visits

I love thin crust pizzas! Luckily, thin crust pizzas is the specialty at De Pizzabakkers in Leidsche Rijn. They also got funky colored Italian soda on the menu. Definitely worth a try!

Family dinner at Restaurant Khan in Amstelveen. The Korean pancake is the best!

This is one of only two places in Utrecht where you can find traditional Hong Kong dim sum. There’s a great selection of food at a fair price. The best thing about dim sum is sharing the dishes so you can try them all.

It looks like the renovations to the Japanese Gardens in the Maximapark have been completed. The Japanese style bridges and pavillion they’ve added look absolutely stunning! It probably would look even better during spring with all the flowers around.

Trying out another Korean barbecue place. They had a great selection of drinks, but the variety of meat was too limited for my taste.

Nothing goes above a refreshing Vietnamese meal after one of the hottest days of the year.

I just got back from a two and a half week trip to Hong Kong and Beijing! It had been forever since I was last in Hong Kong, but it honestly felt pretty much the same as I remembered. It’s definitely a bit more modern now, but it still has those same quirky traditions, like having to shout at the minibus driver when you want to get off or rinsing your own chopsticks and bowls before a dim sum meal.

One huge difference I noticed is the updated MTR system. Places that used to require a long bus ride are now just a quick metro trip away, and it even connects the major cities across the region. It is easily the best way to get around and see more of the country, and I definitely took full advantage of it.

"不到长城非好汉" (bú dào Chángchéng fēi hǎohàn) is a saying made famous by Chairman Mao. It means: "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man".

So to the Great Wall I went.

Transport

The part of the wall I've decided to visit was Badaling. Also known as the most accessible and popular part of the wall, because of the restorations done to the wall for "easier" walking (it was still a tough climb) and it's the most convenient part to travel to by public transport.

While a bus ride to Badaling or the less busy part of the wall, Mutianyu, would take more than two hours, a trip with the new High Speed Train would only take less than 30 minutes. With only a couple of days in Beijing, it would maximize the amount of places I could visit in a day. It would also be a great excuse to try out the High Speed Train!

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The train departs from the Beijing North Railway Station. I had to make sure to arrive on time, because the entry to the platform closes way before the departure time.

Upon arrival and after exiting the Badaling Railway Station there was still no wall in sight. It was hidden beyond the sea of trees and mountains. A trip with the cable car took care of what would be a two hour hike to reach the Northern section of the wall and the view from above was great.

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To the top

Badaling's North 8th Tower was the destination. It's the highest point of the wall, standing 888 meters above sea level. Stairs with an incline over 60 degrees made for a tough climb. It was so steep, that you would just tumble down if not for the handrails. Much respect for all the elderly who were also making the climb at the same time. After reaching the tower and appreciating the effort it took to reach it, I quickly snatched a few pictures. Shortly after, it was time to move on and to venture beyond, because it was getting crowded. People weren't kidding when they said this was the most popular part of the wall and it wasn't even the high season yet.

It got a lot more quiet during the walk towards the next tower. The perfect time to catch my breath and snap a few pictures while enjoying the view. It was breathtaking to see the wall span across the mountains and realizing people have been building it up stone-by-stone in such a challenging environment.

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This was definitely the highlight of my holiday in Beijing and a big recommendation to anyone visiting the city. Everyone should visit this place once in their lifetime. For those that aren’t able to so, I hope they enjoy the pictures down below.

I finally checked out that new Seoul Sista place in Utrecht for some Korean BBQ. The food was actually really good and lived up to what I'd heard. The staff seemed a little new to everything, but they were still nice and helpful, which you kind of expect from a brand new spot.

It’s in a great location too, basically right next to Utrecht Central Station, so it's a super easy place to stop for a big meal. I'm just glad there's finally a good KBBQ spot in town so I don't have to head over to Rotterdam or Amsterdam anymore.