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| Kunming Lake |
THE SUMMER PALACE
The Summer Palace, also known as the Gardens of Nurtured Harmony is mainly dominated by two areas, a man-made lake (Kunming Lake) and a man-made hill (Longevity Hill). Apparently, the excavated soil from the lake was also used to build up the hill. Such an ingenious idea on a grand scale.
As I have mentioned several times on my blog, everything in China seems huge. This well-preserved park has Imperial houses, temples, pagodas, pavilions, arc bridges, and a sprawling landscaped gardens.
There are over 3,000 ancient structures in this park, imagine that. It is the largest park in China, a UNESCO-declared World Heritage site.
The Train Ride
We took the subway line 10 to Bagou station. From Bagou station, we walked for another 20 minutes. Somewhat a long walk but definitely, a fun walk on a pathway lined with bald trees. We were sort of unsure where the park was, but we did ask some locals for the directions.
We eventually reached the South Ruyi Gate, one of the four main gates of the park. We paid 50RMB for the entrance fee.
Immediately after the gate, was a small arched bridge over a frozen lake. We crossed the bridge and strolled towards the shaded grassy area where benches dotted the side of the lake. We sat a while on the bench and watched the frozen lake gleams brightly over the vast horizon.
Willow trees kiss the icy surface of the lake's frozen edge. A long arch bridge (the Seventeen Arch Bridge) was visible from a distance. A towering temples stands proudly over the hill. The familiar shapes of pagodas can be seen to many parts of the park.
The Summer Palace has four parts: the Court Area, Front Hill Area, Rear Hill Area and Lake Area. We mostly concentrated our stroll along the Lake area. Walking around this enchanting park made me feel like time has stood still. I came to realize that from those ancient times, the Imperial family must have lived such a grand life. It is beyond ordinary people's understanding. It must have been like waking up in paradise everyday.
It's got to be the ultimate kingdom hood. This park was so vast, you can stroll for hours and hours on end. We didn't even get a chance to explore even just a quarter of the entire park. It needs a day or two to do justice.
At Sunset
We stayed around ‘til sunset. The silhouettes of the willow trees. Those tall wild grasses against the grey horizon. The shadowy temples jutting the inky skies. The ethereal pagodas. They all touched my inner-most desire to photograph such beauty.
And the pièce de résistance – us stepping into the frozen lake. An enchanting wintry evening. A mixed feelings of excitement and fear, where the ice might just crack open and swallow us whole into the abyss. What a great way to end our China trip.
Until We Meet Again China
We headed back to the Red Lantern House to pick up our luggage.
We had our trip’s last dinner at a Xinjiekou diner.
We rode the subway to the airport.
It was a bit tough to think that our trip was finally over. I knew it would be a while again before I can visit back China. This trip with my travel buddies, DA and Burn, was an experience of a lifetime. Definitely, meant to be treasured for a lifetime. Xièxiè China!
---------------------------------------------------
How much was spent on our Beijing Trip?
Total costs of course may varies. That depends largely on how you spend. This is just to give you an idea of the approximate budget you may need for a similar trip (lonely planet style).
• P 2,701 – Cebu Pacific Airlines (promo roundtrip)
• P 210 – NBI clearance plus ‘Hit’
• P 120 – Visa Photo
• P 1,400 – Chinese Visa
• P 204 – taxi to NAIA 3
• P 1,620 – travel tax
• P 750 – terminal fee
• P15,000 – pocket money
• P22,005 – TOTAL (approx)
More Detailed Expenses:
• P 2,625 - 7 days at Red Lantern House (55RMB/bed/night)
• P 342 - taxi airport pick-up (150RMB)
• P 13 - Beijing subway fare (2RMB flat fare each way)
• P 342 - Summer Palace entrance fee (50RMB)
• P 273 - Forbidden City admission fee (40RMB)
• P 760 - Speed Bullet Train Beijing to Tianjin (55RMB/way)
As I have mentioned several times on my blog, everything in China seems huge. This well-preserved park has Imperial houses, temples, pagodas, pavilions, arc bridges, and a sprawling landscaped gardens.
There are over 3,000 ancient structures in this park, imagine that. It is the largest park in China, a UNESCO-declared World Heritage site.
The Train Ride
We took the subway line 10 to Bagou station. From Bagou station, we walked for another 20 minutes. Somewhat a long walk but definitely, a fun walk on a pathway lined with bald trees. We were sort of unsure where the park was, but we did ask some locals for the directions.
We eventually reached the South Ruyi Gate, one of the four main gates of the park. We paid 50RMB for the entrance fee.
Immediately after the gate, was a small arched bridge over a frozen lake. We crossed the bridge and strolled towards the shaded grassy area where benches dotted the side of the lake. We sat a while on the bench and watched the frozen lake gleams brightly over the vast horizon.
Willow trees kiss the icy surface of the lake's frozen edge. A long arch bridge (the Seventeen Arch Bridge) was visible from a distance. A towering temples stands proudly over the hill. The familiar shapes of pagodas can be seen to many parts of the park.
The Summer Palace has four parts: the Court Area, Front Hill Area, Rear Hill Area and Lake Area. We mostly concentrated our stroll along the Lake area. Walking around this enchanting park made me feel like time has stood still. I came to realize that from those ancient times, the Imperial family must have lived such a grand life. It is beyond ordinary people's understanding. It must have been like waking up in paradise everyday.
It's got to be the ultimate kingdom hood. This park was so vast, you can stroll for hours and hours on end. We didn't even get a chance to explore even just a quarter of the entire park. It needs a day or two to do justice.
At Sunset
We stayed around ‘til sunset. The silhouettes of the willow trees. Those tall wild grasses against the grey horizon. The shadowy temples jutting the inky skies. The ethereal pagodas. They all touched my inner-most desire to photograph such beauty.
And the pièce de résistance – us stepping into the frozen lake. An enchanting wintry evening. A mixed feelings of excitement and fear, where the ice might just crack open and swallow us whole into the abyss. What a great way to end our China trip.
Until We Meet Again China
We headed back to the Red Lantern House to pick up our luggage.
We had our trip’s last dinner at a Xinjiekou diner.
We rode the subway to the airport.
It was a bit tough to think that our trip was finally over. I knew it would be a while again before I can visit back China. This trip with my travel buddies, DA and Burn, was an experience of a lifetime. Definitely, meant to be treasured for a lifetime. Xièxiè China!
---------------------------------------------------
How much was spent on our Beijing Trip?
Total costs of course may varies. That depends largely on how you spend. This is just to give you an idea of the approximate budget you may need for a similar trip (lonely planet style).
• P 2,701 – Cebu Pacific Airlines (promo roundtrip)
• P 210 – NBI clearance plus ‘Hit’
• P 120 – Visa Photo
• P 1,400 – Chinese Visa
• P 204 – taxi to NAIA 3
• P 1,620 – travel tax
• P 750 – terminal fee
• P15,000 – pocket money
• P22,005 – TOTAL (approx)
More Detailed Expenses:
• P 2,625 - 7 days at Red Lantern House (55RMB/bed/night)
• P 342 - taxi airport pick-up (150RMB)
• P 13 - Beijing subway fare (2RMB flat fare each way)
• P 342 - Summer Palace entrance fee (50RMB)
• P 273 - Forbidden City admission fee (40RMB)
• P 760 - Speed Bullet Train Beijing to Tianjin (55RMB/way)
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