SUMMER GETAWAY PLANS: Your Mediocre Wanderer Guide To 5 Asian Cities

summer plans underway? If you're heading off to some of these Asian cities, this blog is for you

Summer is very much underway in our corner of the world. Going through my blogger notes, I found some items that I should've written about, but forgot to do so. To make up for it, I am sharing these still-relevant tips in this edition of The Mediocre Wanderer.
There's so much t see, but I had to narrow the "must sees" to just 3. For those who are planning to see a little bit of Asia, here are tips to take note of, should you ever find yourself in these 5 cities:

The Great Wall of China's Mutianyu section

1. BEIJING, CHINA
Top 3 Must Sees:
1. The Great Wall of China -  Visit the Mutianyu side as it is less crowded than Badaling. You can also ride a cable car up or down the wall or be thrilled and slide down the mountain on a toboggan. Check your hotel's travel agency services instead of the ones at the airport to score great deals on tours to Mutianyu.

on a cable car or a toboggan (the tracks are below us) are the ways to get up and down this section of the wall

2. Beijing Zoo - 89 hectares/220 acres of beautiful landscapes, 950 species of land and sea animals and home of the Beijing Aquarium. Cheapest way to get there is through the Beijing subway system, which costs about 2 yuan/person/journey. Check out our TMW blog here.

cages for the animals were masterfully incorporated in the landscape of the zoo

3. The Forbidden City - A World Heritage Site, this 72 hectare complex is a good glimpse into the China's past. With 980 buildings, artworks and artifacts, it's a feast for eyes!

one of the many structures in the Forbidden City

Top 3 Tips Based on TMW Experiences:
1. After you're done going around and about, don't bring your shoes/child's strollers/roller bags all the way inside your hotel room. Leave it close to the door, as, trust me on this, you'll never know what strange gunk has been left behind on the soles of your shoes or the wheels of your child's strollers or your luggage.

The zoo's Aquarium - as nice as the grounds outside were at the zoo, MAX managed to trip and fall on someone's phlegm (aka loogie) on the ground. Bring anti bacterial wipes always when you're with your little one too

Yes, people still hock loogies wherever it's convenient for them. (insert a shudder here).

this is what you see in the hutong tour around the Forbidden City

2. Don't bother with the hutong tour around the Forbidden City. I don't know about you, but looking at the slum area or other people's front doors isn't exactly life-enriching.

There was probably that one interesting house in the area as it was Chairman Mao's #2, Chen Duxiu's residence in that half an hour ride. A total rip-off.

the haze that surrounded us at Tianenmen Square, at 9 in the AM was smog. Bring a face mask

3. Getting a cab can get to be challenge especially during the rush hour. Take the subway. And while you're out, don't forget to bring a face mask.

at the Samphran Elephant Grounds

2. THAILAND (BANGKOK and NAKHON PATHOM)

Top 3 Must Sees:

1. Grand Palace - beautiful architecture that's been around since the 17th century. Try to get a guided tour to get the most out of this experience. Also, if you're female, make sure your legs are covered when you enter. This is to give respect to the various temples in the complex. SEE TMW blog here.

got my sarong on. You can either rent or buy from the shops across the street from the Grand Palace entrance

2. Samphran Elephant Grounds, Zoo and Crocodile Farm - soccer playing elephants, a crocodile wrestling show and a ride on a 10 foot tall elephant; check out our TMW blog on this, HERE.

scariest.ride.ever!

3. Siam Ocean World - a great learning experience for you and your little ones. It's also a great way to get away from the heat of the outdoors. See our TMW blog here.

there's also a short 4D movie thrown in after you visit the oceanarium

Top 3 Tips Based on TMW Experiences:
1. If someone offers your a Chao Phraya Canal Tour, just say no! You're better off booking a Chai Phraya River Dinner Cruise.

catfish swarming to eat dog food

some parts of the view in the canal tour looks as rundown as this

The Canal tour, via  along pump boat, was nothing but a series of freaky cat fish feeding, polluted water splashing on you and overpriced items from floating vendors.

fish feeding is supposed to bring you luck...my reaction begs to differ

2. If someone offers to sell you tickets to the Siam Ocean World, don't bother. Even if they tell you that it's sold in another area, don't believe it. Rates are so much cheaper online or you could get a Madame Tussaud + Siam Ocean World combo ticket, which is also bundled at cheaper rates.

our cabbie brought us to a travel agency, insisting that tickets are no longer sold at Siam Ocean Park. Turns out, he wanted to cash in on selling us tickets

3. If you find yourself done with your visit of the Grand Palace and want to do some shopping (some..ha!), head on out to Bobae Tower. It's a little under 10 minutes away from that area. It's also a building that houses 1300 shops under one air-conditioned facility. It's where you go to buy presents for everyone, for when you go home.

the wholesale mall

the hotel's interiors

They also offer shipping services to send your cargo, worldwide to prevent incurring excess baggage charges at the airport. The first 10 floors are the shopping area, while the 11th to 32nd floor houses the hotel that we stayed in.

3. SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 

Top 3 Must Sees:
1. Angkor Wat - an ancient Khmer kingdom that once thrived in the dessert. Excellent for those into culture, history and architecture. Check out our blog here.

2. Old Market - THE place to go to if you need to buy trinkets, souvenirs, spices and stuff to bring home. See TMW blog here.

shopping for dresses at the Old Market

3. Pub Street - where everyone goes to relax and unwind. Check out our blog on Siem Reap, here.

Pub Street

Top 3 Tips Based on TMW Experiences:
1. US Dollars are the preferred currency in the country. It's what's dispensed out of their ATMs as well.  Whenever you go around paying for stuff, as much as possible, insist on getting the same currency as your change.

at the Lucky Mall, Siem Reap

2. Reputable guides to the temples wear uniforms. May sure to transact with accredited guides (ask your hotel concierge about it) before making any transactions.

legit tour guides wear peach uniforms

3. Bottled water is seriously pricey in nearly all of the food establishments that we visited. Just to compare, the PHP 15 bottle of mineral water here in the Philippines would cost around USD 2 / PHP 100 there! Before you start exploring, a quick visit to the grocery or a convenience store to hoard mineral water for the the duration of your stay, is necessary.

don't be the last to know that bottled water is pricey at Siem Reap

4. SINGAPORE

Top 3 Must Sees:
1. Singapore Flyer - 830 am to 1030 pm (sg flight $33 $21) 30 mins long. You can also eat at it's SG Food Trail (http://www.singaporeflyer.com/food-trail/about-food-trail/)

2. Sentosa - where you won't have to think of what to do next! Always check out their website for promotions! (LINK HERE)

3. Gardens By The Bay - $28/$15 9am to 9pm (free shuttle to and from marina bay sands)

Top 3 Tips Based on TMW Experiences
1. When taking a cab ride, note that not all cabs are created equal. There are limo taxis that sometime line up on regular taxi stands. There is a difference in fare computation.

2. This country has a lot of establishments and attractions that offer online promotions. Scour the net to check out the website of the place you intend to go to, just in case.

3. After all the shopping has been done, save those receipts! For receipts that are SGD 100.00 and above, you can get a GST (local sales tax) refund at the airport.

5. KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
Top 3 Must Sees
1. Sunway Lagoon - perhaps our favorite theme park to date. Check out their website here.

a multi theme park that's sure to have a little something for everyone

2. Petronas Towers - a great place to visit, both day and night. The building offers a magnificent view of the city, and houses a science museum and an aquarium for your kids, as well as a shopping mall, among others.

3. Berjaya Time Square - it's a mall with a roller coaster inside it :) Yes, we are The Mediocre Wanderers for a reason.

Top 3 Tips Based on TMW Experiences
1. Book a Hop on Hop Off Tour! Not only do you get to see all the relevant sites in the KL, you can also  use it as the perfect transportation system to get around the city, hassle free. Check their website here.

2. As with SG, different cab sizes means different rates. Read up on that before you go.

riding the top of a double decker bus is super fun!

3. The airport is almost an hour away from the city center. Go to the lower level and take the bus. That'll save you a pricey cab ride to town and back to the airport.

And there you have it. 5 Asian Cities to see, in a nutshell. Before you go, do your research, pack smartly and keep safe, always.

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than hours!

Kingly Pursuits: King Parkview Hotel Review

Booking through our favorite hotel deal website, we came upon King's Parkview Hotel. Taking into consideration the location, appearance, reviews and cost, this place had a lot of potential.

To be honest, I felt that most of the hotels in Beijing were quite pricey compared to the other destinations we've been to.

Situated in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, the hotel is a good 30-45 minutes ride from the airport. Arriving early in the morning, we had no other option but to haggle in broken Chinese with the scammy cabbies at the airport's taxi stand. We paid around 200 RMB instead of the 80-100 standard fare.

