Friday, 22 Nov 2024
Today is our last day in Beijing. Our flight is much later at 2:30AM, so we have a full day of sightseeing today.
We checked out after breakfast, and headed for The Great Wall. Our tour guide took us to the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall. Back in 2016, I visited the Badaling Section (link), which has a cable car going up.
There is no cable car at Juyongguan, but the surrounding views were scenic. My parents were not able to climb up the stairs as it was quite steep (even for me!). They admired the great wall from a viewpoint by the river.
I attempted to climb the steep steps and managed to get to the top end of a corner. The views were fantastic. The weather was clear so we could see the Great Wall snaking up and down the faraway hills. The descent was even steeper. I couldn’t imagine how it was like for the ancient Chinese people that built and worked on the wall prior to the installation of hand rails. A misstep could easily be fatal!
After being in the cold outdoors, we headed to a nearby town for an early lunch. The meal was fantastic. It was exactly what we needed.
After lunch, the tour guide took us to Hong Qiao Pearl Market. Apparently it is a famous stop for my tourists, especially Malaysian tourists. There were shops selling electronics, souveniers, clothing, and silk products.
We went to a silk shop called Fatimah Shop. I was amazed to discover the owner speaks fluent Malay. She said she gets a lot of customers from the Malaysian embassy and tour agents, so she decided to learn Malay at a language center in Beijing. Surprising, her Malay is very fluent!
After some light shopping, we sat down at a coffee shop inside Hong Qiao to rest for a bit. We had a good chat with Kenny, we asked a few questions about China and his views on Malaysia. Turns out he has a good impression on Malaysia and is planning to take his parents for holiday in Kuala Lumpur soon.
Kenny took us for early dinner at halal restaurant serving Peking duck. It was my mom’s first time trying Peking duck so she was very excited. There was a server that assisted with carving and serving the roast duck. It was a pleasant experience for our last meal in Beijing.
The journey from the dinner place to Daxing International Airport took about 1 hour. We arrived at the airport around 9PM. Given that our flight is at 2:30AM. we had a lot of time to check in. Daxing Airport started operations in 2019 and it is the newest airport in Beijing. Like all of Chinese architecture, the building is huge and spacious.
However, despite being a new airport, there were not many shops prior to immigration. By the time we cleared immigration and got into the departure terminal, it was past 11PM. Most shops were closed, except for a small mini-mart and Starbucks. There was also a huge reminder to travelers that China is very much a Communist country (photo above).
Our flight departed on time at 2:30AM. I was very tired and managed to sleep almost throughout the flight. I realise it was a hectic holiday trip and I sincerely hope my parents had a good time. I am also grateful for yet another opportunity to spend quality time with them (previously I followed them to Indonesia. Link here). Here’s to hoping for more trips with them in the future!
Related posts: China 2024 part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5
Imran Jaafar 