Sunday, December 11, 2011
Beijing. Day 3 (Day 4 by itinerary)
Now when I keep listing Day x by itinerary in the title, it does not mean that our route follows the stated itinerary... it just means that it is considered Day x by the tour whereas I consider it to be one day less because we left Singapore on the 8th but landed here on the 9th so to me the 9th is the first day in Beijing but the tour considers it as Day 2. Minor detail.
Today we hit the first of our shopping joints. 同仁堂 （Tong Ren Tang）. You get a lecture on TCM and then a personal consultation. When you choose to purchase medication from them it is minimum a few hundred SGD for each person. I had previously bought some medication from them when I visited 10 years ago, which is why I am prepared to spend money here this time. For my parents, it's ok. Plus they have this really cool cordyceps pills which you can consume very conveniently. You don't have to boil it or anything, just dunk it. That alone is worth the trip to 同仁堂 （Tong Ren Tang）. Total bill for this location was almost as much as the trip. Sibeh broke liao.
After the wallet breaking session, we went to visit an actual Siheyuan （四合院）. This particular Siheyuan used to be the abode of an 爱新觉罗 (Aisin Gioro) who is of course related to the Imperial family. Imperial Cousin or Uncle. The host's father bought it back before the cultural revolution and stayed in it until the revolution came along and then the place was confiscated and more families were placed in the Siheyuan. A few years ago, there was a policy to return housing to people mainly initiated by the Olympic projects. I guess the Plympic really did a lot of good to the local populace. So the government gave money to the families staying in the Siheyuan so that they could move out and the host's family reclaimed most of the place except two parts where the tenants refused to move out after receiving the disbursement from the government. Hopefully the tenants move out someday so that the host can finally have their home back entirely.
Oh, the place is worth quite a few millions. In Singapore dollars that is.
very sound advice. Don't smoke.
After lunch we went to 秀水市场。 Bought two overpriced seals for my parents and then just walked around and around and around till dinner which was a western buffet at the top of the same complex.
After dinner we went to view the largest LED in Asia at 北京世贸天皆。It's kinda like a shopping area with low level buildings on both sides of the LED. If you cannot imagine that, then think of Bugis Junction. Bugis Junction is basically a bunch of streets closed off to form a shopping centre. So the area where the LED is, is somewhat like one walking street with similar buildings on both sides and the LED overhead.
They have a very apt slogan. 全北京向上看。 You really have to look up!
0 Adorations
Now when I keep listing Day x by itinerary in the title, it does not mean that our route follows the stated itinerary... it just means that it is considered Day x by the tour whereas I consider it to be one day less because we left Singapore on the 8th but landed here on the 9th so to me the 9th is the first day in Beijing but the tour considers it as Day 2. Minor detail.
Today we hit the first of our shopping joints. 同仁堂 （Tong Ren Tang）. You get a lecture on TCM and then a personal consultation. When you choose to purchase medication from them it is minimum a few hundred SGD for each person. I had previously bought some medication from them when I visited 10 years ago, which is why I am prepared to spend money here this time. For my parents, it's ok. Plus they have this really cool cordyceps pills which you can consume very conveniently. You don't have to boil it or anything, just dunk it. That alone is worth the trip to 同仁堂 （Tong Ren Tang）. Total bill for this location was almost as much as the trip. Sibeh broke liao.
After the wallet breaking session, we went to visit an actual Siheyuan （四合院）. This particular Siheyuan used to be the abode of an 爱新觉罗 (Aisin Gioro) who is of course related to the Imperial family. Imperial Cousin or Uncle. The host's father bought it back before the cultural revolution and stayed in it until the revolution came along and then the place was confiscated and more families were placed in the Siheyuan. A few years ago, there was a policy to return housing to people mainly initiated by the Olympic projects. I guess the Plympic really did a lot of good to the local populace. So the government gave money to the families staying in the Siheyuan so that they could move out and the host's family reclaimed most of the place except two parts where the tenants refused to move out after receiving the disbursement from the government. Hopefully the tenants move out someday so that the host can finally have their home back entirely.
Oh, the place is worth quite a few millions. In Singapore dollars that is.
very sound advice. Don't smoke.
After lunch we went to 秀水市场。 Bought two overpriced seals for my parents and then just walked around and around and around till dinner which was a western buffet at the top of the same complex.
After dinner we went to view the largest LED in Asia at 北京世贸天皆。It's kinda like a shopping area with low level buildings on both sides of the LED. If you cannot imagine that, then think of Bugis Junction. Bugis Junction is basically a bunch of streets closed off to form a shopping centre. So the area where the LED is, is somewhat like one walking street with similar buildings on both sides and the LED overhead.
They have a very apt slogan. 全北京向上看。 You really have to look up!
Comments:
Post a Comment
