Packing !

Hari ini kami sudah pun mula "pack" pakaian yang hendak dibawa kerana hari Jumaat nanti kami akan bertolak ke Kuala Lumpur. Berikut adalah maklumat yang perlu di ambil kira dari blog http://www.calvinshub.com yang sedikit sebanyak dapat membantu "preparation" kami .


I would like to point out the pros and cons when visiting Beijing during winter which falls on November 15 up to March 15.

Let’s start with the disadvantages first.

CONS

1. Hazy or foggy in the city. We all know the China is a smoggy place but coupled with the cold weather, it tends to get hazy most of the times. Even on a sunny winter day, you can’t quite capture the blue skies.

This shot of Tiananmen Square would have been great if you can actually see the blue sky through the haze.

2. It’s really cold! Well this is relative for each person but for somebody living in a tropical country, it’s no fun walking outside during winter especially when it’s windy. And in Beijing, there are lots of walking involved.

During our 9-day stay, I think 5 degrees Celsius was the hottest and –8 degrees Celsius the coldest. We can’t spend a lot of time in one place when it’s really cold.

3. Same clothes in photos. Unless you are packing lots of winter clothes for your trip, you tend to wear the same jacket or coat for your outside photos.

4. Frozen lakes and rivers. Sometimes it’s nice to take photos of frozen bodies of water but if not completely frozen, they can ruin a shot.

This could be a nice shot of Suzhou Market Street at the New Summer Palace if the river is actually there.

5. Some sites are not really worthy to visit. Fragrant Hills is a nice place when the trees are green (spring) or orange (fall). We weren’t able to visit Happy Valley as well due to the weather.

PROS

1. Chance of snow. This being an advantage depends on each person but for us it was a fun experience to walk on snow.

We didn’t experience snowfall but we were able to walk on a huge patch of week-old snow.

2. Cheaper rates. Yep, winter is considered off-peak and thus entrance to some sites are much cheaper.

3. Less people. Being off-peak, you will have more chance to take photos without any people around. Waiting for throngs of tourist to disperse just to take a nice photo can be time-consuming during peak season.

Got a nice shot along the Great Wall because of the off-peak season.

4. Nice colors. There is a nice color blend that is only brought by winter and it’s a rare opportunity to get such photos for people who can’t experience winter.

I got some nice late afternoon shots in the Old Summer Palace that shows the beauty of winter.