Our last two action packed stops were a great way to finish what has been an amazing trip on a high. Shanghai was great fun. We were lucky enough to find a very gracious host who speaks Chinese so we had our first proper Chinese meal where we knew exactly what we were eating which was quite a treat. The two days we were there were spent whizzing around visiting the shops, sights and museums and the nights were spent meeting people, eating, drinking and dancing and dancing and dancing.
Enjoying the best ribs in the World:
The Bund:
304 kmph on the bullet train to Beijing:
Beijing was our last stop and we definitely made the most of it... Our non-stop sightseeing destroyed our backs, our legs, our feet, our will to live but boy was it worth it. There is a hell of a lot to see here and I don't think we even scratched the surface - we did get the highlights in however. The Great Wall of China is pretty damn impressive as far as walls go. You can't really go wrong when you are standing on a structure that's over 500 years old and visible from space! The real highlight of that visit however was the toboggan on the way down ... Thought it was odd when I first heard about it but it made perfect sense when I was on it. Highly recommended! You can find it at the Mu Tian Yu part of the wall which I'm assured is less crowded and more beautiful than the parts where all the domestic tourists flock to. Here are the Beijing highlights in photographic form...
Mu Tian Yu:
The Olympic Green with it's amazingly impressive Birds Nest Stadium was a real highlight:
Tiananmen Square and the not quite so Forbidden any more City:
The Summer Palace which isn't a Palace at all... It's a whole city and a stunning one at that:
These photos only makes sense in China:
Mastering the art of the chopstick:
Our last sit down meal, amazingly tasty peking duck:
So, that's that. 6 months whizzed past in just 36 blog posts. I'm sat in London now with severe jet lag trying to process everything I've experienced. Once I do, I'll write some final deep and meaningful post for you all urging you to quit your jobs... but for now I'm just going to unpack and make myself at home in my slippers with a cup of tea. Ahh bliss!
After a stroll along The Bund we decided that rather than paying to go up one of the more iconic skyscrapers in Pudong, we would fork out for a glass or two of bubbly at the amazing Vue Bar in the Hyatt. I would have been happy enough just having the first champagne glass that I've touched in 6 months in my hand, but the stunning views made the experience well worth blowing the budget for and I'm pretty sure there was no better place in the World to toast the most mind-blowing 6 months of my life!
Yuyuan:
Enjoying the best ribs in the World:
Flashpacking at the Hyatt:
The hangover the following day was slept off on the bullet train to Shanghai ... when you are awake you can see China unfolding past your window at quite a dramatic rate, sadly I missed most of the show whilst enjoying the back of my eyelids but what i did manage to glimpse of the passing landscapes looked rather impressive.
Beijing was our last stop and we definitely made the most of it... Our non-stop sightseeing destroyed our backs, our legs, our feet, our will to live but boy was it worth it. There is a hell of a lot to see here and I don't think we even scratched the surface - we did get the highlights in however. The Great Wall of China is pretty damn impressive as far as walls go. You can't really go wrong when you are standing on a structure that's over 500 years old and visible from space! The real highlight of that visit however was the toboggan on the way down ... Thought it was odd when I first heard about it but it made perfect sense when I was on it. Highly recommended! You can find it at the Mu Tian Yu part of the wall which I'm assured is less crowded and more beautiful than the parts where all the domestic tourists flock to. Here are the Beijing highlights in photographic form...
Mu Tian Yu:
The Olympic Green with it's amazingly impressive Birds Nest Stadium was a real highlight:
The Summer Palace which isn't a Palace at all... It's a whole city and a stunning one at that:
These photos only makes sense in China:
Mastering the art of the chopstick:
So, that's that. 6 months whizzed past in just 36 blog posts. I'm sat in London now with severe jet lag trying to process everything I've experienced. Once I do, I'll write some final deep and meaningful post for you all urging you to quit your jobs... but for now I'm just going to unpack and make myself at home in my slippers with a cup of tea. Ahh bliss!
No comments:
Post a Comment