We’re now touching down at Hong Kong International Airport after slightly more than 3 hours.

Watch our aircraft landing……….

Hello Hong Kong, it’s good to see you again after 3 years!

Inside Hong Kong International Airport Terminal 1 looking at information on our connecting flight to Beijing.

We just took the similiar aircraft here from Singapore.

Our connecting flight to Beijing was about 3 hours away………so?!! Let’s shop!!!

I immediately pulled my Dear Dear along to check on my “long-missing” shop inside the aiport where I used to purchase some Hong Kong souvenir magnets when we were in Hong Kong 3 years back. And WOW la, the shop is still around!! I was so happy!!!

I bought the following fridge magnets from RELAY – lovely Wooden Chinese Doll magnet for myself & mini Mahjong Tiles magnet for Mom – she loves playing mahjong!! Well, actually Mom already had 2 sets of these Mahjong magnets which I got her 3 years back, but my little niece took 2 tiles away so she has 2 missing ones & I’ve since always reminded myself that I must get her new ones when I’m back in Hong Kong – & now I finally got them!! Mom would be very pleased!!

Next, we checked on the other airport boutique which I remember since 3 years back that it has many more souvenir magnets. And YES!! It’s still around……..& now I know the boutique’s name – it’s THE PLAZA – I’m even more excited now!

Dear standing infront of THE PLAZA.

I bought more souvenir magnets – another pretty Wooden Chinese Red Doll wearing Pearl Earrings magnet & 2 Fat Smiling Buddhas holding Chinese Gold Nuggets (or Yuan Bao) with Chinese Wordings “Cai Yuan Kun Kun” (meaning “Flowing Wealth”) magnets.

Dear was hungry for Hong Kong cuisines, so we stopped by the “King’s Palace Congee & Noodle Bar” on the 2nd storey of the Airport.

Dear decided to try No 30 – the Beef Tendon & Flank Noodles in Soup. 3 years back before our departure to Singapore from Hong Kong here in the Airport, we had similar kind of beef noodle think from this same store too – & it was really yummy!

Dear ordered a can of coke too – we love COKE!!

The Beef Noodle with fried minced FRAGRANT garlics, soft TENDER beef tendons, NICE stewed beef, hot TASTY soup & CHEWY noodle.

Mmmmm, it was DELICIOUS……..Dear was enjoying his noodle…..though he didn’t look very convincing in the photo below ha?! Well, he was just a little tired & it really tasted GOOD, except that it’s a bit salty, well, Hong Kongers prefer their food more salty……but at least I think it tasted even better than the first time we ate it 3 years ago.

We continued shopping at the below Hong Kong Disneyland boutique inside the Airport. I was so AMUSED by the many lovely selections of Disney souvenirs in there……heheh!!

I bought the LOVELIEST Disneyland Castle magnet (next to the one which I already have which Mum got me some years back). It also acts as a Photo Frame, now containing the photo of Smartie & Sparkie (recently taken in Harbour Plaza Resort City, Hong Kong) & lying against my new Magnetic Board in my dining hall.

I also found the CUTEST TINIEST Disney characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy & Donald Duck) Souvenir Magnets. I’m so lUCKY!!

The last souvenir magnet which I bought that day was the following Metallic magnet with Turnable Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck & Goofy – it’s very SPECIAL!

I also got myself a beautiful lovely Disneyland Key Ring with tiny hanging Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy & Pluto – So So CUTE!

I’ve always loved Disney sweaters, so when I saw the following Lovely PINKY sweater on sales, I was really delighted & immediately paid for it!

Lastly, I bought the following bright red Mickey with Minnie infront of Disneyland Castle with Fireworks T-shirt for myself.

But haha, cos we were in a hurry to board the plane……I got both the Sweater & Tee a size too big ho ho!!

With our Boarding Passes, we walked to our Gate of Departure to Beijing.

We soon arrived at Gate 3 – boarding our connecting flight CX312 to Beijing.

Onboard CX 312 now…….

Dear reading the Hong Kong Sunday Morning Post while the In-flight Cathy Pacific Crews welcomed us aboard.

The local time then was 4.20pm, Hong Kong time……the same as Singapore & Beijing. It would take us about another 4 hours to reach Beijing.

