Started off morning with a hearty breakfast in the hotel. That huge plate was my brekkie....with whole lots of wholesome eggs! We engaged the same driver as the previous day...which he charged us CNY800 for a day. He picked us up from the hotel's lobby at 8 a.m.
Summer Palace
The first place we visited on the third day was the Summer Palace, located 15 km from Central Beijing. Summer Palace is the biggest and the most well preserved royal park in China. It was built in 1750 with a luxurious royal garden for royal families which later became the main residence for royal members in the end of Qing Dynasty. It was then opened to public in 1924, and ranked as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1998.
The Summer Palace attracts many to its natural view and the grand royal gardens, which can be divided into four sections namely the Court Area, Front Hill Area, Rear Hill Area and Lake Area, with total covered space of 742.8 acres.
We bought 3 entrance tickets, cost CNY60 per head. Operating hour is from 8.30 am to 5 pm.
Court Area is the first stop for visitors to enjoy the scenic view of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill.
East Palace Gate, the front entrance of Summer Palace.
Upon entering the East Palace Gate, Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshoudian) is the first architectural complex we visited. Just in front the courtyard, stands a sculpted bronze beast called Kylin, a beast with dragon head, lion tail, deer horn, and cattle hoof. Legend said that Kylin was a guardian of fire destruction.
The view of Kunming Lake.
Long Gallery or Long Corridor (Changlang), the longest corridor of 728 metres long among the Chinese classic gardens. The corridor offers a great observation platform of wide view of Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill. Long Gallery was built by Emperor Qianlong in 1750, specially for his mother to walk outdoor regardless of weather, be it snow or rain, and at the same time took in the magnificent scenic view around.
The main highlight of the Long Gallery is the coloured paintings on every beams and along the entire stretch of the walkway. It was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records in early 1900s due to its long corridor and abundance of coloured paintings.
The Hall of Dispelling Clouds (Paiyundian)
Took a Pleasure Boat Tours around Kunming lake......with 3 purchased tickets of CNY15 each. We boarded at Paiyun Dian and alighted at South Lake Island.
At the South Lake Island....The local girl was checking out on me...:)
Longevity Hill seen from far, across the Kunming lake.
Seventeen Arch Bridge, the largest bridge of all other 30 bridges in Summer Palace, with length of 150 metres and width of 8 metres. There are 544 distinctive lions sculptures with different postures and expressions on the columns of white marble parapets.
Standing at each end of the bridge are a pair of carved bizarre looking beasts which look like kylin, an auspicious animal in Chinese legends.
Gallery Pavillion
Monkeying around the Kunming Lake with Seventeen Arch Bridge at the background.
Son spotted with his fever patch on his forehead....poor baby. But he was much better than the night before.
Beijing World Park
It is located in Southwestern Fengtai District, 17 km from Tiananmen. The park spans an area of 46.7 hectares, with 100 world famous man-made miniature attractions from nearly 50 countries around the globe. Entrance ticket cost CNY100 per adult and CNY60 per child.
First thing we did after entering the park, was to rent 2 motorised cars. The park was huge and we surely refused to walk around under the blazing sun. The rental cost quite a bomb for 2 hours. We went around the park in the motorised cars and returned them at the same place. It was easy to control the car...as if like you are driving, key to start the engine, 2 pedals, a brake and an accelerator. You are good to go!
The German Castle
Abu Simbel Temples
The Pyramids of Giza...a real camel for visitors to take pictures with...
Great Sphinx
India's Taj Mahal
Hubby controlled the car's steering while son sitting at the driver's seat, stepping on the accelerator. :D
Greece's Acropolis
The Leaning Tower of Pisa..with a typical must-pose picture! LOL....
St Peter's Basilica at Rome, Italy
Well-known Eiffel Tower
The Notre Dame de Paris
Stonehenge, England
Dutch Windmill
Red Square, Moscow
So yay....we toured around the world in less than 3 hours! But just a reminder for those who wish to visit during summer. Bring along caps, apply thick sunblock lotion and drink plenty of water...coz I saw kids fainted due to heatstroke!
After the World Park, we went for lunch.
Again, we over-ordered...sigh...talking about result of over famished! Stir fried broccoli with fungus.
Egg tofu with shrimp and ham.
One whole Beijing Roast Duck...with condiments. This dish alone was very filling and came in huge portion. So people, if you are ordering Beijing duck, do refrain yourself from order many unnecessary dishes which you impossibly can finish.
The whole duck was prepared in a few different ways..the crispy skin to be rolled with poh piah skin, the meat was served separately, and the leftover bones was stir fried with salt and pepper. We gave away most of the duck meat to our driver.
I love this one....the hot and sour soup. I could finish this most by myself.
Temple of Heaven (Tiantan)
It is located in the Southern part of Beijing, with China's largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. It occupies an area of 273 hectares which is 3 times bigger than the Forbidden City, built in 1420 for emperors to worship Heaven.
The long passageway leading to the Temple of Heaven, where many locals were seen spending their evening playing chess, erfu and card games.
The Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest, stands at 38 metres in height and 30 metres in diameter, built on a round foundation. This towering complex is covered with a three-story, cone-shaped glazed tile roof in blue, crowned with a gilded golden knob on top.
Beijing Old Cloth Shoes
I hardly buy flat shoes but these pairs were too comfortable and many modern designs to choose from. Each of us ended up buying a pair. You can find a few shops along Wanfujing Pedestrian Street and even one across the street opposite the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where we stayed.
Had steak dinner in the hotel, Angus Grill.
Kids had salmon steak.
A perfect cut...with sides of grilled veggies and potato.
Lobster soup...served with sour cream
A huge freshly baked loaf..while the kids looked on.
That's the end of our day 3 in Beijing.