Checking in wasn't bad. The front desk clerk had a decent command of the English language. Don't expect much from the lobby (as far as appearances go), just be thankful your cab driver brought you there :P There were a lot of other foreigners who were checked in the hotel. We made fast friends with a European couple from Dubai, a mother and daughter from Peru and another couple from Australia. They too were quite happy with the hotel.

Proximity:
Shatan Houjie, the street where Kings Parkview is located at, is quite close to a lot of tourist attractions. One of the most notable in the list is the Forbidden City. It's so close, that we could see some of its palaces from our hotel window. It's also a 10 minute walk to the historical site.

through the zoom lens: one of the palaces at the Forbidden City taken through our hotel window

Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, Wangfungjing Street (the exotic food/shopping destination) and Tiananmen Square are all a 5 to 15 minute ride away. The subway, is anything BUT near though, despite what everyone says. You might as well take a cab to the subway stop and from there, head off to the other places in the city.

being on the 3rd floor, we were a good 2 minutes away from the rooftop /view deck and to the adjacent bldg, that houses the hotel restaurant

Hotel Amenities:
Quoting from their website, here's what you could expect: "King Parkview Hotel provides 110 guest rooms with different kinds of guestrooms including standard room, business standard room, special offer room and double room. Each room equipped with lots of facilities, comfortable and clean room. Each rooms provides with hair dryer, television, internet access, laundry service, coffee tea maker, ironing facilities and other facilities. All of those facilities are provide to make the guests comfortable stay in the hotel. King Parkview Hotel is also provides with lots of hotel facilities such as, family room, meeting facilities, two restaurants, room service, coffee shop, 24 hour business center, gift shop, grocery store, bar and lounge, conference room, and others".

tv only shows CCTV (Chinese), internet via LAN was ok, it's just that you can't really visit a lot of sites as they are blocked in China, the bed was clean and comfy enough and the AC/heater worked fine

The Lowdown:
Perhaps Phil summed it up quite well in his Agoda review:(my comments in blue)

First of all, I enjoyed my stay and would definitely consider staying there again should I visit again. For the price I paid, the room was appropriately sized, although I've had bigger elsewhere. 

The shower was a bit cramped and water leaked out (from it's enclosure) and wet the rest of the bathroom (but not too badly). 

The temperature of the room is adjustable, but you can also open the window if you want to enjoy the fresh air, which I did quite often. 

air quality's much better here

The hotel is located near some parks so there are lots of trees and the air is quite clean. There is a very busy street nearby with several convenience stores and eateries in case you are the adventurous type who likes to sample the local fare. There is also some historical significance in this hotel which draws several tours daily to the surrounding buildings and the street, adding to the street ambiance of the place. (being the mansion of the Princess of the Qianlong Emperor and site of Imperial University of Peking)

spicy beef hotpot, ordered with my limited Chinese in an eatery, 3 minutes away from the hotel. Throw in some mi fan (steamed rice) and you're all set

The breakfast buffet was disappointing, but we had so many options around that we only tried it once. That was also the only time we ate at the hotel. The eateries nearby are owned and operated by Chinese who don't speak English. Some have menus with pictures but others don't, so check first, if that will be an issue.(Don't expect fine dining. It's really more like a small cafeteria with an occasional cat or two, and/or a cook who smokes while preparing your food). The cafe closer to end of the street towards the right serves western food and free wifi. Say what you will about standards, the food (including the street roastings) were good!

 

Chinese style BBQ - roastings and candied fruit. Everything costing 10 RMB

The front desk personnel have a good grasp of English and are very helpful. There are also tours available should you choose to go on one. We took a tour to the Great Wall section in Mutianyu and the Ming tombs and were quite pleased with the way it was conducted, although I would have preferred it if they didn't include the side trips to the Jade factory, Pearl store and Tea store, which were just glorified tourist traps. Those portions just made the tour longer than they should have been and were not advertised as part of the tour. 

a lot of convenience stores, eateries and various shops may be found in front of the hotel

There are a lot of smokers in Beijing, and even some areas of the hotel have that musty smell, but overall, the hotel did a great job of keeping smokers away from smoke free zones. I am very pleased with my stay here. 

Sightseeing/Attractions Tip: There are several sights which are within walking distance of this hotel including, but not limited to, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Mao's tomb, as well as several parks. Some may be farther than others and a long walk, but cab rides shouldn't cost too much. It would also help to get the hotel's card to show to cabbies so they know where to bring you.

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!