Full Day
Trip Start
Oct 07, 2008
1
4
15
Trip End
Oct 25, 2008
When I woke up today my legs were sore from the walk on the Great Wall but they didn't hurt as badly as I thought they would. After breakfast at the hostel I took a cab to the hotel I had reserved for the next few days. After I arrived I walked to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City, which is now called the Palace Museum. On the way I got stopped by some purported students asking me to see their art exhibits. I declined because I'd been warned of scams involving art students, though it was nice to have someone to chitchat with in English. Only one person touched my hair. Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City are humongous! There were people everywhere. There was room after room after room. I rented an audio tour device and walked around the area for two hours. Just when you thought you'd gotten to the end, there was more. It was really interesting, but after the the spectacle of the Great Wall, this area wasn't as exciting to me. I bought some postcards. After awhile, I walked back toward the hotel and ended up on the famous Food Street where they sell all kinds of food--crickets and scorpions on a stick, kidney, fruit, dumplings, noodles, and so on. I bought some kind of spicy pasta dish called diaozi and some candied strawberries and pineapple on a stick. Both of them were delicious, except the last strawberry on the stick was unusually crunchy for some reason. I don't think I want to know why. At the Food Market the stares from people weren't quite as bad, mostly just quick double-takes. I guess everyone was focusing on the food. I was so tired when I got back to the hotel that I was in bed at 7:30 pm and asleep before 8:00 pm.
