Beijing Botanic Garden lies in the foot of the beautiful Western Fragrant Hills, just 15km from central Beijing. If you start from Xizhimen (西直门) you could take either 360 or 634 bus; if you are from Wudaokou (五道口), you can take bus 505; if you are from the Beijing Zoo, you can luckily take 360 fast bus (快车), all of these will take you directly to the south gate of the park. (bus fare is only 0.4-0.8 Yuan)
The entrance fee is 5RMB (pets are not allowed). Once entered, you will definitely cheer the all green, colorful flowers surround, and most important: fresh air mixed with the clean scent of cut grass! We took a slow stroll along the path heading north and came across a beautiful lake. There is a small shop with long wooden chairs and tables. If it was noontime, I would have an ice-cream for sure :) Following the signpost, we walked to the Cherry Valley.
What makes the Cherry Valley so special is the Water Fir (水杉) forest, which is described as living fossil. The thick branches and leaves of plants seem to block out the sky. The temperature was lower in the valley so I got my jacket on. I couldn’t describe how delight it was when walking on the zigzag redwood deck bridge that is built following the spring path. I leaned against the bridge handrail for a rest. I could see the beautiful scenery, hear the sound of flowing water and some birds, and smell the fresh air… all these just relaxed my body, calmed my spirit and soothed my mind… I believe I could stay there just do nothing for hours.
The return way of Cherry Valley took us to the famous Temple of the Reclining Buddha. We went to the teahouse at back first. It was behind a large pond in a gloriette. As fall is coming, we ordered frozen mountain wulong tea (冻顶乌龙 35RMB with unlimited refill). The tea was so sweet-scented because it was made by the spring water here. I took many snacks (crisps, cookies, mooncakes as well… mid-autumn festival in a few days time) which we enjoyed during the tea (bring your favorite snack because they don’t sell here). Nothing can be fresher than a hot tea, sweets and somewhere comfortable to sit for a tired body. Our conversation jumped from one topic to another, unbelievable we spent nearly 3 hours and none of us wants to leave! We all felt our five senses have long been buried in the busy city, but the Qi (气) here helped to draw back their functions! Finally, we visited the temple and placed some good wishes in front of the reclining Buddha. I love the fish pool there so much! The fishes are so red and look at those lazy tortoises!
Personally, I think this is the best route for a day trip in Botanic Garden. Time to come back to the noisy city for some good restaurant? If you want to take bus, after you went out the south gate walk one more stop so you come to the terminus (360 fast bus to the Beijing zoo). The drive will take at least 1 hour, so it’s wise to get a seat.
I couldn’t judge which one is better, they were all excellent to me! Anyway, the judge picked out First Eight pairs. The quarter-final/ semi-final were much more exciting as it played “immediate death”. The music was much louder and the whole audiences were also lighted up. We sung and danced with the music, clapped and whistled. There was a rule that one group could defy the rival with all style of popping-breaking movements but they should never really touch the rival, otherwise they lose big points. Now they looked much more like some characters from the computer game STREET FIGHTER…