The In-flight TV showing the estimated time of arrival in Beijing.

Me carrying Smartie & Sparkie – they were as excited as me about flying again!

As there wasn’t an empty seat in-between Dear & I on this flight like we had when flying here from Singapore, Smartie & Sparkie had to sit on my lap.

Waiting for the take-off – it was a gloomy air-polluted afternoon in Hong Kong.

Smartie couldn’t wait to take-off soon……..

We were finally taking off after waiting for some 20 mins for the ground technicians to rectify a technical problem with our aircraft.

Up in the air now – GOODBYE Hong Kong, see you later!!

Dear listening to the In-flight entertainment music while filling up the China Arrival Departure Forms.

Self-portraits of Dear & myself enjoying the In-flight movies together!

Soon, it was meal time again.

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Onions & Mushroom Set meal with Potatoes in Wasabi sauce with Green Peas, Warm Bun, Fruits & Ice Cream – DELICIOUS!!

Dear & I eating the Double Chocolate ice cream – Yum Yum……Me TRYING to steal his too haha!!

Beautiful colored sky with sun setting :

We would be arriving at Beijing soon – the In-flight TV screen showing the Sky-Map details & the estimated time of arrival in Beijing.

It was soon DARK & we were finally touching down at Beijing. Look at the below beautifully lighted Beijing night views from our flight windows – the very LONG Orange Lighted-up Roads must be the Expressways. WOW we were very surprised that they were so QUIET with hardly any car at all! Beijing sleeps so early cos it was not even 8.30pm yet then!

We landed at Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3, & it was raining.

The time was almost 8.20pm & GUESS what, it was at a low 10 degrees in temperature though it was almost Summer then – luckily we brought our jackets along with us (Thank Dad for reminding us) – so NO WORRIES at all!

Inside the newly built very HUGE Spacious Beautiful Beijing Capital International Airport T3 – we were really IMPRESSED.

With China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation and Beijing hosting the Olympics in August 2008, the volume of passengers passing through the capital city’s Airport is expected to rise from 27 million to 60 million per year by year 2015. That was why this World’s NEWEST, FASTEST & LARGEST (even bigger than Heathrow Airport’s 5 Terminals put together!) was built & opened in March 2008.

Upon leaving the Immigration Counters, we had to take a Shuttle Train to our Luggage Belt. See the below covered train platform & a slight view of the Train from where we just got off at the bottom photo.

At our Luggage Belt 45 where Dear was waiting infront to pick up our Luggages.

WEW!! I was finally standing on Beijing grounds after an almost 10 LONG hours instead of the usual 5 & half hours journey from Singapore to Hong Kong to here! It was a pretty tiring but full of excitement & fun day!

Our Chinese Tour Guide Wang Jing met us at the Airport & together with the Chinese Xifu (driver), they brought us to Ai Hua Hotel, located on 3rd Ring Road (San Huan Lu) – a 48-km City Ring Road that encircles the Centre of Beijing City.

Dear standing at Ai Hua Hotel Lobby while Wang Jing checked upon our Room. The hotel lobby looked very clean & nice & there was even a Piano.

We soon checked into our Room No 502, & immediately came back downstairs cos Wang Jing was bringing us out for Dinner.

Wang Jing brought us to a small restaurant “Chengdu Mei Shi Cheng” (meaning Chengdu’s Beautiful Cuisines City) just across Ai Hua Hotel.

Wang Jing ordering our Dinner.

The Authentic Restaurant Menu.

The Vegetabble Cuisines :

The Hotpot Stir-fried Cuisines :

The Hotpot Soup Cuisines :

The Dumplings (Jiao Zi/Steamed Dumplings or Shui Jiao/Boiled Dumplings) & Noodle Cuisines :

Here come our first Cuisine – Hotpot Fan Qie Niu Rou Tang (Hotpot Tomato Chucks with Beef Soup).

Wang Jing told us that this is a very common Beijing dish, but it was Dear’s & my very first time eating such huge Tomato chucks with Beef Soup.

And I’ve never cooked it this way – Wang Jing said it’s very easy, just put tomato chucks & beef together in water & boil them!

