Thursday, February 07, 2013

China - Part 1

Hellooooooooo! I'm back!! :D Wow didn't realise how long I have abandoned my blog. Suddenly one day I remembered that I have a blog and when I checked, the last time I updated it was 2 years ago! :O Not a single post in 2012! Well, most of my friends have quit blogging. But I won't! Just will take hiatus every now and then. Started blogging since 2008 so it's been years already :')

Anyway, I like the new blogspot. :D The change is refreshing, eventhough I know it's been ages haha. So here's a story I have. :D Went for a vacation last week with beloved family and relatives! The trip was so fun and full of memories, be it good or bad. Both my parents had always wanted to go to Beijing, because there's a lot of Chinese Muslims there and so it's easy to find places to eat. That's the most important thing for my parents when it comes to deciding a holiday destination. And of course, Beijing is a very beautiful place. Months earlier I asked my parents why couldn't we go to Korea? They said there aren't many restaurants there which serve halal food. 

The post is gonna be quite long I guess. 'Cos I wanna write everything in detail if possible so that I can read it in the future and be reminded of the wonderful moments ;) So feel free to skip any parts :P

So we went there for a week. There's 11 of us in the group, including my aunts, uncles, and a lil cousin. I was really excited at first before leaving, but then the excitement disappeared a little as the departure date got nearer. I knew something bad or something which would dampen my mood would happen. -.- But oh well.. On the day of departure we were supposed to leave at 6 am to catch our flight at 9. But my uncle who was supposed to pick us up was late by an hour and that kinda ruined everyone's mood. -.- But then I didn't want it to get to me. While on the plane I watched Dangerous Ishqq and Hotel Transylvania. :D Also listened to some Hindi songs. Even when I was on other international flights before this I would watch Hindi movies to kill the time :P We're inseparable :P 

Let's cut to the chase. Before leaving for China, we checked the weather in Beijing. It'd be somewhere between -10 degree to 8 the max. My dad said it'd be colder than when we went to London once. I couldn't really remember how cold it was so couldn't predict. Arrived at 3.30pm and saw some snow on the ground. We were very excited haha since it was our first time seeing real snow. :P Macam jakun la jugak hahaha. But who cares? ;D And dang it was really cold I tell you :O Our tour guide, Mr. Musa, a Chinese Muslim told us that we missed the snowfall by a day. And it was heavy snow. :( Frustrated, yes. We were then taken to watch the acrobatic show. It was awesome! Them Chinese acrobats are definitely the best! It was already really dark at 7 and we went to have dinner. Man, the food was marvelous! Served some 6-7 dishes. Tummy was definitely happy. :D Then checked in at Zhongdu Taihe hotel. 

The next morning woke up at 5.30. Breakfast was great too. I'd say it was a heavy one :P Met the tour guide afterwards and we were told that we would climb the Great Wall today and also ski! Yippeeee! We were so excited especially the young ones! But before that we went to the jade and crystal centers. Man, these Chinese people are feisty. They like to force people into buying their stuff by hook or by crook. Learnt some valuable info about the jades and crystals, of how they're produced into something else. Also learnt that 
                           - I was born in the year of sheep :D (they say it's good)
                           - My sister was born in the year of chicken
                           - My 1st bro was born in the year of pig :P
                           - And my youngest bro was born in the year of horse.

 Inside the jade center

If I had that much money would've bought more jade bracelets 'cos they're all so pretty! :D  


                                               In front of the jade center

Same thing at the crystal center. In loooooove with their products!


                                                   But it's too pricey -.-

Then had a fab lunch at a fab restaurant! :D Loved the food! There's also a surau in the restaurant itself which makes it easier for Muslims :D And it's very comfortable :)


 Dad and my sibs at the Great Wall :)

Excuse my excited face and the red nose :P

Very 'gayat' from up here o.O

It was so darn cold I tell you! It was very cold I now understood how one can die from cold weather :O Only 4 of us managed to climb up to the 1st tower. Me, my father and brothers. Oh and also my uncle and his lil daughter. I was actually surprised when I found out that my youngest bro tagged along 'cos his body system is quite vulnerable. I mean, he usually falls sick easily. My dad counted, from the bottom to the 1st tower, there are 360 steps. :O I was very ecstatic to finally set foot on once one of world's seven wonders! :D The Great Wall of China I used to watch in the Mulan movies as a kid. :') There's also a Chinese saying which goes, "You're not a man until you've walked the Great Wall". I really wanted to go farther but we were on quite a tight schedule. Didn't wanna waste time. So to the next destination, the ski resort! ;D

Good thing we went on a weekday! So there weren't many people at the resort.

                             

Can you believe I actually recorded this video? :D I knew it was dangerous but I just had to! :D The video is quite blurry 'cos I wasn't ready I guess. It was nerve wrecking up there! :P And just a lil something to boast about, out of all those skiing that day, I was the only one who didn't fall at all! Woohoo! ;D


                                  Dinner later that evening! :D So yummehhh!

So the next day we visited the Forbidden City! Dude, it's SO gigantic no wonder it's called a CITY! It's called the Forbidden City 'cos it's forbidden to the ordinary people and no one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission. I don't know how long we walked right from the entrance to the exit. It's just so big and massive! Really amazed! Finally I got to see the place which is similar to those in the ancient Chinese dramas on tv! ;D Even got to see the original bedrooms! Next, we made a pit stop at the Chinese medicine center and enjoyed a free traditional foot massage ;) 

 To be continued... (Thanks for reading!)

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