Mainland China - day 1 : PER - SIN - PEK
We spent half a day getting from Perth to Beijing, via Singapore. Flew using Singapore Airlines which live up to its reputation. The customer relations called 3 days prior to our departure making sure Kal is getting her bassinet & we are all seated closely.
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We took a 5.5 hrs red eye flight, which is a blessing in disguise since both girls were sleeping until we landed in Changi. Left Changi for the second leg on 8 AM for another 6 hrs journey to Beijing.
Once we arrived in Beijing Capital International Airport, first thing i did was checking the toilet 😂 which surprisingly very clean! Immigration line for foreigners was long, but bearable. Once we were out, went straight to the taxi area in the basement. Gave the hotel address printout in Chinese, and off we went.
Beijing was quite cold that day, around 5 celc, and the first thing i noticed when we got out was the combination of thick fog & pollution. The sky was sadly grey, so much difference to Perth’s blue sky. Took us 35 minutes to reach Wangfujing area, where we stayed for the next 5 nights.
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We stayed at Novotel Beijing Peace, walking distance to Wangfujing area where you can find the infamous market selling all sorts of creatures you don’t normally eat, as well as major international brands like H&M, Zara, Uniqlo - also branded &luxury brands and shopping malls.
Since this is our first trip to Beijing (and Mainland China!), i looked for accomodation in the most centralised area, just to be safe. And this area was perfect for us!
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Checking-in was smooth and easy. Concierge came over while i was checking in, handing over 2 express packages: china unicom data only simcards from loyomobile & bullet train tickets to Shanghai from chinatrip.
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The reason why I ordered these before we arrived in China was just mainly for our convenience & peace of mind since none of us speaks more than 4 verses in Mandarin 😂 the sim cards have been activated and ready to use. The bullet train tickets are the actual physical ones which allow us to go straight to the boarding gate.
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Took a few hours nap then went to the nearby shopping mall called In88 for dinner. The shopping centre itself is quite luxurious (tried their toilet, all good haha!). Had dinner at the famous 24/7 hotpot place called Haidilao. their food was excellent! But not only the food, service was amazing! When we first came, you will get a number and guided to a waiting area. In this waiting area you will be served free flow drinks & snacks. They also have a fancy massage chair, a manicure service, board games & chess, and an indoor playground with nannies!
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Kal and Nin tried the playground and i was just sitting there inside the playgroung watching the nanny looked after Kal. she literally carried her up and down the slides, singing, clapping & entertained Kal, she even wiped her runny nose with a clean tissue 😂 amazing!
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Like at a normal hotpot place, we’ve ordered a half and half mushroom broth and spicy broth, with lots of australian beef slices, veggies and a noodle show. Noodle show was basically a showcase of noodle making on our table, it was entertaining but not long enough - great for hungry customers.
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Kal was cranky in the last 30 mins during dinner, then she feel asleep once she was seated on her pram, it was past her bedtime anyway.
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We spent the night walking around the hotel to see what the area looks like. Found a tiny convenience store just around the corner from Novotel, bought some snacks and drinks. Later after that, we found a small fruit shop which sells all kinds of fruits incl. durian, mangosteen and dragon fruit!.
That’s it for day one!
