security guards standing around and telling you that you need to follow the route marked and walk a hugeeeeee round -.- again, i think it’s because there are specific security check points and the marked route will ensure that all visitors are checked before entering the area.

Basically, the Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City are “must-see” places because of its history and how it symbolises China. But, it is not the “prettiest” or most enjoyable place to visit in Beijing (in my opinion).

Once we were done, we took a small tuk-tuk (because we were too tired to walk anymore) to 全聚德 Quan Ju De for the best roasted duck in Beijing (in my opinion). It is a popular chain restaurant serving authentic Pekin duck, an alternative is 大董 Da Dong, which is also very popular but more modern and slightly different recipe. The tuk-tuk ride from Tiananmen Square to the restaurant cost 11 yuan and was around 10 mins, just for reference.

After, we strolled around the 后海 Houhai area, which is full of bars and restaurants. I really like the relaxed vibes around the area. Also, tip #2 - try to download ofo or Mobike before coming to Beijing. There are SO many bicycles available for rent in the city it’s not even funny. We would have saved ourselves so much time and energy if we had known :( every time we see someone in a bicycle while we’re walking, I want to punch myself :(

It was probably around 6pm when we got back to the apartment, and we actually slept all the way till the next morning hahah guess we were so tired that we didn’t even need dinner.

So that’s Day 1 in Beijing!

[cenjun]

After waiting for 3 months, our trip finally begins! First stop -> China 🇨🇳

[cenjun]

Can't wait to do nothing but explore ☀️#travelbug #travelmore #goodvibesonly #funemployment

[cenjun]

My personal scooter driver! 💨

[cenjun]

Highly recommend this place - ambience, food and service 👌🏻💯 #canggu #bali #weekendvibes #yummy @dandelioncanggu (at Dandelion)

[cenjun]

Loving the bali life - too many brunch places to choose from, which yoga session to attend, and how many hours of massage to go for #canggu #balibaby #lifeisabeach (at Puri Canggu Villas & Rooms)

[cenjun]

Breakfast bowl to start our weekend getaway! #canggu #bali #holidaymood (at Betelnut Cafe)

[cenjun]

First actual blog entry (in a long while)

So first update - P and I have finally taken the big decision to quit our jobs and travel for 3 months around Asia before moving to Europe. This decision came as a shock to both our friends and families because it was just so sudden (to them). But we had talked about it for months and spent most of our time together weighing the pros and cons of staying/leaving, staying for another year, and various permutations of situations.

We finally decided that now is as good as it will be - why wait when we know this is what we want. There are so reasons that hold us back - mainly the comfort and safety net that Singapore is, and the hugeeee uncertainty of moving to a completely foreign country in the hopes that everything will work out and we will be able to build the lives that we want together there. 

The thing is, the possibility of building a new life that belongs me and P - that truly belongs to us, is so much more important than the possibility of falling flat on our faces. 

What was holding us back was really just fear of leaving the comfort, and letting the doubts in ourselves get the better of us. I mean, no one could ever tell you that you are not capable of achieving something. Having said that, we are really not as YOLO as it sounds haha - we have worked out the finances, the best case and worst case scenarios for the next few months to a year. Knowing fully what we were getting ourselves into really helped us in making the decision. 

The biggest “comfort” that I had was actually knowing that someone else was in this with me. We share our dreams with each other and we see our futures together. Some may say its naive, but I trust him with my heart, and that we will always make decisions for the both of us.

Anyhow, I just wanted to put everything down before I forget why and how we made this decision. I was ALOT more emotional when i first quit, and now I have accepted and look forward to our Great Adventure.

China -> Indonesia -> India -> Thailand -> Singapore -> Malaysia -> Australia -> New Zealand

Now, it is down to planning the details of our Great Adventure, and I can’t wait!

No regrets, never. Not even when we fall on our faces.

[cenjun]

Date night ❤️ Way to spend one of our last weekends in sg (at KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil Singapore)

[cenjun]

Rainy summer - feels like I'm already back in Singapore 😭#endofsummerblues (at Camden Market)

[cenjun]

Walking the charming streets of Rome #summer #holidaymood

[cenjun]

When in Grasse, learn about the process of perfume-making (at Fragonard Parfumeur)

[cenjun]

Insane view of Toulon ☀️ (at Mont Faron)

[cenjun]

Daily adventures with this one #islandlife #porquerolles #bisous (at Porquerolles, Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France)

[cenjun]

Petite bomb 💣 I could do this everyday ☀️ (at Porquerolles, Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France)