Beijing Day 1

Since the Forbidden City was so close to the hotel it was one of our first stops. We heard some loud music coming from JingShan Park across from the Forbidden City so we went in to see what was going on. We found some ladies dancing with these rackets and balls and on the other side of the park were these men dancing with a rope and drum shaped object. From the hill top in the park you can get a view of the roof tops of the Forbidden City.

When we got to the Forbidden City we decide to rent the Audio Guide. The funny thing though is the Chinese Audio Guide is only 10 RMB and all other languages is 40Rmb for the same exact machine. A tip for anyone who decides to go the Audio Guide has two head phone jacks so bring an extra pair of headphones and you can share the machine.

The City was pretty interesting. The whole scale of it is just so impressive. There were so many rooms, and so many more that were off limits. One nice part of the trip was that it wasn't so crowded. Lonely Planet recommended the Clock Exhibition Hall and the ringing of the clocks. We ran around to find the room in time to see the show and made it there just in time. It was nice to see if you are there but not worth going out of your way to see it.


After visiting the Forbidden City we went back to the hotel to put on some extra layers of clothes before going to Tian An Men Square. As we got to the square we some some soldiers walking across the street. We thought they were going across for the flag lowering ceremony so we tried to chase them down. We couldn't follow them all the way because we had to put our bags through the security check. We assumed they went to The Flag but apparently they went somewhere else because we stood in the crowd for almost an hour before seeing anything.


After watching the soldiers lower flag we were both starving. We decided to have something traditional to Beijing, Peking Duck at QuanJuDe. It was during dinner that Tommy learned, Peking is Beijing. The duck was pretty good but I wish we had more people so we could try more dishes. After dinner we watched them take a duck out of the stove and they drained the duck. It was surprising how much liquid came out of it.

F.Y.I. We tried to track down the restaurant that Anthony Bordain went to. Tommy found the video on YouTube and then we googled the name. It was something like Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant. We tried calling them to make an appointment for the same day. The lady that answered the phone said they were booked full for the next two days. It was our last day in Beijing so there was no chance to make it for that trip, but for anyone who wants to try it remember to make reservations ahead of time.


After dinner we took a stroll on the Snack street. Nothing look extremely appetizing. They had lamb skewers and fruit kabobs, but they also had the scorpions, silk worms, and crickets. I was surprised to see they had had starfish and sea urchins. It was cool to see all the strange foods but there was nothing there worth eating.