Welcome to the Rock!: First Full Day in Beijing

Today was my first full day in Beijing. There's a farmer's market across the street from Allison's apartment complex so i went down there to look for some breakfast. The fruits and nuts on sale looked awesome. However, i barely made it into the fresh poultry (and i mean fresh) room and was about to puke so i quickly headed outside for some fresh air. let's just say they're not too keen on refridgeration. anyways, after walking around, i got some fresh soy milk, sweet tofu soup, and a bunch of fresh baked breads all for about fifty cents in US dollars. quite a bargain.

after breakfast, allison and i took to subway over to tiananmen square and walked around. tons of tourists and locals everywhere but the place is just huge. it's just too bad the air is so polluted you really cant see the place in all it's true glory. allison suggested that we take a three wheeled rickshaw over to Bei Hai (the north lake), which was only a few LARGE blocks from the square. al says you gotta be really careful with these "independent contractors" because they often swindle foreigners by screwing around with the terms after dropping you off. Our first guy kind of screwed us cuz we said we'd pay him 30 yuan to take us to the lake but he couldnt cross one of the major streets. since he looked like he worked his tail off to haul allison and my overweight ass, we paid him 10 yuan instead after i sternly put my foot down and lectured him in chinese that he was full of garbage for charging us more.

so, allison and i walked a bit and then took another one of these rickshaws over to the lake. i specifically told him 10 yuan to take us and once we got to the lake, he too tried to ask for more money saying i'm a big guy. and i had to break out the adamantly stern chinese and tell him "10 YUAN, 10 YUAN, 10 YUAN" I dont mean to be mean but please keep in mind that a cab ride would only have cost 10 Yuan so he was lucky to get our business. anyways, the lake was absolutely beautiful and i'm gonna have to go back to see the rest of it.

at night we ate thai food at a western type thai restaurant, walked around the chaoyang district and then hung out at a lounge bit. we also went by worker's stadium, where a pro soccer match was being played. the best part was seeing the cops outside in riot gear just in case the hoodlum soccer fans would get rowdy later on.

also, allison has the cutest puppy pug ever, and she named it "ice cream" in chinese. unfortunately it's always sick and al thinks he might not make it too much longer. apparently the breeder really sucked. i'll be very sad if he doesnt make it.