Life with the Three Crazy Dogs

June 13, 2009: DB took me to the airport, found out my scheduled American Airline (AA) flight departing Minneapolis (MSP) to Dalls, Fort Worth (DFW)  was canceled.  Confirmed me on another flight departing MSP 15 minutes earlier to Chicago (ORD), ORD to Narita (NRT)  which worked out great with my other connecting flight from Narita (NRT) to Beijing (PKG) by Japan Airlines (JAL).

June 14, 2009: Arrived Beijing on time at 9:15 p.m. but all passengers were detained inside the plane for H1N1 check BS.  Didn’t get out to the Arrival hall till passed 10 p.m.  My mom, bro, and his “wife” were there to meet me.  I was so happy to see my mom again.  We all took a cab back to the hotel, Botai Hotel.  I initially booked a hotel at Wangfujiang Da Wan Hotel for 2 rooms and guaranteed them with my credit card, too, but they still let the rooms go after 6 p.m.  Have to make a note to T’ed them good.  Oh, and bro and mom noticed that the cab driver purposely took us the long way around to the hotel from the airport.  So, there, first day in China already kena ketuk good.  BTW, mom and gang arrived from KUL to Tianjin and took a bullet train to Beijing (30+ minutes).  They arrived at the hotel past 6 p.m.

 Botai Hotel located on this street

After  unloading  my luggage, we took a walk to hunt for food.  We wanted to go to Wangfujiang Street for food.  Walk, walk asked a lady who was collecting plastic bottles for directions.  She said to follow her.  She took us to a small alley and more small alleys and finally she said “you turn right, straight on and you will be at WFJ Street).”  Hahahaha, we walked and walked and finally said screwed it, we stopped at this shop for food since it was already past 11 p.m.  Btw, first impression of Beijing in the dark, it was hazy and damn noisy.  All the honking.

There were no empty tables  but the worker (with the cigi butt) told his buddies to move, cleared the tables filled with satay sticks, beer bottles, and glasses for us 4.  Sat down and that’s where the chickens and ducks started their conversation on what to order for food.  Asked for pork in our noodles and found out they are Muslims.  See the Arabic words on the picture??  Duh!!!  We had each a bowl of noodles with beef and  10 sticks of BBQed lamb which we didn’t finished.  The lamb sticks were too gamey smelling and laden with salt to the max.

June 15, 2009: Had our breakfast of champions (noodles and sui kau) at one of the little shops along the hotel area.  Then start of walking expedition to Tiananmen Square.  We walked and walked and my favorite phrase in Putong-hua: “Ni hui shuo ying wen ma?” were thrown at the locals for when we need directions.  Bro speaks better Chinese than I do.  Mom understands more than I do, too.  She said thanks to Astro!  We walked past this beautiful cathedral, the Wangfujing Cathedral. 

Then saw Bank of China, somewhere near Wangfujng Street, did some transactions there and asked a guy for directions to Tiananmen Sq just along the street where he parked his car.  After getting directions from him, that guy asked where else we are visiting in Beijing.  We told him (Great Wall) and he asked if we want him to be our guide.  We agreed and told him we will have him to take us to Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tombs and Temple of Heaven the next day for RMB400 the whole day and transportation another RMB700.  We didn’t book any tours for the entire trip in China.

This guide, Mr. Lai, I think that’s his name, then drove us to Forbidden City, the south entrance but still need to hop into one of those golf carts to the front entrance for tickets.   Finally, we saw this while walking towards the ticket booths.  We didn’t go in from the main entrance.  Too bad the entire day and all the days we were in Beijing were hazy.  Seeing the Tiananmen Square through one of those gates, I was happy.  A feeling of, wow, I’m now in the Forbidden City, imagination run wild on how the emperor and his entourage came the gates.

Walked in, got our tickets.  Walking into the cool, breezy passages of the gates were a nice relieved from the steamy temperature.

After walking past one big compound to another and finally to the Gates of Meridian and then, saw the main big hall, Hall of Supreme Harmony.  Finally!!  My mind went wild again with all kinds of images how the emperor was carried on his sedan chair along the middle path which is marble, btw and his soldiers all kneeling before him.  Grand feeling.

