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Friday 7 September 2012

Hello Beijing! (Jingshan Park 景山公园, Beijing Capital Museum 首都博物馆)

Our first hotel that we stayed at was in Chaoyang district (朝阳区) at Traders Hotel by Shangri-la Hotels and resorts. This hotel is walking distance to the China World Shopping Mall which is filled with all the top brands like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.

Hotel means breakfast buffet! Yay!!

Traders Hotel Beijing
Bread and pastries
Waffle/Pancake station! 


油炸粿 (Chinese donuts)
My first breakfast in Beijing

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Flight: Vancouver to Guangzhou to Beijing with China Southern 中国南方航空

I'm going to Beijing for the first time. My sister has been there for the past two months for summer work so my family and I are going to visit her while exploring the capital city. It's so exciting because I've heard a lot about Beijing how that's where a lot of the palaces are. I'm looking forward to that because I'm really interested in the ancient times 古代 and palaces as well, I'm hoping to learn more Chinese history! And of course, definitely looking forward to the food! Let the trip begin!!!... with a 12-hour flight.
dutyfree at YVR 
YVR after customs
Of course you should always get to the airport early...so that you have some time to shop at the duty free shops!
China Southern - my plane
Airplane pack from China Southern
This was my first time flying with China Southern. Our flight was at 12:30pm, so we'd be flying through the night. We are first making a stop at Guangzhou and then we'll transfer to Beijing. I'm always afraid of being cold on the plane so I was relieved to see that they provided each of us with a blanket already. As my flight to Quebec did not have earphones, I couldn't watch anything. China Southern did provide us with  earphones as well as a pack containing toothbrush, toothpaste, ear plugs, and a sleeping mask. Shortly after the plane was flying steadily and everyone was settled in, we were served drinks and our first meal.

Before this trip, I was talking to a friend and I was saying how I actually like plane meals and I don't find them so bad. Each meal was served with a warm bun which I really liked. For the first meal, I had beef with some farfalle and vegetables. For my second meal, I got beef with rice and some vegetables. I preferred the second meal as I find that this kind of beef is much better served with rice. Also, this was the time that I first tried their milk. Wow, it tasted so different from the milk that I'm used to. I don't think they have milk that have different % of milk fat, but I think the brand was 蒙牛. Just about an hour before we landed, we each got a Saint Germain bun. It the picture it probably looks like a BBQ pork bun, but there were 2 different ones as there are vegetarians on the plane. The other option was a 奶油包 (cream bun).
First meal on the plane
Second meal on the plane
Saint Germain bun