Today was extremely enjoyable as well. We went to the summer palace, which was absolutely gorgeous. The sheer size of it as well as the intricate details were stunning. It blows my mind to think of how much work went into building a place like this. The excess of the palace was also staggering. Although I didn’t know much about the artifacts I saw, I could tell that all of them were made with painstaking care from the finest materials. And I wonder how many years it took to paint the portraits on every single beam of the long hallway! The thought is absolutely ridiculous.
On a lighter note, the paddle boats were a ton of fun, even though Krysta was having a heart attack.
After the summer palace I experienced my first and only Chinese hotpot, which was both fun and delicious. I had never been to anything like it so it was definitely a new experience. The sheer amount of food they served us was nuts, and I still can’t believe they served us whole shrimp with the heads still attached! Although shelling the shrimp was a little gruesome, the end product was really good. And once again, the waiters and waitresses were really friendly and accommodating. I think this is one of the things I like best about China. It really makes me want to come back sometime later in my life. I’m not sure why people think China is a dangerous country to travel to because everyone I have interacted with in Beijing has extremely friendly.
Later in the day, we finally found the post office—which was an adventure—and we met some fellow Americans (who were kind of creepy). Later in the evening we went to a dance club, which was so much fun.