First Full Day of Beijing

Hello!!

Today was my first full day in Beijing and I was ready for anything having had 11 hours sleep to correct my jet lag! So come 8 o'clock I headed out to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Outside my hostel there was a food market complete with live fish which was nice to walk through. 

Talk about fresh fish!!

I decided to walk to the Forbidden City as it didn't seem very far away on the map; after about 45 minutes of walking, I came to the conclusion that the map was a lie. However I managed to find my way there eventually! Today was Chinese New Years Eve and so there were fireworks being set off everywhere, usually in my path (its seen as good luck apparently, although I may have needed a change of underwear after the first time...). 

The Forbidden City was surrounded by a moat that had frozen over (I told you it was cold!) and was rather impressive to behold. It was busy but not as bad as normal because it is a public holiday. I walked through the Forbidden city and towards Tiananmen Square, it was all very impressive but I think a lot of it was lost on me. I will have to read the guide book Mum and Dad gave me to find out some more about what I saw. 

See iced over moat!

They like dressing up their dogs here, I guess its to stop others eating them. Luke says dog is nasty to eat. 

After walking across Tiananmen Square I found myself on a Chinese high street, it was very pretty and very posh. As it was very cold and I had missed breakfast, I popped into Starbucks (that traditional Chinese tea house...) and got myself a latte. It was then that I realised that the Chinese aren't big on milk, they have beef EVERYWHERE but no milk, so then I began to question what exactly I was drinking if it wasn't milk... Not sure I will be having a latte again anytime soon. I wandered through the high street and found a nice market to look around. I got given some free huacha  (Jasmine tea) which was surprisingly nice but I then had to buy something (fell for that old trick!) so I am in possession of some tea biscuits.

Setting fire to someone is a type of massage apparently... seems legit. 

 I then headed back to Tiananmen Square, where I decided to get the subway back to the hostel. I managed it too! Popped into the supermarket and examined some of the odd food they sold, I went to the fresh food  section and was immediately hit with the smell of blood that you get in butchers. There was so much meat! That wasn't all, there was a bakery and a fishmongers too! I found some prawns the size of my fist!!!!

I then met up with one of the new interns to the hostel, a guy called Luke who has been travelling since 2009 and has spent a year or so in Thailand before coming to China. Needless to say there is quite a temperature difference between Bangkok and Beijing! We went for lunch (noodles and some kind of beer with peppers), it was nice! I am now sat in the bar with a flaggon of the local lager (20RMB / £2 expensive beer!!!) and a pork bun (bread roll baked with meat in the middle! SO YUMMY!); oh and they are playing a remix of the Teletubbies theme tune... There is a party in the hostel tonight to bring in the new year so going to chill this afternoon to ensure I am ready and willing!

My Hostel!

Until next time! 

新年快乐

Xīn nián kuài lè

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Gān Bēi!!!