About Me

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A loud and proud mother of five and an autism parent / advocate who believes that traveling, good food and good company are vital to keep one sane. I've worked as a news writer/newscaster, a quality systems auditor, a ISO9001 consultant, an FM radio DJ, a Filipino tutor, TOEFL reviewer and have gone into the food industry both as an entrepreneur and as a mommy chef, giving a sponsored demo on healthy cooking in a mall and on local TV. My favorite job however, is being a mom and a wife.

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Monday, October 29, 2012

Kingly Pursuits: King Parkview Hotel Review


Booking through our favorite hotel deal website, we came upon King's Parkview Hotel. Taking into consideration the location, appearance, reviews and cost, this place had a lot of potential.

To be honest, I felt that most of the hotels in Beijing were quite pricey compared to the other destinations we've been to.


Situated in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, the hotel is a good 30-45 minutes ride from the airport. Arriving early in the morning, we had no other option but to haggle in broken Chinese with the scammy cabbies at the airport's taxi stand. We paid around 200 RMB instead of the 80-100 standard fare.


Checking in wasn't bad. The front desk clerk had a decent command of the English language. Don't expect much from the lobby (as far as appearances go), just be thankful your cab driver brought you there :P There were a lot of other foreigners who were checked in the hotel. We made fast friends with a European couple from Dubai, a mother and daughter from Peru and another couple from Australia. They too were quite happy with the hotel.


Proximity:
Shatan Houjie, the street where Kings Parkview is located at, is quite close to a lot of tourist attractions. One of the most notable in the list is the Forbidden City. It's so close, that we could see some of its palaces from our hotel window. It's also a 10 minute walk to the historical site.

through the zoom lens: one of the palaces at the Forbidden City taken through our hotel window

Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, Wangfungjing Street (the exotic food/shopping destination) and Tiananmen Square are all a 5 to 15 minute ride away. The subway, is anything BUT near though, despite what everyone says. You might as well take a cab to the subway stop and from there, head off to the other places in the city.

being on the 3rd floor, we were a good 2 minutes away from the rooftop /view deck and to the adjacent bldg, that houses the hotel restaurant

Hotel Amenities:
Quoting from their website, here's what you could expect: "King Parkview Hotel provides 110 guest rooms with different kinds of guestrooms including standard room, business standard room, special offer room and double room. Each room equipped with lots of facilities, comfortable and clean room. Each rooms provides with hair dryer, television, internet access, laundry service, coffee tea maker, ironing facilities and other facilities. All of those facilities are provide to make the guests comfortable stay in the hotel. King Parkview Hotel is also provides with lots of hotel facilities such as, family room, meeting facilities, two restaurants, room service, coffee shop, 24 hour business center, gift shop, grocery store, bar and lounge, conference room, and others".

tv only shows CCTV (Chinese), internet via LAN was ok, it's just that you can't really visit a lot of sites as they are blocked in China, the bed was clean and comfy enough and the AC/heater worked fine

The Lowdown:
Perhaps Phil summed it up quite well in his Agoda review:(my comments in blue)


First of all, I enjoyed my stay and would definitely consider staying there again should I visit again. For the price I paid, the room was appropriately sized, although I've had bigger elsewhere. 


The shower was a bit cramped and water leaked out (from it's enclosure) and wet the rest of the bathroom (but not too badly). 


The temperature of the room is adjustable, but you can also open the window if you want to enjoy the fresh air, which I did quite often. 

air quality's much better here

The hotel is located near some parks so there are lots of trees and the air is quite clean. There is a very busy street nearby with several convenience stores and eateries in case you are the adventurous type who likes to sample the local fare. There is also some historical significance in this hotel which draws several tours daily to the surrounding buildings and the street, adding to the street ambiance of the place. (being the mansion of the Princess of the Qianlong Emperor and site of Imperial University of Peking)

spicy beef hotpot, ordered with my limited Chinese in an eatery, 3 minutes away from the hotel. Throw in some mi fan (steamed rice) and you're all set

The breakfast buffet was disappointing, but we had so many options around that we only tried it once. That was also the only time we ate at the hotel. The eateries nearby are owned and operated by Chinese who don't speak English. Some have menus with pictures but others don't, so check first, if that will be an issue.(Don't expect fine dining. It's really more like a small cafeteria with an occasional cat or two, and/or a cook who smokes while preparing your food). The cafe closer to end of the street towards the right serves western food and free wifi. Say what you will about standards, the food (including the street roastings) were good!
 
