Alright good folks….I made it to Beijing and in one piece! Talk about a long travel day, and how about we pretty much lost a day lol….Left on Wednesday night and arrived in Friday morning.
Now before we arrived in Beijing we had a brief layover in Seoul, Korea. Now while we didn’t have enough time to venture into the city we did get a chance to try some good food and snacks. So to tickle my fancy, I tried the fish cakes and crab and fish cake, and then a few sweet treats…definitely quite tasty if I say so myself!
Just enough to tide me over before the second leg of the trip. Oh and let me also say, the airport in Seoul was definitely on my list of cleanest airports…major Kudos! In addition, with regards to airlines, I would definitely fly on Korean Air again! Comfy seats, delicious meal, nice film and television selection, and good service!
So that wrapped up my layover and next stop…Beijing! Let me just start out by saying, I’m not really sure of my expectations, but let’s just say I’m not disappointed so far…
Upon our arrival, our host guides picked us up and gave us a mini lesson while en route to our hotel. So of course we know the 2008 Summer Olympics took place in Beijing (will share pics of Beijing Olympic Park in later posts), it is also the capital city of China, and has over 22 million residents. As one of the world’s most populous cities it is truly a global city and one of the world’s leading centers of culture, politics, business, technology, and tourism. In just the few hours that I have been here, you can clearly see it is a bustling city.
Where I’m staying for this trip is on a strip known as “Wangfujing Pedestrian Street,” it gets this name because the majority of the area is made for walking. Pretty much you can walk around the area get your shopping done and fill your stomach. Within this main area you can find a Nike, Apple, and Fila store, plus a Zara and a Starbucks. And for my luxury brand fans, you got Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, and Hermes all in close proximity of each other. But that’s not it, there is also a pretty good size mall, “Beijing APM” that has 6 levels of more shopping, food (exotic foods included), and entertainment. While this area is very much commercialized, this is not a new concept. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty there has always been commercial activities in the area.
This trip so far has been about trying new experiences, so to cap off the night, I decided to try out this hot pot spot for a late night dinner. Just in case you may not have heard of the hot pot (also known as steamboat) dish, it is a dish of soup/stock that is kept simmering while adding an assortment of meats/seafood, vegetables, noodles, and soy-based foods. Think of it like the precursor to the Instant Pot.
Quite tasty if I say so myself!
I think that just about wraps up for the day! Stay tuned for the next day’s events…the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City!
A change in seasons is on the horizon…The summer solstice is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year in that hemisphere, when the sun is at its highest position in the sky.
Black Future Feminist 