One night in Beijing

Having only a few hours to spend in Beijing definitely isn't enough to do some serious exploring. Upon checking into our hotel at 2.30 in the morning, some of us decided to grab a late night supper at at 24-hour KFC nearby. It was amazing how the menu is completely different from what we have here in Singapore. They had porridge, BBQ wings, soy milk and even you tiao (deep-fried breadsticks)! Because it was so late at night and there were so few people, we had them all freshly cooked and piping hot. 

The next afternoon, after recharging our batteries, my partner-in-crime Tia and I headed to Yashow Clothing Market (New Market) for some shopping. It was a five-storey clothing and bargaining heaven. The prices touted by the shopkeepers were ridiculously marked up, and it was our job to determine an appropriate price. I love clothing bought at a steal, but I hate haggling for prices. Lucky for me, Tia was an expert. Tia and I saw a really beautiful piece of leather jacket touted at 890 yuan (SGD 180) which was obviously ridiculous because it isn't real leather. She managed to bring the price down to 150 yuan (SGD 30) which was a more reasonable price. I, on the other hand scored a trench coat and a pair of leather gloves for a total of less than SGD50. Hee! 

So, lesson learnt: SLASH THE PRICES DOWN AT LEAST 75%

Did more shopping when we met up with Farhan and Hidayat at Starbucks. Headed to another mall called the Silk Market. It had Bangkok's Platinum Mall feel, with shops after shops selling bags, shoes, clothes and other cute stuff. I eyed on a really beautiful teal boots, but Farhan managed to stop me by saying that Melbourne has original Dr Martens going for a steal. Something for me to save for.

Overall Beijing was an interesting city. Not as bitter cold as it could get during winter but gosh, the haze.... If Singaporeans are complaining about the temporary bout of haze that shrouded over the country a few months ago, they should come to Beijing. It's hazy ALL YEAR ROUND. 

Shopping centres were HUGE and aplenty, traffic during peak hours is terrible, haggling is a must. People there are generally loud and rather brash. I would love to come back again in the near future. Hopefully the next time I'll get more time in Beijing to climb the Great Wall and visit the Forbidden City.