New Year meant more excitement, positivity and adrenaline rush. The last year was a roller coaster ride, but with all the positivity and goodliness that surrounded me, the seat belt seemed tight. Of course, my brand new to-do list has more things. Right from eating healthier food to not skipping the gym once in a while. But something that tops the list is to explore more places. And nothing could have been better than executing this from the day one itself. This New Year's Eve was a bit different than all the other times. I was not in the crowded office party holding a glass of wine. Rather I was walking down the dimly-lit roads, with my camera in one hand and eyes transfixed at the beauty of that land. My friend's and I went to the China- Beijing border. And no, it wasn't an overnight plan. Instead it was something that was always preponed and postponed and always forgotten. But ultimately, we decided to put a halt over the endless discussion and make an appreciable move.
So, we packed our bags, stuffed in all the necessaries, booked our tickets and yes, we were all set to sail. Best part was the excitement we had, I don't know if it was for all the cartoons we watched once or the love for stationary, or the crowded streets; but yes the happiness in our heart was clearly reflecting on pour face when our flight landed there. We checked in into our Airbnb home. It gave us a classy feeling and was extremely comfortable. Luckily our host was there and guided us about the city. It was a four days trip, so had made a note of all the places we wanted to see.
We started with the Forbidden City. The imperial palace is an absolute work of art. As we entered through the gateway of heavenly peace, were taken aback by the beauty of the Chinese architecture. Apparently, it acquires a land of 720,000 square metres, which is even larger than Louvre. The palace museum is one of the largest cultural museums and is abode to world's largest collection of well-preserved medieval wooden structures. Our guide told us about the rich cultural heritage of the Forbidden City and the fact that only 60% of it open to public. We bought our tickets from the Meridian gate and walked towards the first courtyard, followed by city walls, the hall of literary brilliance, the pavilion of literary profundity, the gate of supreme harmony, guardian lions, the outer court, dragon head spouts and many more spots, until we reached Jingshan Park and my fitness watch counted more than 10,000 steps.
We relaxed there for a while and took a heartfelt view of the complex from the hilltop. It was already 3pm and we were extremely hungry. So we booked a cab to the nearest restaurant which was near Tiananmen west and gifted some peace to our hungry stomach. The cuisine in Beijing is non- vegetarian and we took the pleasure of having the typical mandarin delicacies. We spent the evening in a local pub and headed back home soon after. The day one was tiring but indeed memorable.
On the second day, we went to the Great Wall of China. One of the marvellous wonders of world, the great wall was built some 500 years back and is no doubt in every traveller's bucket list. There are many parts of the wall throughout the city. We chose the Badaling Great wall as it was easily accessible from Beijing. The best part is, you can hike your way up. No doubt we wanted to do it, but we would have run out of time, thus we opted for the cable car. Upon reaching there, we went to the great wall museum. This part of the wall is well-restored and popular among tourists. Luckily, it was a weekday and there were comparatively lesser people. After that we went to visit the Ming Tombs. Thirteen emperors of the Ming dynasty were buried there. We spent some time there and returned to the city.
We were strolling through the streets, tasting the local delicacies and that's when one of my friend suggested that we should camp there overnight. Though, few of us had mixed feelings towards the idea, it turned out to be the most adventurous time. Though it was an extremely cold night, the camp was equipped enough to make us feel comfortable. We woke up to beautiful sunrise and have tasty omelette.
It was the third and almost the last day of our trip. Since we had morning flight the next day, we wanted to see the most of the city. We went to the Temple of heaven. It is not only a fine example of architectural marvel but it also symbolises the relationship between man and heaven. It was built in the first half of the fifteenth century during the reign of Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty. Traditionally it was used as a sacrificial temple. Our tour started at the east gate of the park from where we got our tickets. And then we walked through the long corridor and reached the hall of prayers for good harvests.
After spending some time there, we made our way to Chinese rose garden and then 100 flower garden. Then we went to see the Pavilion of longevity, Fasting palace, Nine dragon tree, Circular mould altar, Imperial vault of heaven and finally reached the Danbi bridge. The temple of heaven was surrounded by greenery as if its paradise on Earth. By the end of day three, we had learnt that Beijing is a wormhole of cultural and historical relevance. It was a hub of ethnicity and traditions. We spent the evening in the Wangfujing Street. The commercial hub of Beijing, Wangfujing is a shopper's one stop destination. And we didn't hesitate to bless our wardrobe. As the night got darker, the street got more lighted up. Of course, it was really cold but we pulled our coats and shopped some more.
Wangfujing Street has multiple eateries. We had our last dinner with giggles and contentment in our heart. The next morning in Delhi was welcoming and with the memories of Beijing, it felt much more beautiful.
Until then give me a cheer, stay tuned for next blog, would love to hear your comments on this blog!!!Hope you are following me at https://www.instagram.com/travelandtake/
