The Sites of Beijing

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The next morning Matt, Max and I headed out early to go to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Even at 9am it was rammed with tourists! We met James, Andy, Alastair and G at the entrance and walked around together! It is HUGE, so big that there are several halfway buildings where the emperor stopped for breaks when travelling somewhere. It was magnificent but lots of very similar buildings and the Chinese tourists push a lot!!

We then met up outside the north entrance and went for lunch. Dom took Lil, Rob, Karwei and I to a dumpling restaurant recommended by his guidebook which was great! After this half of us went to a garden at the north of the forbidden city that had a temple from which you could overlook the whole of Bejing! It had fantastic views and even a dinosaur park!

We then got in some taxis, which were highly likely not taxis, to head to the Silk market. This was not what I had imagined! I thought it would be a street market with loads of stalls but this was 8 floors of shops and stalls, with workers shouting and pulling you in to buy their stuff. I got a bit excited and bought some silk ties for a bit too much as I hadn't quite mastered the haggling process! I then bought myself a tailored suit which was very reasonably priced, but meant I would have to come back the next day to get it altered...could be a strain on my wallet! I then helped Caleb, who is awful at haggling, to get another piece I tat, a dragon pocket watch to go with his dragon necklace, dragon t-shirt and Communist hat!

As I had broken Jess's watch in Dandong I went with Briony to buy her a replacement. I decided on a plastic hello kitty watch, which the seller tried to sell to me for 100rmb! I eventually settled for 20rmb still to much but Jess is worth it.... Lil who had now mastered haggling got us a deal on some I love BJ t shirts but the woman started hitting me when I tried to get the same price later on! They don't like it if you tell other people what you pay for it! They are crafty buggers. At one point I was looking at some Russian teenagers browsing some t shirts and when she saw me looking she hit me and said "Don't tell them anything! I make good price out of them". It is ridiculous!

I then decided to get a wallet to replace my current one which is very battered. After telling the lady exactly what I wanted; button clasp, change pocket, place for IDs etc, she showed me one which was perfect and it was "Diesel"! She started at 1350rmb saying it was good price. I was having none of it and said I wouldn't pay more than 100rmb. She then did the whole chat about real leather, getting a lighter out and showing it didn't melt. However after previously seeing a 100%!P(MISSING)U jacket lasting the same treatment I was sceptical! The price fell to 400rmb. I then got our my old wallet and showed the real leather symbol and noticing that the one for sale didn't have one dropped my offer to 50rmb which I eventually got! Not bad seeing as it turns out it is real leather...I am just as crafty!

We headed back on the underground, which left from underneath the market. By the time we got back it was around <a>9pm</a> so we headed for dinner and some Peking Duck! It was quite dear but worth it to try it and the soup they made out of the bones was great! We then went back to the hostel and met the others who had already started drinking. I gave Jess the watch which she loved and then the drinking commenced!

The hostel sold these 6 pint towers for 45rmb and it was draft beer, something I had been craving all trip! We got a couple and things got a bit crazy. We met two guys from Scotland Fez and Sid and had some drinks. Resulting in Sid drawing all over me in permanent marker, but I got him back good. At the hostel the walls are covered in people's names and comments so we joined in and wrote lots of messages. Me and a very drunk Max lifted Lil so she could right a rather illegible "Durham 2012" and I got Karwei up on my shoulders to write "Karwei and Lewis Rock" which looked a bit more like ruck.... This night James, Matt, Briony and I shared a four bed dorm which was good as James and Matt stumbled in <a>at 3am</a> after getting some street food!

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