Temple of heaven and the markets...

Hi Everyone!

It's really really cold today, more than usual! Although very sunny and completely clear blue skies!

We went out last night to a bar. First we spent about 1/2 an hour trying to find a bar that Jimmy had left a message for us in. Unfortunately the description left of the bar, this being its next to Hou Hai on a hutong street with a sign outside and writing all over the walls meant this was quite difficult, especially considering hou hai has the most amount of bars in the whole city! lol! On the way down people were still setting bangers and fireworks off everywhere. And I mean everywhere, some people set a whole box of fireworks off in the middle of the street! Loads of cars had to swerve and stop to avoid having a firework go off under them!

We finally found a really cool bar down a street we like. Its quite relaxed with couches, tables and wooden furniture everywhere. They give you a bin full of fire... that sounds weird. Basically its individual metal waste paper bins filled with coal. That was really nice and WARM!!!

Today we headed down to the temple of heaven. I really enjoyed the structures but was less impressed by the inside of these buildings. It seems that one of the most important things for the construction of these monuments are the layout of the buildings with there paths and bridges. I did enjoy it. Although, many of the historical buildings in Beijing seem to lack something, the issue seems to come from the preservation of the buildings. They are obviously regularly newly painted which does restore them very well but they lose any sense of how old they are. It is very difficult to put the buildings in context. If that makes sense. They are no doubt very beautiful still though and extremely contrasting to the modern day Beijing buildings that surround them.

After the temple of heaven we headed to the silk and pearl market. Don't be confused by the name, although they do sell silk and pearls they sell everything else you could possibly want or need. This was a very 'interesting' experience! The aim is to get the seller down to about a 3rd of the price they first offer. Rob managed to get a jumper down from 1500 to 180 RMB. So from about 115 pounds to 13 pounds! He then decided not to buy it though! lol!

I brought a pair of walking shoes and more socks! I have to say that walking shoes are not attractive footwear in the slightest but they are very comfy and I'm def gonna need them tomorrow. It was really scary trying to get the prices down. Once the seller grabs you, and I mean LITERALLY grabs you its very difficult to get away. At one point Rob was thinking of buying a scarf and the seller grabbed him and when he said he did not want it and tried to walk away she would not let go of him at all! He was walking away with this women trailing and attached to him trying to pull him back into the booth. When he did finally get away the women continued to shout numbers at us as we walked away.

Interesting to say the least. But it was really really fun!

We have come back to the hotel now because tonight at 6 we are going to an acrobatics show!!!! I'm soooooooooooooo excited about this!!!! I think its going to be awesome! Tomorrow is the great wall hike! Being ready and outside the hotel at 7.10am is going to be interesting. I am excited for the journey though it will be cool to see a bit of China outside Beijing! Although the hike still scares me! I think its about 40 watchtowers along the way.... that up a big hill and down a big hill each time! lol!

We have got a lot of taxis today and Beijing taxis are very 'interesting'. Driving like using fireworks in Beijing can be a little erratic! Although its not too scary after experiencing the taxi drivers in Rome! The chinese use their horns alot as well, but not in a 'you've cut me up' kind of way but more of a hyacinth (?) bucket kind of 'theres a person on the pavement 200 meters away who might cross so i need to tell them that i'm coming' kind of way!

Anyways, I'm off! I'll e-mail tomorrow evening, if I have the strength to type after the great wall!

Lots of Love,

Sarah xxx