Beautiful Beijing

Last year, Mike and I decided to travel to China and celebrate his 31st birthday there. We stayed at Chinese Box Courtyard Hostel and loved every minute of it. The staff speaks good English, the place has character since it was an old Hutong (traditonal courtyard residences for the Emperor's administrative staff), they serve good food and it has cute cats. The ambiance is so warm that I don't think it should be called a hostel, I think it should be called a home.

Traditional Doors with modern locks.

A map of the neighboring area  painted on the wall. They organize daily trips to the Great Wall Mutianyu.

The feisty felines of the Chinese Box.

Meet Ni'ure.

The Hutong's chill out area.

Banana Muesli and Yogurt for breakfast.

Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

Outside the gates of Forbidden City.

Bird's Nest for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Sanlitun Village

One of the best Kung Pao Chicken I've ever tasted.

The Great Wall of China (Mutianyu). The tour took most of the day but still had the chance to check out Raffles City Mall and tasted Costa Coffee's Cappuccino.

Spotted Janet Hsieh at the Great Wall. She was very nice and accommodating. 

I almost forgot to mention that Mr. Yang's restaurant located a little further down the Great Wall serves the best sweet and sour pork. That was our lunch accompanied by nine other dishes. The weather was really cold but it's our kind of weather.We didn't get the chance to navigate the city more and look for a Din Tai Fung chain here but was able to find one in Shanghai.

Oh, and thanks to Mike's trusty tripod. =)