The above is what we saw at the pool in our hotel in Beijing!
So, the internet situation here is really awesome. The reason I haven't been able to access my blog is because the Chinese government has been having meetings and my VPN hasn't worked at all. I heard a friend say that China had just elected a new president, and I asked in surprise, "elected??" And she modified.."well...selected." ;)
So, quickly, our time in the city of Beijing was really awesome. We had lots of chances to walk around the neighbourhood our hotel was in (I really liked where we stayed, right off a main street with lots of things to see and do - and right next to a Foreign Book Store...we were there for ages). There was different food to try and yummy bakeries to visit!
We also went to Chayong Theatre and watched an acrobatic show that was pretty spectacular. Even cooler was that back in Wuhan Zac was reading his Guiness Book of World Records and saw some of the acts we saw right in his book!
I fell *completely* in love with the art district. Lots of pedestrian streets to wander around in, little boutiques and art studios and galleries, some big, some small, some for clay, some for paintings, some for statues...there was everything here and it was all just so adorable and fun to go walking along with anticipation as to what the next corner would bring :)
We also did some "must see" tourist attractions like Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (we walked all around it but opted not to go in - the place was ridiculously packed. Like you don't understand the term 'packed like sardines' until you see a Chinese National Emblem on a Chinese National Holiday. Oh my! Speaking of this, the subway system in Beijing was amazing and made us way more mobile than here in Wuhan, but boy was it crammed. Every once in awhile in crowded situations (like being in Carre Four yesterday - a store from France that has some of the things we enjoy back home. Or being in the washrooms at the mall - VERY different than the public washrooms I am used to at home! I won't ever complain on that topic again) we get poked and pushed and prodded as people brush by and it can be very frustrating because I'm not used to it. Everyone else around me seems used to it and has a higher tolerance but sometimes, I'm just not in the mood and I want my personal space back!
Anyways, tangent over. We also went to the Summer Palace, which I loved, the Temple of Heaven and the Llama temple (I think we'll take a break from temples for awhile - Zac gets bored quickly and though it is pretty to see, I don't think it's necessary to see one in Shanghai, Hong Kong, etc etc. :) I asked Zac what he wanted to do on our last day, and we spent one morning in the natural history museum discovering dinosaur bones we’ve never seen before, so that was pretty cool. Everything was in Chinese though, so it was mainly a visual experience :)
One of the best spontaneous decisions of our trip was to go visit the Olympic Stadium one day after being out and about. It was really cool to see it up close, and the Aquatics Centre right next to it was also a really cool building. Even better, we went in and Zac got to go swimming where the Olympians did! The whole experience had a dramatic twist where I got ripped off outside by a couple of scalpers who followed me around for more money to upgrade and I almost cried in front of Zac and was advised in broken English by a very nice man to "please not to trust those guys" but it had a happy ending so it's all good! Zac was so happy to have this experience and I took a bunch of photos and a video before noticing the sign telling me not to (naturally, if I had seen the sign I never would have tried).
We also went to the
silk market where I bought a tea set! I am pretty excited about it still. Turns out I’m really good at bargaining,
by accident. The lady asked for an outrageous price, way over 4000 qui (so over 68 Canadian dollars), and I told her I wouldn't pay more than 3000 qui. She went down a bit and then invited me to go up a bit, but I told her I really didn't want to pay over 3000 qui (and by told, I mean I folded my arms and shook my head. She understood. Body language can go a long way!). So she finally agrees to that, and I start to have my doubts. Do I really want to pay this much for this adorable little tea set? I can see it on my coffee table in the future one day back home when I invite people over. I tell them casually, "Oh yeah, I got that at the silk market in Beijing." It's so tempting, but no, I tell this woman I have to consult my consultant (Jon - he lives in Beijing). I tell the lady I might come back (if my consultant approves), but I know that it is unlikely with time constraints, so I am a bit disappointed. The lady sees I am leaving, and offers it to me for 200 qui. I take it!
Out last night in Beijing we went out for dinner
at Da Dong with Jon. This restaurant was recommended to me by multiple people as the best place in Beijing to eat duck, so we went for it. It was a pretty fun and fancy restaurant and Zac and I both really enjoyed the meal.
In conclusion: It was super great :)
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