From Forbidden City to Margaritaville; 05.24.09

This weekend we FINALLY decided to head on out to the Forbidden City. We have been saying each weekend for the past few weeks that we would make the effort to head out to see the old city, but end up sleeping in instead. I think we picked one of the hottest days so far. The weather was calling for a day around 91 degrees, so we knew we had to wake up early. We met Thomas (Danish friend) out in front where we were surrounded by a million Chinese people. Once we were in the city, we were soon to find out that is was very Disney like (with the crowd that is). The Old city was very fascinating but very similar to many of the other things we have seen throughout the city. Aaron played our tour guide as he read out of the book and we snapped our usual million pictures. We introduced Thomas to the art of Landscape Architect photographs (paving, walls, bricks… all the little details that most others do not care to look at). We actually had one lady come up to us asking if we needed a tour guide and we answered with “we’ve already got one” while pointing to Aaron.

We walked through the city for a couple hours and then exited through the North end where there was a smaller park where we could walk to the top of the hill/mountain and overlook the Forbidden City. We were all pretty worn out from the heat, so we decided we needed some cooler beverages to quench our thirst. And by that we meant to head on over to Sanlitun and grab some Mexican food with some Margaritas. First, we took a quick trip over to Joy City so that Nicole could exchange some things at H&M.

We had a fun afternoon of eating Mexican and drinking Margaritas. We said it reminded us a little of being back in Florida enjoying the sun on a Saturday afternoon. Since we were in the area, we decided to head over to Ya Show to do some quick shopping for shoes. Nicole and I were on a mission to buy some Converse Allstars "Chucks". I got a pretty sweet pair for 60 Yuan (about 9 bucks).

We were all pretty tired, so we headed home for a foot massage and a little relaxation before going out to the Drum and Bell Bar for one of the girls birthdays who we met a few weeks back. We made it an early evening since all of us were very tired from the heat.

Today (Sunday), Nicole, Aaron, and myself met Thomas at a place called Gramma’s Kitchen where it’s almost like eating Southern Style home cooking. It’s a pretty charming place in a Hutong that is set up just like a little Southern home. It’s also a guesthouse as well. There are a few locations over the city, but we found one that is a easy subway ride and directly at the exit of the subway station (which is great). Afterwards, Nicole, Thomas, and I decided to head on over the the Llama Temple. It was a very cool temple. It felt a little weird walking through as everyone was in the middle of worship. Many people taking pictures and such. It would almost be like someone taking pictures of you while you were in church. Afterwards, we decided to head to a little café that Aaron told us about called “Vineyard”. It was a very quaint little place where we each enjoyed a glass of wine, discussion, and a little game of checkers. Well, I watched Nicole and Thomas play b/c I wasn’t feeling it. I almost took a little Chinese nap on the table.

This was a very eventful weekend with some good sights of the city and a very relaxing Sunday with a great brunch and discovery of a few new places to enjoy. This work week is a short work week. We will be leaving for Pingyao on Thursday morning and getting back Saturday evening. It should be a good time, but we have to get through the work week first…