Chinese style BBQ - roastings and candied fruit. Everything costing 10 RMB
The front desk personnel have a good grasp of English and are very helpful. There are also tours available should you choose to go on one. We took a tour to the Great Wall section in Mutianyu and the Ming tombs and were quite pleased with the way it was conducted, although I would have preferred it if they didn't include the side trips to the Jade factory, Pearl store and Tea store, which were just glorified tourist traps. Those portions just made the tour longer than they should have been and were not advertised as part of the tour. 

a lot of convenience stores, eateries and various shops may be found in front of the hotel

There are a lot of smokers in Beijing, and even some areas of the hotel have that musty smell, but overall, the hotel did a great job of keeping smokers away from smoke free zones. I am very pleased with my stay here. 



Sightseeing/Attractions Tip: There are several sights which are within walking distance of this hotel including, but not limited to, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Mao's tomb, as well as several parks. Some may be farther than others and a long walk, but cab rides shouldn't cost too much. It would also help to get the hotel's card to show to cabbies so they know where to bring you.



From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

 

Friday, October 19, 2012

Scorpions Anyone?: The Wangfujing Food Street


Scorpions! Nom nom nom :)
 Before heading on out to Beijing, Phil decided that he was going to try out exotic munchies. True to his word, he came, he saw and, well....ate :P
the entrance to the Wangfujing Food Street
The place we went to was a little alley in Wangfujing.

Asia's biggest Apple Store is found in Wangfujing
Wangfujing has a station on the Beijing subway network, Line 1 has a station at the southern end of the street, which is a stop away eastbound from Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen West or East Stations)

Wángfǔjǐng, located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, and is one of the Chinese capital's most famous shopping streets.

the majority of the main shopping area is pedestrianized, aside from the tour trolley. Now traffic detours to the east of the street
It starts from Wangfujing Nankou ("south entrance"), where the Oriental Plaza and the Beijing Hotel are located and the Wangfujing Subway Station north exits.

D. Wade endorses Chinese shoe brand Li-Ning
 The street then heads north, passing the Wangfujing Xinhua Bookstore, the Beijing Department Store as well as the Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore before ending at the Xin Dong An Plaza and Wangfujing Catholic Church.

some of these bugs are actually still alive. after making your selection, it's deep fried in oil then rolled in crushed red pepper
aside from these uncommon munchies...
 If you're looking for exotic fare, the place you want to head on out to is the Wangfujing Snack Street.
soups, stuffed boiled eggs, noodles, congees (tasty porridge) and many other Chinese food are sold on the streets

Located in hutongs just west of the main street, is densely packed with restaurants and street food stalls.
crabs at 50 RMB a piece
fried bananas, curry shark, soft shell crabs, fried jack fruit and spring rolls
 The food stalls serves a wide variety of common and exotic street food.

meat kebabs alongside silk worms :P
More common fare such as Chuanr (meat kebabs, commonly made of lamb) and desserts, such as Tang hu lu or candied fruits on a stick, are among the most popular.
don't knock it til you've tried it. The candied coating isn't as thick as I thought and the fruits, surprisingly firm and fresh, only for 2 RMB

Further north and perpendicular to Wangfujing is Donghuamen Street, which has a night food market of its own.
less exotic food at Donghuamen Street
The side street has candy stores, shoe stores, something similar to a dollar store, toy kiosks and a lot more on top of the food stalls.

food and cheap goods, but really crowded specially with westerners  who were food stall hopping
the creepy crawlies are quite pricey compared to the "normal food" at around 25 RMB a piece. Beers and other drinks are often sold in these stalls too
I personally didn't try any of the bugs, starfishes and what have you but opted to eat this spicy and tender grilled squid and deep fried soft shell crabs.

real good grilled squid
When in Beijing, stop by Wangfujing. This all night, festive street is just the place to go to for good food, meeting new friends and some shopping.


From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

A Day at the Zoo, the Beijing Zoo

buying the 40 RMB/CNY ticket gives you the combi ticket so you won't have to pay for the Panda zone entrance fee and a boat ride
Zoos, aquariums and museums rank high in the places we bring the kids to. Learning doesn't have to be boring. Seeing and experiencing first hand stuff taught in the classroom makes it all so much more interesting. This is why we headed on out to the Beijing Zoo.

On our way to see the pandas first :)
"so mom said not to cross the metal bar...hmm..wonder where THAT is?"
The Beijing Zoo is a zoological park in Beijing, China. Located in the Xicheng District, the zoo occupies an area of 89 hectares, including 5.6 hectares hectares of lakes and ponds.

the lake on our way to see the big cats :)
loving this pergola
The zoo was founded in 1906 during the late Qing Dynasty. Like many of Beijing's parks, the zoo's grounds resemble classical Chinese gardens, with flower beds amidst natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of meadows, small streams and rivers, lotus pools and hills dotted with pavilions and historical buildings.

