Another morning of waking up before my alarm, we left the hotel at 9am to go to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The bus ride nearly took an hour with traffic, but it was nice to finally see the city. I was surprised at how large the city is, with it taking an hour just to get to the center! I have to say that I expected the square to be more crowded than it was, but there were still a lot of people including vendors persistently selling Mao watches. It was funny how the Chinese people were very fascinated with American tourists and were anxious to take pictures with us. We took a bunch of group pictures before proceeding to the Forbidden City.
We walked through the Forbidden City which I found very fascinating. The structure of the buildings was neat and unlike anything that can be found in the U.S. This part of China was crowded as people pushed and shoved to see the imperial throne and various other rooms in the city. I found it odd how this historic site was in the middle of a modern city, making it feel slightly out of place.
Next, we took a bus to Wangfujing Street to get lunch and shop. Lunch was good and also entertaining. A sort of fish soup was brought out that scared some of the girls and made for an interesting time. Once we were done with lunch, we decided to get dessert at Hagen Daas. I was surprised that it was pretty fancy and costly, but also it was very tasty. We then walked around the mall a little bit, but everything was very upscale and expensive. Because of this, we ventured outside to the tourist market. This was my favorite part of the day because it fulfilled my expectations of a Chinese market. There were lots of vendors selling bugs on sticks that were still alive like scorpions and spiders. There were also souvenirs that you could test your bargaining skills with. I may not have done the best job, but I was content with the prices I paid for what I bought. I have to say that there is definitely a big culture difference visible at the market. The vendors do not have the same social norms as in the U.S. as they are very pushy and sometimes grab you as you walk away. We finally ended the day with dinner at pizza hut and a walk around the night market.