We arrived in Beijing around 12.30am and took a taxi to the Ibis hotel. The man at the desk saw 3 adults and told us we would have to pay an extra 40RMB a night because the family room was for 2 adults and 1 child. I really had never heard of such a thing!
The Ibis is very standard, no fuss hotel. The bathroom is more like a porta-loo thing but the shower is pretty powerful. Toiletries are included, slippers, towels. However, rooms are small and don't have cupboard or tables. There is a tv and heating/air con. Breakfast buffet costs 30RMB but don't expect much western food.
We were picked up at the hotel and driven to the ski resort which was about an hour away from the hotel. The roads seemed very small and dangerous but somehow we made it in one piece. It was so cold! In total we paid 500RMB which included a deposit, ski boots and ski rentals, locker, entrance free.
When arriving in the ski resort we were greeted by a long line of ski instructors who came to help us with the procedure of picking skis etc. When we finally got ready and headed outside I felt so nervous! It suddenly became very real that I would actually have to ski and not just play in the snow. With all the instructors watching and nobody giving any tips or explanations, the next thing I knew I was falling down the slope and landing on my back! It happened so fast I was totally dazed. After being helped up and my hat handed back to me I tried once again and I fell over. I was so scared and even 3 instructors offered a hand to help me up I was tempted to just give up and go inside and wait. But one of the instructors said he would give me lessons for 200RMB so after A LOT of persuasion, I finally agreed.
The instructor was very nice and I got to practice my Chinese with him. Listening to instructions in Chinese was a challenge though. So he taught me where to place the ski poles, how to take big steps, how to stop, how to fall down. I practiced stopping a lot but I end up going at such a speed my instructor had to catch me! The hour went by fast and I managed 3 times up the ski slope.
We then went to have lunch in the Greenhouse restaurant which felt more like a jungle. Food was reasonably priced and we had our own room. It seemed each room was themed. We then head back to the van and were driven back to the hotel where we showered and got ready for a duck dinner!
We met Rachel's friend and we spent a long time trying to get a taxi. It was freezing cold outside in the night and unfortunately the metro by our hotel wasn't working this day. With no luck we went to the Novotel and managed to get a taxi. Beijing taxi's are really different and hard to see in the night. Shanghai taxi's have green signs on the roof you can easily see from a distance but there isn't any in Beijing, only a small red light under the driver's mirror.
The restaurant was called Da Dong and most famous for Beijing duck. It was a huge restaurant and even the front entrance if you were waiting for a table you could have tea and even oysters! The duck was really good and presentation of food was amazing. Apart from having pancakes, there was another kind of bread (like pita) which were toasted and could be opened to fit the duck in. It was something different but I'd stick with pancakes! Also like many restaurants the pancakes got cold quick, unlike in Quanjuede where they have a special plate that keeps the pancakes moist and hot.
After dinner we had to walk a long way to an open metro station to go to the Olympic area. Unfortunately we missed the last train and had to take a fake taxi to the place. There seem to be many of these and he hides his red light. There was also one with a taxi sign above and he removes it when he has a passenger.
The Olympic roads were closed as it was so late and the buildings didn't have lights on which was a shame. We then took a taxi back to the hotel and finally took a rest.
Sunday
We had breakfast again in the hotel and today the metro was working so we went to the Temple of Heaven. We were able to use a student card to get a discount. The park surrounding the temple was full of people all busy with different things. Some people singing, dancing, playing cards, dominos, knitting. The temple in the middle you couldn't go inside but you could peek inside. There is a museum which gives the process for sacrifice. There are also a few other temples around.
Afterwards we headed to the Summer Palace where you are constantly harassed by people trying to sell cheap tickets. It was very frustrating as they actually kept following you. We stopped in McDonalds for a quick lunch before we went to the palace. Again we could use the student card for a discount. The palace is huge and we spent a few hours here. The lake had frozen over and many people were climbing onto it. I felt too scared but my friends did it so I waited for them.
Then we headed back to where the hotel is but as we were early we stopped at the shopping centre and found a chocolate and coffee place which is a Korean brand called De Chocolate. It was really tasty! Nice chocolate is so hard to come by in China. We went to the hotel and picked up our luggage and took a taxi to the airport. This time we flew with Shanghai Airlines which was much nicer and they even gave us some food during the flight.
The weekend was tiring but really amazing to experience. I'm not sure I'd go back to Beijing in the winter though! Now I'm scared about going to Harbin in January!
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