Posts Tagged ‘harbin’

12 Days of Christmas @ Starbucks

Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to warm yourself up than sip the Christmas beverages at Starbucks.  Furthermore, to make it merrier, Starbucks is launching the 12 Days of Christmas promo.

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12 Days of Gifting

For 12 days starting from December 1, Starbucks store in mainland China will have a daily promo for their customers.  Here are some of the promos that they’re having based from conversations with the baristas.

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Touring Harbin, Part 1 – The Plan

harbin24 In 2011, my dream of going to Harbin became a reality. I have been planning to go to this place for four years already but it never came to fruition. The best time to visit is during the Ice and Snow Festival which opens every year on the 5th of January.

The original plan was to go with a group of people from the US Embassy. We will be taking the train to Harbin and take the plane back. However, as January is considered their peak season and the Chinese New Year is just around the corner, tickets to Harbin sell in a blink of an eye. With no tickets in sight, the group dwindled down to 3 people (Shaady, Donny and I). Shaady and Donny flew on Friday night, while I flew on Saturday morning. I was lucky to be able to get a train ticket back to Beijing courtesy of my colleague’s parents who are based in Harbin.

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Next Destination: Harbin

image After experiencing Chinese New Year in Beijing in 2006, I told myself that I don’t want to be stuck in the city with nothing to do and being bored.  Ever since then, I’m usually out of town and either head back home or to a different location.  This year, my friend and I will visit the elusive Harbin.  I’ve been trying to visit this place for the past 3 years and I don’t want to mess it up this year.

Harbin (哈尔滨)

Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang, which is the northernmost province of China.  It is dubbed as “Ice City” for its long and cold winter.  It is also famous for it’s winter ice sculptures which happens every year in January and February. 

In the 1920s, it is recognized as China’s fashion capital as the newest fashion passed by this city before heading towards Shanghai.  The city borders Russia and a lot of their architecture are influenced by their neighbor.

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