Beijing ends

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Its 6.10pm, we are just back from another busy day. We will meet the rest at 8.30 for an over-night 13hour train journey to Shanghai, which will be interesting.

Yesterday, (27th) we went to Tianamen Square followed by the Forbidden City. My God....Tianamen Square is nothing like we have ever seen before, its so big and mental busy. Very few Western looking tourists, all Asian. We walked through the Forbidden city and heard all about the Emperor, Empress and concubines. We also got shoved about by Chinese people who are trying to push past, apparently this is their culture to use their elbows to get past. They also spit everywhere which is rotten but apparently its just normal.

Peter and I went to the famous Silk markets to buy some knock-off cheap crap, however, my tummy got dodgy and that ended the shopping trip quite quickly.

Today, (28th) we went to the Summer Palace, where the Emperor went on his summer holidays. It was lovely and peaceful, on the outskirts of the city and the views were amazing. We then had the afternoon to explore so we went shopping and stocked up on gloves, hats etc. To finish our afternoon in Beijing we went to the Haagan Daaz parlour and had quality icecream....However it cost us more for two icecreams than it has cost for 2 dinners!!

On the whole its very cheap here, breakfast costing about 2-3 pound, dinners costing around 9-10 pound. Underground is about 20p for a ticket, bus is 10p. There are hundreds of shopping centres, and lots of them consist of Gucci, Cartier etc so we obviously stayed away from those!

The toilets are alot to be desired, most toilets which are not in hotels are HOLES in the ground, which I found out yesterday! It was a very traumatic experience for me!!

For now, its goodbye,
Talk soon
Peter and Andrea x

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Comments

[Priscilla]

Holes...
Loving the blogs Andrea...the holes - I can only imagine the face of you!! Funny Alan mentioned the spitting thing to me yesterday!! Can you put any photies up?? I'd love to see the 2 of you muuching around! Love P x

[Siobhan]

So funny
Oh my god Andrea I am wetting myself in work people may think I have issues!! Your account of the toilet etc is very funny oh that may not be suitable for me!! I cant believe the chinese culture of being shoved around - and how were you able to stop yourself from loosing the plot completely!! Is it very westernized?? I thought tonight was your boat night?? Me, mum and dad were speculating that it must have been tonight but its ur train journey!! Are people well dressed?? Anyway gotta go as i am on the NHS time!!! Siobhan xxx

[Dad and Mam]

Day 4
Sounds like you are enjoying yourselves and learning some Chinese culture, not sure how some of those habits would go down in New Street. Can't believe you went for German ice cream in China, I hope you can cope with the changes to diet. I take it temperatures are low when you talk of hats and gloves, how many miles long is the train trip. Do you take the boat trip north again from Shanghai, that should get you very close to the life of ordinary folk in China. Keep us updated, take care of yourselves. Dad and Mum