Journal Entry 2: Trip to China, Beijin (Transit to Hong Kong)

Day 2:

(Note: I'm not bothering to change the position of the pictures 'cause its getting irritating)

We woke up at around 7.00 a.m. We dressed and got ready before getting on the bus that will take us to our first destination. It was a FREEZING COLD day as the temperature plunged from 6 degrees Celsius to 2.

Today's visit was to the Forbidden City. a GIGANTIC palace where the emperor of China used to stay in... and wow...

Well...anyway...the tour guide showed us around and we stayed there for a while...and boy was it cold...

Anyway, it was a real eye-opener for me. The place was HUMONGOUS. You could easily get lost in it. The place was really beautiful and the many different cultural objects with different meanings really bamboozled me. The place was really an interesting artifact preserved perfectly from the ancient world. The meridian gate was also really fascinating.

It was around 11 a.m. when we finally managed to get out of (hehe) Forbidden City. We spent the next hour walking back to the bus. (for some reason, there was not car park near the forbidden city and the closest one was REALLY FAR away) When we finally reached the bus, we set off for our lunch.

Same experience: A delicious array of food set up for us...really oily and salty, but on the whole, just pure delicious. They also let us have a taste of the exquisite tea widely drunk in Beijing: the wild puer tea that is renowned for slimming and for improving face complexion. Well...I wasn't really into those kind of stuff...but I ...ahem... tried some.

After that we went to a tea shop and had to listen to the explanantion of the different health benefits of the different teas. Then they asked us to buy and my mother spent more than RMB 1000 (About $250) buying teas. If there's something I hate about the people of China is their really persistent attitude at getting us to buy things. For example, after my mother purchased all that teas. She was asked to buy many other things, including given promotings and price cuts...etc. One saleswoman even took her hand and brought her to see some other merchandise... how despicable!!!

Anyway, after that we were taken to a place where people who ferry us on bikes (pretty much like a trishaw) through a small town...well...just look at the pictures. The thing I was holding was a heat-pak...did I mention how cold it was?

Well after that we went to some shops (TOO BORING, SO I WON'T DESCRIBE). And then we went back to the hotel.