Voyage à Pékin Day 7

Voyage à Pékin Day 6

2 June 2019

Voyage à Pékin Day 5

2 June 2019

Checking out from the water village, we proceed to the Temple of Heaven(天坛)

After that we went to Hutong （胡同）to take a rickshaw riding tour

Night, we were taken to Holiday Inn and suite. A nice hotel to stay

The reception area

A nice bakery beside the hotel but it was closing. Could not get the taste.

The fountain outside the hotel which belongs to a mall in front.

Voyage à Pékin Day 4

1 June 2019

We checked out of the hotel, we are moving to the Gu Bei Water Village (古北水镇）

This is the hotel we stayed for a night.  Translated as Army Camp Hotel

This could well be the Tang Dynasty's interior with modern facilities.

There is a veranda overlooking the road and flower bush.

Scene along the river

When the lights on.... 

The Great Wall can be seen on the hill at the background.

Voyage à Pékin Day 3

1 June 2019

We took a long long bus ride from the hotel to the Great Wall and on the way, we stopped by a silk shop. after that we reached the Great Wall at Juyong. (居庸关长城）

The entrance

Calligraphy by Chairman Ma

不到长城非好汉

We managed to climb until the 3rd beacon tower.

After lunch, we came to the Qianmen street (前门大街）

 The archway, behind which is the zhengyangmen(正阳门）which is one of the entrance to the Forbidden city

Both side of the street are shops

There are many bronze statues 

A very unique Starbucks cafe

After dinner we went back to the hotel.

Voyage à Pékin Day 2

31 May 2019

After breakfast in the hotel, we set out for a 3 hours journey to visit the Imperial Palace.

We reached the Tian An Men square at about 10 a.m and the sun is bright.

The Forbidden City

is next after passing through the Tian An Men. It was once a magnificent palace serving 2 dynasties spanning a 600 over years period, now a monument, a museum a nostalgia.

Visiting time is too short, cannot see much of the Imperial Palace.

After lunch we proceeded to Wang Fu Jing (王府井）shopping area.

At night, watch an acrobatic show in the concert hall of the National Library.

After the show, we took a 3 hours journey back to hotel.

Voyage à Pékin Day 1

30 May 2019

Moved out from Taiping to Ipoh at about 6.30 a.m.   Stop by Chong Yang restaurant  Near Foh San, before proceed to rendezvous.

Thebus moved out to KLIA2 at about 9 a.m with an old couple and thier grandson. At the Tapah RnR, the bus picked up another group of people make an entourage of 11 people.

Reached KLIA at about 1.30 p.m, after checking luggage, we went to Quizinn for lunch.

Fettucine carbonara by Wild Basil

 

Kabsa Chicken with rice by Nasi Arab Chicken Rice

With a little delay, our plane took off at about 5 p.m and we reach Tianjin International airport at about 12 mid night. A mini bus was arranged to pick us up and to chauffeur us for the next 7 days.

The road to the hotel was long, it took about 3 hours, and finally when we settled down in bed, it was already 3.30 a.m.  We settle in Yun Yi Hotel (云逸酒店）

Un voyage au Vietnam : Ninh Binh

Day 5

We are heading to Tam Coc-Bich Dong today.  It was about 100 kilometers from Hanoi City.Tam Coc which means 3 caves, is a zone of Vietnam that elapses between rice paddies, bathed by the Ngo Dong River punctuated by karstic rock formations and limestone caves.

The rock formations, caves, water and landscape have made Tam Coc to know popularly as La Halong Bay on land or between rice paddies Halong Bay. More accessible than her older sister, Halong Bay, Tam Coc which squanders spectacular landscapes and exoticism, do not get to seize the throne of the major tourist attraction of Vietnam for travelers.

The Bich Dong Pagoda
In 1773, Mr. Nguyen Nghiem (the father of the great writer Nguyen Du) visited this cave. After viewing the whole scenery of the mountains, waterways, fields, and sky covered in green mist, he gave the cave a very beautiful and romantic name, Bich Dong (which literally means “Green Pearl Grotto”). Bich Grotto has been said that  the second most beautiful cave in Vietnam.

Bich Dong pagoda is on the short drive to the South of Tam Coc, it was built on the Truong Yen limestone mountains range, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. Bich Dong pagoda includes three palaces on three levels: Lower, Middle and Upper pagoda. The Low pagoda has five compartments built on the ground at the foot of mountain.

From the Low pagoda up to 120 steps is the impressive Middle pagoda with a half of it was carved into mountain including three compartments. Up to 40 steps is the High pagoda located on the highest point nearby the top of The Bich Dong mountain. From here you can have the wonderful perspective view of the Bich Dong pagoda.

Tam Coc

We took a two hours boat tour. 

This is where the Kong movie, the Skull Island was filmed

We could not pass through this cave because the water level is too high due to rain the previous day.

Dinner

Day 6

This is the last day. There is no more visiting as all the planned visits were brought forward to yesterday and the day before.  Just spent the morning walking around the hotel area.  There was a fresh market somewhere near too.

The morning scene of Hanoi City.

The park in front of our hotel

The mysterious looking building is actually  actually a circular French built water tower and it is called the Hang Dau Water Tower. It is located to the north of the Old Quarter and to the northeast of the Citadel. It is said to be the first to supply water for the city but it has not been utilized for the last few decades.

This we found at the fresh market. I guess they are selling almost the same things like us here.

The last lunch in Hanoi.

We were like hey it's cabbage again.