Beijing day 1.5

First day I wanted to see the Forbidden city. I decided to hop the subway. I walked down the street and got about a block and some guy took me into some alley and sold me some dvd's So, that was cool. I then decided to take them back to the hotel and the guy said he'd wait for me. He invited me to a cigarette too. So I dropped off the dvd's and there the guy was he took me down to the subway and told me how to get where I needed to go. Very nice guy.

So, I went to the forbidden city. It was freezing. So, cold. I can't tell you how cold it was. Chillin' to the bone. It was cool to see the city and the buildings. I bought a Chairman Mao shirt because when else are you ging to get one? But i'll be honest I was hustlin' through it. There are like 999 rooms so I didn't get much time to see them all. The emperor thought that heaven would have a perfect amount of rooms and 1000 rooms would only be found in Heaven.

So, after that I was walking out and this girl comes up to me and starts talking to me. I had heard that students will come up and ask you to come see an art exhibit, and give you a story about how the exhibit is to show you chinese culture and helps them keep the place open. So I knew the deal. But, she was nice and I really didn't have a set schedule. So, I went and looked and they had some really cool art. She had done some art as well. Then they try to sell you some. I weasled out of that and then she walked me outside and I thought that was that. Then she asked me if she could come with me to practice her english. At first I thought great that's all I need this has got to be a scam. But, we walked around and she told me about the history and took me to some crazy places. We went to some chinese towns down some alley. It was actually fun.

I asked her if she knew a good restraunt and we went and ate duck. I guess I ate and she watched. She told me about life in China and her Boyfriend. I don't know if it is the language or what but many of the chinese that I have met so far seem like little kids. Very nice and helpful. It is really interesting how the culture is changing here. There seems to be a lot of individualisim. It's a marriage of communisim and capitalisim the communist side is slowly dying and capitalisim seems to be taking over. You see people every where doiing things that a few years ago they never would have been doing.


Anyways, the girls name is Lily. It's funny because it was so cold she was wearing this jacket and a scarf and I only saw her face maybe one time. If I saw her again I probably wouldn't recognize her. She was just so funny because she was freezing and there she was walking around with me. So she saw a tea shop and said you need to try tea. And I told her I don't drink tea. So, she said, Well, I have to drink some or I will freeze so I told her I'd go watch how it is made. So we went upstairs into this shop and this little girl had us try these teas they were like herbal tea. The girl kept talking to me in Chinese as if all the sudden I was going to respond, I was lost. Anyways I bought this herbal tea that is good but not great and it was expensive. Worst purchase of the trip so far. The little girl was too cute, you just can't not buy herbal tea from a little chinese girl.

Anyways it was cool to see and do those type of things. I would have never seen or done that stuff.

On the way back to the hotel I stopped in the subway shops and they were selling all types of stuff. Most of it knockoffs. I got a jacket because it has been so cold. It was crazy Northface jackets, polo, rolex all lookin' legit. The people will actually grab you if you try to walk away. I had this little lady holding me by my jacket. Those chinese women are strong.


So, I hopped back on the subway to head back to the hotel. And got shoved into the subway train. It was crappy. I was a sardine. It was so tight that I couldn't get out. Then I missed my stop and had to get on the next one and back track because there were just too many people to get out.