Day 4 in Beijing

An official visit to the relevant departments ended in the late morning. Since I was already near National Library Station, I decided not to return to the hotel for a lunch before setting off for a trip to Olympic Green Station. Initiallly I wanted to take the subway from National library Station to Olympic Green Station, when I asked the locals, one of them told me I could take a bus 86. I gladly took up the suggestion as the bus fare was only RMB 1 instead of RMB 2.

The bus journey took about half an hour. Water Cube, Bird Nest and National Stadiums are all located within walking distance from each other. The ground was still covered by snow and workers were busy clearing the snow. There were lots of tourists at these places. Despite the coldness, I managed to take a few photos.

Now the challenge comes. I would like to go toTiantan park (Temple of Heaven Park) which is located at the other side of the city. I doubt there would be a direct bus and have no choice but to try the subway.

The subway fare was RMB 2. You can travel from one location to any others via changing lines. As long as you do not exit from the subway station, you can continue to travel. So I took the subway from Olympic Green Station on Line 8 to Bei Tu Cheng on Line 10. From Bei Tu Cheng, I travelled to Hui Xin Xi Jie Nan Kou Station on Line 5. From there, the subway will brings me to Tian Tan Tong Men Station where Temple of Heaven Park is located.

I did not enter this Park as I am not that keen but still would like to take a photo. From this Park, there is a direct bus 36 straight to the hotel. Again, kudos to Ms Hu from the hotel who has given me this tip.

By the time I have reached the hotel, it was already 2.30pm and the restaurant was already closed. I met a kind waitress, Ms Nie. I told her if there was any rice and piping hot soup for me. Immediately she asked me to take a seat and requested the chefs to prepare. Within a few minutes, a simple Korean style meal was on my table I gobbled anything served and was very grateful to Ms Nie and her colleagues.

Since asking is no harm, I asked Ms Nie if I could take away few pieces of bread during the dinner, so that I can save them for my breakfast for tomorrow. I have a breakfast coupon for tomorrow but since I will be leaving the hotel around 5.30am, I will be unable to enjoy the buffet style breakfast. Ms Nie agreed to arrange some sandwiches for me to bring on my way to the airport around 5.30am.

I am very impressed by the staff of this hotel, Beijing Henan Plaza Hotel. Many are polite and helpful. Staff like Ms Hu and Ms Nie went the extra mile to serve the guests, leaving them touched and grateful. For my next trip to Beijing, I will not hesistate to stay in this hotel again.

Tomorrow, I will catch a morning flight back home. My trip to Beijing is just too short that I have no time to visit the Great Wall. This means another destination for future holidays.