Okay, you've really got to give us credit for thinking up the nicest Ig hashtag for this trip - so ingenious, so poetic. And coz we covered three areas, took a gazillion photos everywhere, I (still) find it hard to form coherent sentences about the experience and hence, the blogging inertia. I remembered feeling a lot thinking about a lot during the trip itself, but when I got back (and after a week of going to classes) it had been entirely different. I could not even define 'it'. So this is me attempting to record some initial feelings and thoughts which might sound disengaged as you read on, but I don't know any other way around it.
This China trip had been full of last minutes. The night before we flew my luggage was only half packed; we hadn't settled the flight ticket that was going to bring us back to Singapore from Shanghai (only booked it at a travel agency in Beijing); and then we totally ran out of chinese yuan we had to borrow quite a hefty sum from Kt (initially wanted to use the card to pay for the Beijing accommodation but both our cards couldn't work so we pay it all via cash) totally freaked us out coz that meant we would have to pay for the last air ticket in cash too. We didn't exchange so much chinese yuan!!! But things always have a way of working themselves out.
Also, a few days prior the trip we two made our way down Waterloo Street's Kwan Im Temple to pray for safety. I don't usually do this kind of prayer, I mean I sometimes talk to this miniature buddha statue in the living room, but I think making my way down shows more sincerity hahaha. I still think we were very blessed; so many things could have gone wrong given our unpreparedness and life's uncertainties, but the trip had been very smooth. Wtf each time I board the plane I imagined it to be my last one, and each time I landed safely I thanked all deities. Took four planes over a span of twelve days I was really put off by them winged creatures for a while. Like having too much of a good thing inevitably makes that thing not good. Not necessarily bad, but just not good anymore.
PS: I reallyyy wasn't expecting myself to write so much hahaha
(this was meant to be a visual diary post, but heck)
It was close to 2am by the time we came out of Beijing Capital Intl Airport's arrival hall, and we had Kt and Aq welcoming us right there even though they had classes next morning!! So touched haha coz we only reached our hostel at like 330am (taxi queue damn long). We chose the Peking U hostel which cost SGD$160 per room per night, which was woah sky high expensive for us. But damn near their hostel. The room was more hotel than hostel anyway, with its soft orange lighting and all.
The first day we were there we sort of covered the major tourist attractions like 天坛 Temple of Heaven, 天安门 Tiananmen, 故宫 Forbidden City and 南锣鼓巷, where this maze of hutongs and siheyuans trapped us for so long. Basically it was a lot of walking (you know how China's so big right), a lot of traffic lookout (no one's following the freakin' system), and a lot of UV rays (still a little sunburnt right now from my first day there). I was sooo tired I conked out without even taking my shower. Add blisters and cracked heels to that equation you can imagine how battered I was.
And it was only the first day.
So, with not less than five plasters on both legs, I trekked on. Itinerary for the second day was more artistically inclined. We went to their National Film Museum (Idk why) and 798 Art Zone for their graffiti and whatever artsy fartsy stuff they house there. But so disappointed with our graffiti photos!! Also, we wanted to see for ourselves the night life of Sanlitun Village but got too freaked out by the pole dancing and strippers scene, too happening for us alr lol we literally escaped the bar street.
The next day we crashed their literature class at Peking U omggg school's the same everywhere coz I actually dozed off, couldn't bear to listen on, and left the lecture during break. We didn't really have anything concrete planned for the afternoon before Aq's birthday celebration at night, so we decided to go 颐和园 Summer Palace and I got myself this beautiful pictorial calligraphy of my chinese name which I like a lot. Like really a lot hahaha it's now pasted on the wall above the headboard.
And just before we met up with the rest for a birthday dinner at this German? Italian? restaurant, Sis and I got a chance to ride pillion on Kt's cousin bike, it was asdjklnb coz he doesn't have a licence I think. But he damn steady luh. And then at night the exchange students aka fellow coursemates + two extras who only flew in recently from Singapore held a mini party at their hostel for Aq's twenty first (:
The last day we were supposed to climb the Great Wall but I wasn't feeling up to it (my feet wasn't) so it had been a little regrettable, I mean Great Wall leh 不到长城非好汉 but I think it just gave me an excuse to bring Dad there next time you know, like book a tour or something when he gets older so we can walk around see mountain see water. Quite nice huh.
We decided to go what is commonly known as 'the egg' which is the National Centre for the Performing Arts, much like our Esplanade without the thorns, butttttttttttt wtf google pictures are all a lie. Sigh much, I don't even wanna talk about it. The doraemon exhibition was impromptu, soo glad we went - cuteness overload!!!
Pretty sure I hadn't write about some stuff I was meant to write, like it's either I have so much to say I don't know where to start / how to continue, either that or I have nothing much to say hence the struggle for words. But Im leaving it at that. This post needs to see the light of day.