It sure tasted as YUMMY as it looked – the tomato chucks were HUGE & Very FRESH & the soup has got its FRAGRANT Very SWEET slightly sour natural taste – it was really YUMMY! And it was so STEAMING Hot – I simply adore HOT Soups!!

And it only cost 20 Yuan – we couldn’t believe our eyes!!

Our 2nd Dish was Stir-fry Vegetables (“You Cai” in Chinese meaning Vegetables in Oil) that cost 10 Yuan – very CHEAP too!

Wang Jing joined us for Dinner…..& next came our HUGE plate of FRESHLY wrapped Steaming Hot Boiled Pork Dumplings (Shui Jiao).

So many Shui Jiao & the WHOLE plate cost only 10 Yuan – my GOODNESS!! And they were Very GOOD & very BIG too!!

Our last Cuisine was the below Hotpot Stir-fried SPICY Chicken.

There were at least 3 DIFFERENT types of CHILIES in there – I LOVE it!!

I ATE the Chilies on its own – the GREEN ones were real SPICY…..

The Hotpot Tomato Beef Soup was still so STEAMING Hot till the end of our Dinner cos the fire never die off…..

And we finished all the Soup cos it was so GOOD – except for some left-over tomatoes & beef (which were slightly hard). And we were full & couldn’t finish the too many Shui Jiao as well.

And we didn’t finish the Chicken & Vegetables cos though they were TASTY, the Chicken was slightly too Salty & they were both cooked very OILY – See the layer of MUCH Oil in the Vegetable Dish – it’s Beijing’s typical style of cooking & taste! Such a waste, but Wang Jing said it was OK cos the restaurant would feed all left-overs to the Dogs & Cats – how very thoughtful )

The below first table from the left was where we were just seated.

Wang Jing footed the bill cos tonight’s Dinner was supposed to be already included in our tour package. Dear & I left the Restaurant with Wang Jing, telling ourselves that we would come back here again for supper )

WOW look at the below Snack-Bar Sales at the Entrance of the Restaurant – it was Dear’s first time seeing so many duck parts on sales & he was feeling kinda ill in the stomach cos he doesn’t eat all these & his family dogs used to eat the livers/kidney etc…..Anyway I DO & I actually like some of them very much – like the duck heads, duck feets, duck necks, chicken feets…… & I especially love the duck wings!! hehehe yum yum!! Dear sometimes think I’m crazy to like to eat all these!!

Anyway, these reminded me of the Chengdu Snack-Bar sales I saw in Chengdu Airport while I was in Transit to Xian, Silk Road, 2 years back. I was really taken back then by the sights cos there was even stewed rabbits & all kinds of don-know-what stuffs etc etc!! So I understood how Dear felt )

Wang Jing soon left us to take a cab home & we walked across the road to Ai Hua Hotel, enjoying the very cool night breeze – we just loved the COOL weather! (such pretty PINK flowers by the road infront of Ai Hua Hotel)

Back at Ai Hua Hotel Lobby.

Dear opening the door to our Room 502.

Dear happy with our Nice Big Pretty room.

I liked the simple COSY decorations of the room, the NICE furnitures & the LOVELY Crystal wall lamps.

The Bathroom was NICE & very CLEAN, & the Bathrobes were very COMFORTABLE & WARM for our after-baths during the next few COOL nights which we were staying in Ai Hua Hotel.

We went out again to buy water – Dear looking for Drinks inside the Mini Mart just at the right corner outside Ai Hua Hotel.

Interesting store selling ALL kinds of stuffs :

We were amazed to see this tiny store selling so many kinds of items, some pretty unusual too :

Dear bought a big bottle of Mineral Water.

There was a TINY Long-Distance Calling Store next to the Mini Mart & it was already closed.

There was also a small lovely Fruits Store to the right of the Mini Mart (which closed immediately after Dear bought the Drinks & left). The time was almost 11pm.

We came back to our Room & got ready for bed. I was surprised to see that Ai Hua Hotel even provides an Alarm Clock (the below Black Grey one) – How thoughtful! The Blue alarm clock is Dear’s so we had 2 clocks to make sure we didn’t OVERSLEEP!! We even had Morning Calls service from the Hotel just in case heheh!! GOOD NIGHT everybody – see ya tomorrow!