Our Home in China
At least that’s what our local Chinese
friends called Tianjin. It’s where we spent half of our time in, began and
ended our stay in China as a group. In some ways, I have to agree. It’s in
Tianjin that we were able to feel like locals, walking two blocks to the mall
and museum which is very near the hotel where we stayed. Remembering my room in
the hotel makes me miss the time spent there too.
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| Galaxy Mall in Tianjin (robot is actually an exhibit in our hotel lobby, car is a Tesla display inside the mall) |
Galaxy Mall
You know how Filipinos are
naturally “lacuacheros”? Being in a part
of a seasoned group of travelers has taught me that it’s alright to explore the
locality in China, the private joke is that as long as you know where the
nearest embassy is, then you’re fine. Galaxy Mall is only a couple of blocks
away from our hotel.
It’s a high-end mall, carrying
brands like Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Valentino, Bottega and of course, Tesla
showrooms in the mall itself. And you know that I immediately went inside the
bookstore at the top floor. I enjoyed the bookstore but couldn’t buy anything
because all the popular books were published in Mandarin and my literacy in
Mandarin is only limited to elementary speaking and a handful of greetings.
The mall is huge, with cinemas at
the top floor, and a hockey ring at the ground floor. There are many other
shops and it takes some energy to just walk around in.
Traditional Restaurant featuring Tianjin Cuisine
This restaurant has been around
since 1935 and has been open and operational ever since. We were brought here
to savour traditional Tianjin cuisine and I made a mental note to copy some
recipes once I arrived home. The star of the show is how to eat Peking Duck,
the traditional way. So far, I haven’t mastered any dishes yet lol.
Tianjin Eye and the Riverside
We made it a point to visit the
river at night. Here, locals unwind, take a walk, there were couples completing
their evening photo shoots in their
wedding dresses. The riverside must be a popular place, and it’s where
people practice their evening photography by the water too. The riverboat
passes by every few minutes, and the building opposite the Tianjin Eye flashes
images of the flag every single night.
Eco Life Museum
Before we left for Beijing, we
visited the Eco Life Museum after a short walk through the promenade. Now I’m
really impressed with the way the promenade was planned out, there were also so
many roses just growing outdoors.
As for the museum? My travel
buddies all agreed that it’s world-class, combining a lot of audiovisual
methods to heighten the static displays of the exhibits. For foreign visitors, it’s
free to get inside the museum, simply show your passport.
Tianjin was impressive, for a municipality
of China, it sure has a lot of well-planned, green spaces and leisurely areas
for its locals. It’s also where we stumbled upon a local bakery that sold
delicious pastries, locals and foreign visitors alike were lining up for the
freshly-baked treats. We bought our shares even if all we did was point out
which ones we liked.
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| Local Bakery in Tianjin |
A lot will be missed from
Tianjin, from the friends we made, and even the little freedom we enjoyed
walking around its streets at night and in the morning after our sessions in
class. There are a lot of sights and sounds to experience in Tianjin, and I
hope to come back when I have the chance.
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| View from my hotel room |
Planning for a trip to China soon?
Here are some things you may need beforehand.
China 2018 Series:
Disclaimer : All input are based
on my experience while in China. A schedule was planned for our group
beforehand given the limited amount of time.
