Beijing 2009 - Adios Beijing !

It's been a long 2 months posting about my trip to Beijing, and I was only there for 7 days ! There is so much to see there, and to make the most of it you really have to plan ahead. The Web is such an indispensable tool for travel nowadays. 

My friend Pegs had compiled our hectic Itinerary on her Site. Check it out here:  Cloth with Pegs - Beijing

Day 1
arrived in Beijing Terminal 2
dimsum breakfast
Tiananmen Square
Beijing Centre for the Performing Arts
Forbidden City
Tea Shop
check-in to Taly Plaza Hotel
dinner

Day 2
Beijing Institute of Architectural Design
Planning Exhibition Hall
Peking Duck lunch at Quanjude Peking Duck Restaurant
Opposite House (hotel) by Kengo Kuma
The Village at Sanlitun (shopping centre)

Day 3
Temple of Heaven
SOHO Jianwai
SOHO Shangdu
CCTV/ TVCC
Linked Hybrid (Grand MOMA Beijing)
798 Art Zone
Tenggili Tala dinner

Day 4
Summer Palace
Hotel 61 Cote Cour
Hotel Kapok
WangFuJing Shopping and Food Street
Szechuan dinner
JiuBaJie (Bar Street)

Day 5
Great Wall at Badaling
The Commune by the Great Wall
lunch near Olympic park
Jade Shop
Dinner at Maison Boulud

Day 6
rickshaw ride in Hutong
Water Cube (Olympic Aquatic Centre)
Bird's Nest (Olympic Stadium)
acrobatic performance
dinner
nite scene of Water Cube & Bird's Nest
(supper near hotel)

Day 7
Sneak peek at Beijing Terminal 3

Home to Malaysia

Before we left Beijing, we went for a short visit to Terminal 3, the spanking new airport built for the Olympics. It was designed by famous UK architect Sir Norman Foster. Having visited the Chep Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong by the same architect, I kind of knew what to expect. To me his airport designs always feel a bit cold and impersonal. Kind of like a factory. Beijing Terminal 3 felt the same.

Malaysia Airlines didn't get the privilege of using the new airport, so we left via Terminal 2 which was a much older airport. We were very reluctant to leave, as there was still so much more to see in Beijing. Beijing is not really a place for a holiday, but a place for adventure. Till next time !