Beijing boasts not only of old majestic buildings reflecting glorious ancient Chinese culture, but also of modern spanking megastructures that depict China’s booming economy. And among these new architecture marvels are Beijing National Stadium and Beijing National Aquatics Center. Both are situated within the Olympic Green, an Olympic Park set up for the 2008 Summer…
Author: Gay Mitra
Yonghe Temple, Beijing, China
Yonghe Temple, also known as “Lama Temple” and “Palace of Peace and Harmony”, is probably the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist temple/monastery outside Tibet. It was converted into a lamasery in 1744 after it served as the official residence of Emperor Yongzheng. An uncrowded part of Yonghegong Dajie, the road where Yonghe Temple sits.It is located…
Tian’anmen and Forbidden City
I prepared instant noodles for breakfast while Shervin pored over our Lonely Planet guide. It was already 8:30AM and the mighty sun wasn’t out yet. Before slumbering the previous night, we agreed to take a train to Xi’an and spend a couple of nights there before heading to Guangzhou, where our Manila-bound flight departs. To…
Braving The Beijing Cold
The T98 (Hong Kong – Beijing) 24-hour train arrived at Beijing West Train Station 15 minutes past its ETA. The wall thermometer read 12°C. Tolerable, but it only indicates the temperature inside the cabin. Shervin and I gathered our stuff. I donned four layers of clothing, yet I was still terrified of the cold. Arrival…
My First Hard Sleeper: Hong Kong-Beijing
Backpacking HK and China: The Lowdown
Without further ado, I hereby unveil the total cost of our Hong Kong and China backpacking trip… drumroll please… P32,665 (per head) for twelve bitter cold Winter days! Honestly, not as cheap as we wanted it to be. But hey, we’re talking about the ever pricey Hong Kong, and China whose inexpensive days are long…
Voluntourism
Travel to the fullest! And by that, I don’t mean party like there’s no tomorrow. Make your trip more meaningful by getting involved in ‘voluntourism’, or volunteerism while on vacation. Just last January 28, we finally had the time to attend Hands On Manila’s volunteer orientation at Powerbook’s Greenbelt. That’s where we got introduced to…
How To Apply For A China Tourist Visa in The Philippines
Great Wall of China, here I come! Okay, not so fast. Why? Because the Chinese Embassy says so. But the ugly reality of visa hassles cannot kill the travel bug. A little patience will get you far, literally. All visitors to China require a visa except for citizens from Brunei, Japan and Singapore. A Chinese…