And the throne:

We walked almost the whole of Forbidden City, of course, we skipped some sections as they all looked the same!  We got there around 10:30-ish a.m. and didn’t get out of there till 4+ p.m.  We went from the middle, right side all the way to the end and then walked the left side of the city, see map.  There were Halls after Halls we saw.  Can’t even remember the names.  I know they don’t look the same, but to my eyes, they all look the same; mainly because we don’t know Chinese.  Then the rooms of the concubines, and back to the front where we came in.

Here is a slideshow of some of the pics I took while in the City, Tiananmen Square and finally the Ancient City Gate.

OK, I had better get this blog back to life. I think my peeps might think I six feet underground or something. I’m back home, home with a routine especially I’m back at work since yesterday. I am eating my healthy version breakfast, lunch and dinner. No more of the curry noodles or Hakka mee for breakfast or lunch. I know I don’t need to get any ephedra diet pill coz there is not much to eat in the house. Good spicy and yummy food is not that easily available like in Ipoh or even in Spore. 

I still have not completed downloading the pictures taken in China.  I have taken thousands of pics.  Actually a lot of them are of the same thing just to make sure I got it.  There were a lot of blurry pics especially in crowded temples.  The places we went to were really “People mountain, people sea”.

Here is one picture I really like.  Of course, trying to get a nice picture without any humans around was impossible.

Temple of Heaven, Beijing (June 16, 2009)

Next, is the Great Wall, Badaling section. It was raining crazy but the people were all over the place by the bus loads.  (June 16, 2009)

And my all time favorite in Beijing is still this place:

The Forbidden City, Beijing (June 15, 2009)

It was definitely a pain to get a decent picture at the Forbidden City. Moreover, there weren’t a perfect day in Beijing. All the five days we were in Beijing, it was hazy, smoggy, crappy, you name it. It was blah!  Anyways, this picture reminds me of the old TVB kungfu dramas where the emperor’s soldiers were kneeling on this vast grounds kow-tow-ing whilst the emperor walking in to the Hall of Supreme Harmony (background).  Very impressive site.  I was mesmerized by it.  My mom said she had the same feeling the first time she visited the Forbidden City.  This trip was her second or third visit so it wasn’t that mesmerizing!

I will get the pics downloaded and put up a slide show later on.  Do bear with me, k, dook? :)

…from my vacation.  Arrived back home in Minneapolis yesterday night after a very, very long flight.  I am doing pretty good with the jet lag thingy.  I didn’t sleep much two days before my departure from Spore.  The eve of my departure, I was up the whole night.  Want to read more, go here and read it.    I’m too lazy to write since there is easy access to it!  I’m currently getting the China pictures on to Facebook.  It’s taking a long time to upload them.

I will get the pics and posts up on this blog later.  Just hang in there! :D

….I will be leaving the house to the airport.  Every thing on my to-do-list were scratched off.  Having my last piece of peanut butter sandwich with the last of the soy m.  The boys do sense something is going on – they are clingy and Cooper is already merajuk-ing since last night.  I patted him, he turned away and less than a minute of me patting him, he walked/moved away.  Tantrums from a DOG!!!  Can’t believe it!

Anyways, I got everything packed into on check-in luggage, less than 50 pounds.  Phew!!  Was so worried about that.

And now, I have this nervous, butterflies in my tummy.  Must be worried about the check-in and the short timing I have to get to the departure terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth connecting to Narita.

OK, peeps, those of you folks in  KUL/Ipoh, I hope to get hold of you guys.

Ta-ta for now! :D

The things to do tomorrow, Friday, before I leave for my trip, not in order:-

1. Go to Tar-get boutique, Target in other words
2. Complete and fax hotel credit card guarantee forms
3. Laundry – some shirts and capris
4. Clean the shower – know DB won’t do it
5. Download pictures from memory cards to PC
6. Clean out memory cards
7. Charge batteries for both cameras
8. Complete the little bag for camera
9. Brush the boys
10. Pick up my stuff off the dining table
11. Confirm tickets
12. Print out hotel information
13. Bank

I think I’m pretty much set except for the above and pack whatever that’s laying on the spare bed.  I am getting excited for the trip now.  I took tomorrow off and I’m glad I did.  There seems to be so much to do.  I’m sure there are more to do on the above list.  I thinking I’m forgetting something already. Oh well, if I don’t come back here to update before I leave Saturday morning, Saturday evening, Malaysian time, that means I’m already on my way.  Ttfn, folks.