The whole world in a park

Last weekend, I visited Beijing World Park (北京世界公园 Běijīng shìjiè gōngyuán). 

Not since my students introduced me to Baigoogledu (a dual search engine simultaneously displaying the results from Baidu and Google; and more importantly sounding like a funky cockerel) had I felt so excited about a new and unknown China experience.

The park boasts replicas of famous landmarks and buildings from around the world. “What better way could you spend your weekend?” I hear you ask…I may need some more time to answer this question.

From the moment Liz and I arrived outside the park, an eager lady wielding a camera greeted us. “Hello! Photo!” she beamed, as she purposefully placed us together and individually for a number of shots. Then she disappeared while we bought our entry tickets. As soon as we made our way to the gate, we noticed the lady sprinting back in our direction. She was on a mission. Once she caught her breath, she hastily and proudly revealed two small photo keyrings. After our wonderful tacky souvenir from the Watermelon Museum, Liz and I knew we had unwittingly already gained our memento for our latest adventure.

Stepping into the park, I was more than happy to see that the usual drove of people appeared to be occupied elsewhere. The park was (by Beijing standards) very peaceful!

Eat your heart out, Phileas Fogg! Eighty days to travel the world?! Pah! I managed it in an afternoon. Following a brief stop in Moscow, I was stunned and distracted by a rather humorous sign. English errors are a common occurrence here; however this one is certainly a favourite of mine.

It seems that some of the landmarks are more impressive and preserved better than others. Of course, the replica of The Great Wall was quite striking.  
Travelling through Europe and the Americas, we passed by the pyramids in Egypt and finally took a welcome break in Africa. I sat down on an elephant while contemplating where to go next.

The White House!

The journey then took us on a trek through Asia and down to Australasia. 

Taj Mahal

Angkor Wat

It was only when we got closer to the exit that we realised we had not been to Rome and Italy. Thankfully we rectified this blunder. It may be a cliché, but this photo with the leaning tower of Pisa was a necessity.

Had to be done!

It was definitely an enjoyable day and each replica came with a short description of the landmark and location. I was happy to see a famous landmark from Hanoi and made sure to have my photograph taken next to the One Pillar Pagoda.

Leaving the park, Liz and I waved by to the camera lady who was still loitering and hoping for further victims. We walked towards the subway station and grabbed a couple of roasted sweet potatoes from a street vendor. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon! It was made even better when we managed to get seats on the long subway journey home! Score!

Om nom nom!

YES! Seat on the subway!

Tacky souvenir? YES!

Cuối tuần qua, tôi đã đi Công viên thế giới Bắc Kinh. Hay quá nhỉ! Tôi có thể đến thăm những cảnh đẹp nổi tiếng trên toàn thế giới, ở một công viên! Bạn có nhận nơi này không? =))