I had an amazing opportunity to visit China when a travel acquaintance, turned friend invited me to join him and his group of friends on an epic adventure through China. This was an opportunity that I could not pass up so of course I agreed without hesitation and I ended up having the time of my life! we ended up visiting Beijing, Xi'an, Tibet and Shanghai which gave us a glimpse of what the country has to offer and made me want to go back some day in the future to explore other cities as well. I'll try to keep this post as short as I possibly can because a lot was done and experienced during this trip, that I can't possibly cover it all. Without further ado, this is how we spent 12 days in China:
Day 1 through 3 - Beijing (Capital City)
Summer Palace - Exclusive summer retreat of the imperial family, it's renowned as China's largest and most well-preserved royal garden with ancient pavilions, grand mansions and serene temples.
Mutianyu Great Wall - This a beautiful section of the great wall of China which is less crowded. We went very early in the morning and it wasn't crowded at all but when we left at around noon, there were huge crowds so if this is considered the less crowded section, I can only imagine how packed the crowded one gets.
Beijing Olympic Village - This was built to host the 2008 summer olympics and it was pretty cool seeing the architecture and technology that went into it.
Tiananmen Square - The world's largest plaza, this is where Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Forbidden City - Vast complex of nearly 10,000 rooms, is was once home to 24 emperors and stands as a marvel of architecture.
Temple of Heaven - Once used by emperors for sacrificial ceremonies.
Randoms snaps from Beijing...........
Can't leave Beijing without trying their popular specialty, Roast Duck. The appeal is in the experience rather than the meal itself, there is a lot of pomp that's involved in serving the dish, loved it!
Day 4 through 6 - Xi'an
Xi'an was one of the 4 ancient capital cities of China and the starting point of the Silk Road trade route that ran from China to the Mediterranean. These were the main highlights of the city:
Terracotta Warriors and Horses - One of the greatest man-made wonders in the world, they were made for the first emperor of China to protect him in his afterlife.
Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City - Great place to walk around and enjoy the lively atmosphere, seeing this area at night is very different than during the day because of all the bright lights which make it even more beautiful.
A must see in Xi'an is a Tang Palace Dance show, they put on a good show!
Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xian Museum - Both located in a beautiful park, the museum gives you an opportunity to learn about the history and culture of Xi'an.
Great Mosque of Xi'an - One of the largest pre modern mosques in China built in 742 CE. It's beautiful and I loved how Chinese architecture was used for the mosque, it's very different from the mosques that I have visited in the past.
Randoms snaps from Xi'an...........
Day 8 through 10 - Lhasa, Tibet:
Tibet is known as the "roof of the world" due to being the highest elevated plateau on earth. It's an autonomous region of China (there is a long complicate history on this) and the capital is Lhasa which serves as the center of Tibetan Buddhism. We were mostly based in Lhasa and these were the city's highlights:
Potala Palace - Built in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 17th century, it's regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural building in the world and also the highest at 3,700 meters (12,139 fett) above sea level.
Barkor Street - Wide and circular street that encircles Jokhang Palace, you can see worshippers prostrating as they go round the street.
Day 11 and 12 - Shanghai (China's biggest city and a global financial hub)
It was raining heavily during our stop in Shanghai which unfortunately altered our plans so there is a lot that we didn't get to experience. I will definitely have to re-visit the city one day. Despite the bad weather, we still managed to check out a few spots:
Jade Buddha Temple - Houses one of the largest collections of Buddhist scriptures
Yu Garden (Yuyuan) - Famous southern China classical garden which was originally built about 450 years ago. It's such a beautiful garden.
Traditional Tea House - Tea originated in China before being spread all over the world, so visiting a traditional tea house on a rainy day was a good way to keep warm and learn about the different types of tea.
Shanghai skyline at night
Shanghai Museum - One of the best museums in China that focuses on Chinese ancient history and art, you can literally spend the whole day here. I am not a museum type of person but I actually really enjoyed this one. I din't take photos but believe me, It is worth a visit!
Random Thoughts:
I really enjoyed all the cities we visited on this trip, each one of them was unique in their own way.
I was pleasantly surprised by all the green spaces I saw while on this trip, I was expecting concrete jungles everywhere.
I learned that historical ruins that can't be restored, usually have parks made around them to protect them. The parks are very green and beautiful.
English is not widely spoken so a translation app comes in handy everywhere.
Alipay is a lifesaver, it has all sorts of goodies in it.
If you visit China you will most likely end up using a squat toilet.
I loved how clean the cities we visited are.
Touristic places can be very crowded and people will shove and push, if you love personal space, you will be uncomfortable. I wasn't phased because this isn't new to me.
People are very friendly and helpful.
Food is so cheap and really GOOD, I indulged accordingly!
That's it folks! this trip was amazing and China is on my growing list of "have to go back someday"countries. On that note, see you at the next trip..............
