Beijing...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Hi everyone...

This first post back has been a long time coming! I've found it a bit hard to get back into the swing of things after a three week break, and catching up on three weeks of work at the job that pays me has been a bit exhausting, especially considering I'm still relatively new (my inbox was a little bit scary!! But I have tamed the beast thank goodness!). I was also dreading editing photos just a little too...


Now, I know how boring other people's holiday snaps can be so I'll try to keep it short, I'm also going to break the trip up into three bits - Beijing, Victoria and Vancouver to try and not lose too many of you to 'boring holiday snap-itis'.

David and I had a rather large stop over in Beijing on our way to Vancouver, we got in around 7.30am and our flight wouldn't leave until 11.30pm that night so we decided to get out of the airport and explore. We had the foresight to book a private tour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall which was such a beautiful area. It is high in the hills away from the smog and traffic of the city and surrounded by chestnut trees (if you go there, make sure you toboggan back down the hill). Then because we still had so much time after our Great Wall visit, we ended up going to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen square.


Beijing 1

I forgot to change the camera settings to auto when I gave it to our guide to take a photo of us. At least the wall is in focus!!

Beijing 2

Beijing 3

The Chinese writing on the hill means something along the lines of 'Be Loyal to Chairman Mao'

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Beijing 7

Say hello to the friendly Great Wall of China donkey!!

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Beijing 10

LUNCH!!! David and I were starving after our trekking around the wall and so our guide took us to get some real Chinese food (after taking us to a small cloisonne factory. Everything is done by hand and it's such an intricate art. I couldn't resist buying a bracelet which I'm sure will make it onto the blog soon).

After lunch it was off to the Forbidden City...


Beijing 11

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The Forbidden City is so big that I would have got lost without our guide. It was beautiful though, the details and the colours were spectacular!

Beijing 17

Tiananman Square, right outside The Forbidden City.

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David and I were exhausted after we got back to the airport and so found ourselves a little nook, some food and watched Bones on David's Ipad.

I would defintely recommend visiting China to anyone and if I have a chance to go back I would hope to spend a little more time there.

Next time, Victoria (aka Vancouver Island).

XX
Jen

11 comments on "Beijing..."
  1. I kind of love that you only have the wall in focus on that first shot! Looks like an incredible lay-over! I'd be tempted to organise a night in China next time I have a long-haul. :)

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  2. I just booked holiday to Beijing and Japan. I was looking at the area of the wall you went to and from the photos it look amazing. Did you ride the toboggan? I have a major fear of heights, so I'm not sure how it will go.

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  3. That looks like an amazing trip! Did you make your dress? It's adorable.

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  4. Beautiful photos! What a trip of a life time!! How fun!

    http://www.stilettosanddiaperbags.blogspot.com/

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  5. Wow! What an exciting day! I love your holiday snaps, so keep 'em coming! :)

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  6. Lovely pictures! They almost make me consider visiting China someday! I'm up for exploring most places but China just hasn't ever grabbed my attention. I think my husband would love it if I changed my mind though!

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  7. I love reading about traveling! Looks like you had an amazing stop in China... What a neat experience!

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  8. Welcome home! What great photos. Beijing looks amazing. I can't wait to see your photos of Canada.

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  9. Hey Jen, looking forward to your next installment of pictures :) I'm about to do my HK post tomorrow - got home yesterday. I'm so sick of planes!

    I find it interesting that you loved China - I found it exceptionally sad seeing so much poverty and filth when I crossed into China last year. Still, the wall and forbidden city are far more beautiful than Shenzhen, so I'm sure that makes a big difference.

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  10. I've seen countless of people's vacation posts there before. It is so nice to see though. Glad you had a great time!

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