Here’re some famous places of interest in Beijing for you to visit.

The Great Wall of China

It’s one of the greatest sights in the world — the longest wall in the world, an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over rugged country steep mountains takes in some great scenery. It shows us not only China’s culture of national pride, grand projects, and determined resistance, but also China’s extravagant architecture and creativity.

Open time:

Apr.1 - Oct.31(high season) 7:30-16:00       Ticket: 40 yuan for adult; half for student

Nov.1 - Mar.31(low season) 7:30-16:00       Ticket: 35 yuan for adult; half for student

Website: badaling.cn   Tel: 86-10-69122222

The Summer Palace

It’s the largest and most complete imperial garden existing in China. It was first built in the 12th century as an imperial palace. Occupying an area of 304 hectares, the Summer Palace features hilly and water scenery. The Kunming Lake makes up four-fifths of this royal park. The Long Corridor running east-west along the lake as well as the Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha, the Sea of Wisdom, and the Hall of Dispelling the Clouds and Suzhou Street standing south to north on the Longevity Hill are the major scenic spots.

Open time:

Apr.1 - Oct.31 6:30-18:00 Ticket: 30 yuan for adult; Child under 6, for free Nov.1 - Mar.31 7:00-17:00 Ticket: 20 yuan for adult; child under 6, for free E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn     Tel: 86-10-68326688

The Forbidden City

It was the Chinese imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing Dynasties. It’s listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. Added to the World Heritage in 1987 as the “Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties”, the Forbidden City is now officially called the Palace Museum.

Open time:   8:30-16:00;   (Closed   on   Monday   but   open   during   national holidays)

Ticket: 60 yuan for adult; half for student; child less than 1.2m tall, for free Website: www.dpm.org.cn       Tel: 86-10-85007938

FOUR EXTREME EXPERIENCES!

Looking for something exciting to do? You might like to try one of these 4 extreme experiences.

Crocodile watching

Fancy getting up close to some of the most scary animals on earth? Crocosaurus Cove, in Darwin (Australia) has the “Cage of Death”. It’s a glass wall that’s lowered into a pool. This gives you a 360 degree view of a 5-metre long, 800-kilogram saltwater crocodile as it’s being fed. The cable (缆绳) once broke and the cage sank to the bottom, but they’ve fixed it since then and visitors are assured it won’t happen again.

Edge walking

How about walking along the edge of a building several hundred meters up in the air? If that sounds like fun, head off to the CN Tower in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). The Edge Walk consists of a 20—30 minute walk along a 1.5 meter wide platform that runs around the tower’s restaurant roof. During the 150m-long walk, you’re encouraged to lean forwards as you look over Toronto’s skyline, and backwards so you can see the people in the Sky Pod observation deck above.

Plastic ball rolling

Fancy rolling down a hill in a ball of plastic? Zorbing (太空球) is popular all over the world, but the place to give it a go is in Rotorua (New Zealand)—home of the first zorbing site! A typical ball is about 3 meters in diameter, with an inner ball size of about 2 meters, leaving a 50—60 centimeter air cushion (气垫). There’s no brake or driving device, but the inner plastic helps cut down the shock.

Volcano bungee jump

If you’re looking for the adventure of a lifetime, how about a bungee jump off a helicopter into the crater (火山口) of a live volcano? You can try it yourself for a only $12,500. As a part of the jump, a helicopter ride takes you to the Villarrica volcano, one of the most active in Chile. Once you’re at the drop zone, you leap off the helicopter and fall into the volcano. Finally, you enjoy the ride back to the airport flying 130 kph and hanging from a rope 100 meters below the helicopter.

What fun!

Travelling the world is a common thing for most families these days. One destination that may seem quite appealing to people, would be South Africa. Let’s learn more…

Families can spend time at popular beaches here in South Africa. The beaches on the Atlantic are known for their powder white sand and icy cold waters – perfect for surfing. At iconic Boulders Beach, you can even swim with the penguins in summer. Beaches on the Indian Ocean are fantastic and tourists can enjoy the sun and the warm waves washing back and forth to the shores.

All the animals that you have come to know through documentaries can potentially be seen here. There are public and private wildlife and game reserves all across the county. Among all these wildlife parks, Kruger National Park in the North stands out as the largest and most famous. Most reserves offer game drives and some even offer closer interaction with selected wild animals.

When it comes to exciting activities, South Africa satisfies its tourists with different activities to choose from, such as skydiving, white water rafting, paragliding, and shark cage diving. The kids are never left out as there are lots of fun activities available to them as well as interesting places to visit. For all first-time visitors to the African continent, South Africa has to be the first stop!