北京 Day 3
Today was our last full day in 北京. We
spent the entire morning sightseeing Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden Palace.
Although the heat was unbearable, it was a wonderful experience.
We woke up at 8, and left at 9. We arrived at the tourist
entrance to Tienanmen Square around 10. What is interesting, is that all public
places, including transportation vehicles (buses, trains, subways), require
security checks. These security checks include metal detector machines to
search you and your belongings. Therefore, when we got to Tienanmen we had to
put our bags through a scanner, similar to one in the airports in America.
After getting past security we walked over to the actual
square. Everywhere you looked there were guards who stood perfectly still. They
didn’t even look like they were blinking. Along the walk, I ran in between different
people’s umbrellas to get just a brief second of shade. I also stupidly forgot
my fan on the bus, so I was extra sweating and hot. Once we went underground
and to the other side, we were officially on the square. It was massive, filled
with tourist trying to be discreet about talking pictures of us. We waited for
30 minutes while our chaperones bought us tickets to go into the viewing area
on top of the entrance building. Once the tickets were bought we had 30 minutes
on top of the building. Inside, there was a showing of different “offices” that
were used by the empires at varies points of history. Outside, we got to stand
a look out upon the square, like different leaders once did.
After 30 minutes, we all went through the Forbidden City as
a group. It was exciting at first, but as it got hotter and hotter, the
buildings got less and less more exciting. They all looked the same; with the
same architecture and designs. We stopped at some “crucial” points along the
city to listen to our tour guide talk about it. By the end, we were all exhausted
and covered in sweat. We walked down a few blocks to meet the bus driver, who
then drove us all to dinner.
After eating another delicious meal of 北京 food, we went to the famous Silk Street. Contrary to popular
belief, the silk street is not a street. It is a building that from the
outside, looks exactly like a regular shopping mall. But on the inside, the 6 story building is
filled with different little shops. What is ironic is that in front of every
story is a sign saying, “no bargaining, all prices are set. Only sell real
items” even though the silk street is known for selling fake stuff and everyone
bargains. We were given 3 hours at the market. During those 3 hours I bought
sunglasses, jade necklaces, earrings, and a tshirt. All for very cheap. I wish
there were markets like the Silk Street in America!
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