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Today was packed with adventures. First, we went to the Summer Palace where I saw a a lot of similarities to the Forbidden City in terms of architecture and paintings. It was a very serene area, I can definitely see why emperors would take their vacations there. We took a boat ride at the Summer Palace across the lake. The Temple of Heaven also had similar features. My favorite part of the Temple of Heaven was the area leading up to the Temple that is the center of Beijing. Many people stopped to take pictures. I liked both sites very much. One thing that struck me was the size of these two places. When learning about them, you realize that they are large, but do not think about exactly how big they are.
Another interesting thing is the Asian people who take pictures with us as "foreigners." They want us to take pictures with them, which seems odd to us, but does not bother us.
We had lunch at a hotel, on the 25th floor, which revolved. It had a good variety of food and the scenery was nice. I was once again struck by the smog.
We
took a rickshaw tour around a Houtong near Hou Hai. It was unbelievable to see how people living in Beijing and have done so for many years. It is much different than in the United States. The houses are set up courtyard style, and the tenants have to use public bathrooms.
Hou Hai was a really fun shopping district with many bars as well. We went around with students from Beijing Jiantong University to various places and experienced the differences between bars in the U.S. and China. One of the students even bargained for the price of the meal. To get home we took a taxi, which was another first for many of us in China, something else that you can bargain the price for. Also, some cabs go some places and others do not. A helpful tip that I learned was to always take the card of the hotel that you are staying at. You are then able to hand it to the driver and they will give you their asking price if they drive there. It makes it easier to get around in a country where you do not speak the language.
Hoping for clear weather
tomorrow, our last day in Beijing, as we are climbing the Great Wall!!!
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