Beijing, China ’17

Forbidden City

Beijing .. Beijing .. Beijing

It was good to finally be able to visit China, to cross it off of my list, and to get a snippet of where my Yeye (Grandfather) came from but boy was it ever COLD!
The days that I was in Beijing, it was actually colder there than it was in YYC, go figures right? It would be nicer weather back in Calgary when I leave for vacation.

As one would suspect, the life in China is very different than how we live here in Canada. As long as you are open minded – you will still enjoy your time there. But here are a few tips to help you transition while you are there:

The Great Wall of China at Mutianyu
 

1) Google, YouTube, Facebook (and Instagram etc) are blocked in China. Considering I am an avid user and advocate for Google (duh, for obvious reasons) this was surprising for me, and I even forgot that it was blocked even though I researched it before I went there.

So .. what do you do?
Personally, I have everything printed out, as well as written on a note on my phone.
I got directions ahead of time from my hotel to destinations I knew I wanted to visit,
once I had my hotel address, I Google mapped it to a tourist attraction and I screen shot the directions.

 

Panda

Panda

Panda

2) You need a Visa for China. You can find the application form here – China Visa Application
You will need an address of where you are staying, so you will have to book your accommodations first. And a name, address & number of a contact in China if you were invited by a friend or relative (don’t worry, if you are just going solo like me without an invite, just put N/A) You will also need a recent printed photo of yourself, if you do not have one, they can take a photo for you, but it will cost another $14.

The price was about $100 for a regular Visa, however depending how soon you are travelling, you are also able to get an ” Urgent ” or a ” Rushed ” for a higher price. Though I received my Visa in 4 days, which is actually really fast. I did my application at the Chinese Embassy, and they keep your Passport as they process the Visa, so don’t be alarmed when they keep it!

P.S – Because you need a Visa for China, you need to go to the counter to check in at the airport. The self serve kiosks cannot read Visa’s yet, so save yourself some hassle and make sure that you get to the airport with enough time!


Views while catching up on some reading

3) I found that very few people there spoke english, even the concierge at my hotel, which was in a central part of the city, didn’t really speak english. A tour guide I spoke with knew that I was Chinese just by looking at me, and he said people will assume I can understand Mandarin. A few other people I spoke with had mentioned that if you are in Mainland China, they will only really even attempt to speak to you in English if you have white skin. A PSA to everyone planning on visiting, please remember to be patient and to speak slowly.

Summer Palace

Some items you should consider bringing with you >

  • Toilet Paper
  • Hand Sanitizer/Wet Ones
  • Portable Charger
  • Comfortable Shoes
The highlight of my trip was by far seeing The Great Wall of China! Seeing it in person was actually breathtaking. My tour must’ve really lucked out because it wasn’t even smoggy when we went there, there was blue skies all around! There are several spots to see The Great Wall, I saw it at Mutianyu, and it was definitely worth going the 1.5 hours away to get the views.
I did with the Beijing Essential China Highlights Tour & even though it was probably one of the most expensive tours I’ve paid for, it was definitely worth it!

Did I mention that I got to luge down? It was the best! Catch the video here.

With love,
Murs xx

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