Shi San Ling

Holidays are big here in Beijing. They have a five-day holiday for the Labor day alone (April 30 - May 6). I still have to work but I don't have school for the week, so I dragged the lot to Chang Ping District to see the Ming Tombs.

The first (and in my opinion the best) attraction is the Sacred Way where they have lots of stone animals and statues guarding the path. The Great Red Gate is the beginning of quite a long walk.

Posing with a bored camel.

Palace minister with goatee.

Palace official with a Mona Lisa smile.

We have to stop at almost everyone of them to take pictures. And since Mel, Reg and me brought our cameras... the Sacred Way walk took a rather long time.

Chinese Ethnic and Culture Park

We went to the Chinese Ethnic and Culture Park (Zhong Hua Min Zu Yuan). Kristine and I got to a dance presentation of the ethnic groups in the park. Too bad we both don't have our cameras with us... This picture of the North Park's entrance is courtesy of Mel.



Maps are provided at the ticket booth. I usually have a very good sense of direction but their map is really something. We had to pause and figure out where we are.





Kristine and I were really hungry. I mean really!!! It's a good thing this Korean restaurant is already open. Although the food they serve is not Korean, it served their purpose... we now have fuel to explore.





We had a really nice time (Me, Kristine, Mel and Mario) at the park. We didn't get the chance to explore the other side (South Park) because we are all tired and I have to go to work later tonight.

Great Wall in Spring

I went to the Great Wall at Badaling (again) this Spring. It was Carlyn's, Mel's and Regina's first time. It's still cold and windy even though the sun is high up. We got lost (again!) before we got to the bus stop at Deshengmen. It wasn't my fault this time (i swear)... the subway didn't stop at Jishuitan station so we ended taking a taxi back.



See the long, long, looong road ahead? Well, we really walked that far. The last time I went there I swore I wouldn't do it again. But, where else could I pay 45 RMB to walk, what? four kilometers? (Note: I am being sarcastic.)



We know we really should start walking but it's hard to turn down a photo opportunity.



We're not really posing for the camera. The Wall is propping us up. Soooo tired...


One World, One Dream at the back, Starbucks in hand...