in between Summary

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So I only manage to keep a daily blog up to day 3 of 13 days. I had to transfer hostel with poor wifi, took overnight trains, was dead tired at the end of the day and just got overwhelmed that I don't know where to start. So here's a summary:

Day 4 - took the steep steps up to the Drum Tower, roam around the hutongs, Prince Gong's Mansion, Beihai park and Houhai park

Day 5 - transfer to Sanlitun, go to Tiannanmen Square, Wangfujing food street, malls

Day 6 - banks and bookstores and Wangfujing Church. Vomit for the first time thankfully it was not food poisoning. Massage- tried cupping for the first time - glass with flame over your skin

Day 7 - took my first bus, buy ticket to Luoyang, Tiatan park, Temple of Heaven, trike ride, and first long distance train.

Day 8 - Hello Luoyang, survived the train, went to my hostel/homestay with the kindest hosts, off to Shaolin temple, got wet from the rain, lost on my way back, walked for an hour on the same road must have passed my turn 3x but can't remember as it looks different at night than day

Day 9 - with Flora my guide. How weird we are the western girl speaking chinese and the asian looking girl who is almost mute. Had some chinese brunch and really good dumplings, off to White Horse temple, old city Luoyang and Peony park with a mini zoo(sad conditions). Almost didn't get a train back to beijing. made new chinese friends as translators

Day 10 - sleeper train on the third bunk on top. lost in xishemen, figured out how to use my map. rest day, organnize stuff, do laundry, sleep much

Day 11 - Beijing zoo watch panda cuteness but they decided to go to sleep after a few minutes I arrived there. Check the latest modern train station - Beijing south- almost like an airport, Grand view garden for "A dream of red mansions", lost looking for the ugly duckling, found it after an hour and cannot eat need to make reservations, urghhh... Olympics- Bird's nest and water cube

Day 12 - plan - Lama temple, forbidden city, 798 art district, markets and that ugly duckling

Day 13 - Summer palace, pack bags go home

---will edit and add some pics later if I'm not exhausted--- xoxo

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Photos

new fashion trend
raining at Pagoda forest, sahaolin temple

Olympics beijing
Water cube and bird's nest

Peony
Luoyang - Peony capital