The site is comprised of 16 different exhibition areas and halls. Here we are on our way  to check out some nocturnal mammals
too bad we came a week early before the leaves fully changed it's color

The place, as with most tourist stops in Beijing, this massive zoo (which is also where you will find the world's largest indoor aquarium) would take up a day to see the sights and experience all that they have to offer. We weren't even able to get to a couple of other areas and missed out on seeing the aquarium.

the fountain a stone's throw from the the Beijing Aquarium

There's a modified golf cart that moves people to and fro. Just ask the information office to the left after showing your tickets at the entrance. Keep in mind though that the golf cart ride isn't a scenic ride.

no time to smell the roses...breezing through the park in a modified golf cart
in front of the Australian restaurant, right after the big cats area
The purpose is to really just get people and to the entrance and the aquarium and vice versa, but you can request the driver to drop you off one of the areas along the way. It costs 10 RMB per person. (helpful words: entrance - Rùkǒu and exit -Chūkǒu. As in Wo xiang yao qu de chukou or just plain chukou if you want to leave the place)

this zoo is sooooo huuuuge!!!
On Getting there, rates and nearby places:
We took a cab from our hotel, telling the driver to bring us to the Beijing Zoo (Wǒ xiǎng yào qù de běi jīng dòng wù yuán). For those taking alternate routes, this is for you (as linked from travelchinaguide.com:

Subway: Subway Line 4: get off at Dong Wu Yuan Station, get out of the station from Exit A (northwest exit), and you'll find the south gate.
Bus Route: Take bus no.360, 319, 347, 362, 534, 714,87, Yuntong 106, Yuntong 104, 563, Yuntong 205, Te 4, 614, 697, 209, 608, 107, 105, 206, 111, Yuntong 105, 27, 632 and get off at Dong Wu Yuan Station.
 Bus / Subway Search

**Quick tip: attempting to ride a cab back from that area is just insane!! Crossing the street (via the underpass), you'll find yourself in front of a huge wholesale mall  (as well as the Beijing Planetarium) with more passengers waiting for a ride. It took us about 2 hours waiting for a ride and even walking several blocks from the place to decide to just ride the subway near the zoo.

weeping willows :)

Riding the subway was tricky at first coz we didn't know that the long line to get in wasn't for the tickets but just the xray machine before the actual ticket line, thinking that people bought theirs off the Chinese language only ticket machine already. A flat rate of 2 RMB/person for any stop is all it takes to get on the subway.

Admission Fees: Entrance Fee (excluding the panda's house): CNY 15 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); CNY 10 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar.31)
 Combo Ticket (including the panda's house): CNY 20 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); CNY 15 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar.31)
 Aquarium Combo Ticket (including entrance fee, the panda's house and the aquarium): CNY 130
 Children lower than 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) are free of charge.
Opening Hours:Zoo: 7:30 - 18:00 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); 7:30 - 17:00 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar.31)
Aquarium: 9:00 - 17:30 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); 10:00 - 16:30 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar.31)


monkey see monkey do :P

quick game: find the planking panda!

**By the way, you could also get a ride to the Summer Palace and the Purple Bamboo Garden from the zoo:
Opening Time & Schedules: 1. Opening Time: from April 1 to October 31
(closed from November 1 to next  March 31)
2. Schedules: 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14: 00,
15:00 and 16:00
Ticket: CNY 40 (including the panda's house and the boat)
 Children lower than 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) are
free of charge.

stroller friendly


By the way, there are restaurants around the Zoo that offer various cuisines. Snack kiosks abound that offer fried chicken, fries and the usual fast food offerings as well as more traditional snackage like hot buns and milk tea.

nom nom nom near the panda hall

overpriced thin cotton shirts abound in that store behind me

although, I must say, the terracotta looking chess set was a good buy to add to my dad's chess collection
The souvenirs sold in the zoo are quite pricey compared to the ones I found in the shops near our hotel. I studied some Mandarin beforehand and was quite disappointed that when I asked one of the store attendants at the panda hall, the price of  kiddie shirt, I was given a price 10 RMB higher than the guy who asked about the same time I did. I bought a shirt through another attendant and got that rate as the Chinese dude who asked before me.

snack bars near the aquarium

rooooar!

I seriously felt that we missed out on a lot of things in the zoo given that we were there for almost an entire day. No hard feeling however, as what we saw was just fabulous.

we love the zoo!!!

From TMW, may your wanderings be better than ours!