Making Each Day Count

The first time we went to China was back in 2006, to Shanghai. It’s been so long that it definitely had been a different version of us made that trip. When we realized we had enough miles for a roundtrip on Cathay Pacific, we took it as a sign that it was time to go back. Unlike in 2006, when we relied on printed maps and followed a package tour, this time we were doing Beijing on our own. Planning it felt equal parts exciting and a little nerve-wracking. We downloaded Alipay, AMap and WeChat on our phones as both would be pretty much essential. Fortunately I was able to sync my credit card with Alipay which ended up being the one app I used the most. Aside from making payments, I used it to book rides and translate things on the spot. I would use AMap in navigating, and WeChat when coordinating with the private tours we booked for the next couple of days.

Though Beijing is usually less than a five-hour flight from Manila, our trip took a bit longer since we flew with Cathay Pacific and had a layover in Hong Kong. I actually did not mind it. I had not passed through Hong Kong International Airport since 2015 and while I already thought it was nice back then, it felt noticeably bigger and newer this time. More open, more polished and easier to move around in.

We arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport at sundown and the first thing we did was get a local SIM for our pocket WiFi. After that, we booked a car through Alipay, which is linked to DiDi (China’s version of Grab or Uber). It was surprisingly easy. No need to figure things out in Mandarin or explain where we were going.

For our stay, we chose Holiday Inn Express Beijing Dongzhimen. It was a solid choice as it was comfortable and in a really convenient location. It made getting around much easier, especially since some of the places we planned to visit over the next few days were just a short distance away. Here’s a short tour of our room where we stayed for four nights this month:

After dropping off our luggage, we walked around the neighborhood to check it out and found several bars, restaurants and cafes. For dinner, we went to Jingzun Peking Duck Restaurant, and it ended up being our favorite restaurant for that trip. The duck was really good with its crispy skin and tender meat. Honestly, probably the best Peking duck I have ever had. We enjoyed it with this almond pudding that had just the right level of sweetness. Yum!

We headed home after dinner, ready to settle in after the long day of travel. It is worth noting that apps we normally use like Google, YouTube, Messenger, and WhatsApp didn’t work there. Surprisingly, Viber still worked, so that became our way of staying in touch. It took a bit of getting used to, but the quieter, semi-offline rhythm meant we found ourselves calling it a night earlier than usual.

Stay tuned for the next day’s adventure.