After 7 hours of flight from KL to Singapore and Singapore to Beijing, we landed at Beijing airport around 7am. I was surprised to see a relative new and modernize airport. Seeing this without any delay we made our nature call in its nice and clean toilet and it turned up to be the best we ever used through out our whole journey.

After making some cross checking, we bought ourselves a Beijing map. We left for Beijing City by using airport shuttle, the cheapest mode of transportation to town at 16 yuan/person. The bus dropped us at Beijing railway station.

My first day in Beijing, was not a pleasant one. I was fined for 20yuan by violating Beijing park's rules of damaging greenery. I was charged when I was releasing my backpack not knowing it slipped and pressed on the grass in Beijing railway station's park. However, I wonder, this was the way they try to get extra foreign fund as there was only sands and no grass at all at the time we were there!

Getting train ticket in Beijing was easier than we expected. With the help of the 8 yuan railway timetable purchased at railway station, we managed to identify the right train number to Xian. With the right information and its computerized ticketing system, we got our 5 days advance hard sleeper train tickets to Xian in less than 5 minutes.

After clearing transport issue, we began to search our way for accommodation to put up with for the next 5 days in Beijing. We decided to go to Jin Hua Hotel, the most recommended backpacker's hotel in the guidebooks. After much effort of walking and searching for the right direction, we ended up taking taxi. Jin Hua is located quite a distance from downtown Beijing, located in the third ring road at Nansanhuan Xi Lu. This place was not that easy to locate by using public transport. We checked in to a dormitory room of 4 for 35 yuan/person which seem to be one of the best deals in Beijing.

During our 4 days stays in Beijing, we were struck by Beijing's worst dust storm blowing from Mongolia desert. We had them the very first day in Beijing when we were making our visit to one of Beijing famous landmark -Tiantan - Temple of Heaven.

Temple of Heaven located 2km south of Tian'anmen along Qianmen Dajie. Temple of Heaven was surrounded by a large and tranquil park. This building was built in 1420. For the last five centuries, Temple of Heaven was at the very heart of imperial ceremony and symbolism. Its architectural unity transformed it to be the famous landmark for Beijing. Regardless of the dusty sand covering our face and nose, it was still a worth while visit. The only regret was we couldn't get good photo out for this building due to the miserable sandy weather.

To our surprise, Beijing residents seemed immune with the presence of dust storm. Along the way, we noted most women were well prepared by wrapping transparent scarf to their head as protection. From the local newspaper, The China government has acknowledged the seriousness of the dust storm that resulted from over grazing by sheep and cattle, which turned the grassland into desert. The China government had taken very aggressive move in trying to replant grassland to revive the ecology. The move even extend to fine farmers who allow their animals graze freely without permission.

At the evening, we went for Beijing's famous acrobatic show, which we booked through Jin Hua. The performance was not very outstanding just the same acrobatic stuff that we watched from TV.

Chapter two- Great Wall

Despite the warning from our family not to take roadside food in China, we went on trying our first breakfast at roadside stall outside the hotel. We ate Beijing famous small dumpling, 'u tial'- crispy long pancake and drank creamy rich soya bean. Jwee Seng who is soya bean lovers, just couldn't stop praising the food and demand to have the same breakfast for the rest of stays in Beijing!

After breakfast, we started off our Beijing's highlight - Simatai Great Wall tour. The tour was organized by Jin Hua Hotel's at 80 yuan/person inclusive of 20 yuan entrance fees. Our group consists of 13 members, of which only two of us were Asian the rest were Westerners. We were told that Simatai is the most preferred great wall site for Westerners for its un-crowded, semi-ruined and unspoiled look.

Simatai Great wall is located in Gubeikou Town of Miyun county, 120 km from downtown Beijing. It was built in the early period of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was one of the most dangerous parts of the great wall and is one of China's well preserved historical monuments, which listed as one of the world's cultural heritages, by UNESCO.

Fortunately, after days of dust storm, we were blessed by a good sunny day. We arrived at Simatai after 3 hours of bus ride. We were only given 5 hours free time to explore the wall. Along the walk up the wall, we were constantly interrupted by groups of local villages selling souvenirs, postcards and cans drink. We got rid of them once we purchased 2 booklets of postcards costing at 10 yuan/book. We noted some sellers persistently followed the tourists walked miles up without getting any sales. We were sympathized with their way of earning a living, even though we dismayed their attitude, which posed nuisance to travelers.

The walk over the ruins was not an easy one, and it got increasingly steep with sheer drops and steep angles. We were only managed to climb up to tenth towers. I was really moved by the feeling standing at the wall, being part of 7000 km long great wall, oversee the magnificent views of the walls snakes across hills, the only visible architectural on earth from outer space.

Chapter Three- Forbidden City

8th April Saturday

We couldn't make it in time for the usual early mass assembly work out scene at Tian'anmen Square. By the time we visit, not many activities were going on except groups of locals were flying kites. It was a windy day, the colorful kites in various unique designs nicely painted the sky into a colorful picture.

We evidenced our presence in Beijing by taking a "must" photo with the famous landmark of Forbidden City and the big portrait of "Mo Ze Dong" Father of Republic of China as our background.

For the past decades, common Chinese people were forbidden from even approaching the walls of the palace. Today, this hundred-hectare site of five centuries old Imperial palace, which housed more than 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties has became one of the main tourism incomes for Beijing.

Upon entering the palace, there were numerous stalls offering royal costumes to tourists for photo session. I couldn't resist the temptation of being Qin Dynasty Princess, I rented the Princess costumes and hair gear at 25 yuan/set. With my dearly husband cum cameraman, I was transformed into 'Huan Choo' Princess, the famous Chinese drama character once aired in Malaysia.

We spent nearly a day touring the palace and various exhibit centers in it. The palace is really huge and It was certainly a tiring walk. I reckoned this explained why some of the Emperor's concubines were seldom visit by Emperor as the Emperor's palace was placed a far from theirs.

Chapter Four- Summer Palace

We spent a short morning visiting legendary Summer palace commonly known as Yiheyuan. This summer imperial pavilions with its impressive palace building spreading out along hundred hectare of lake side was Empress Cixi pleasure ground, where imperial court would decamp during the hottest months of the year.

Nowadays, this is one of the loveliest spots in Beijing, a vast public park surrounded by hills, cooled by the lake and sheltered by garden landscaping, a best spot for picnic and outing. Unfortunately, due to strong dust wind, we ended our visit abruptly. I was very disappointed, as we had to abandon our next itinerary of visiting Fragrant Hill too.

We headed straight back to Jin Hua hotel in preparation for our afternoon train rides to Xian. Despite the tight schedule, we managed to drop a few lines back to our family via e-mail services at Jin Hua for expensive 10yuan per half an hour.

We boarded our afternoon train at Beijing's West train station. This was a huge and crowded station. It was a brand new experience for me to see such a big train station with multiple waiting rooms. In China, rail is the main and most economical transportation to most Chinese.