Exploring Beijing: Part 1

After another week of hard work in Beijing, my team has now entered the home stretch of our journey. This week is full of sightseeing in Beijing, and our first two days brought lots of great experiences. 

First up, Wangfujing Street and Donghuamen Night Market. This area in Beijing is extremely popular for tourists and locals alike. Wangfujing is a pedestrian street lined with ritzy stores galore. The shopping scene is more high-end, very similar to what you'd see in the States. I much prefer the chaotic, bargain-friendly shops in China over this stop. For this reason, I personally didn't do any shopping here, but I did enjoy browsing the giant bookstore that sits amidst the busy street. 

While Wangfujing was neat to witness, my FAVORITE part of the night came later when we arrived at the Donghuamen Night Market. Hidden right behind the Wangfujing action we found a line of food vendors selling some of the most disturbing foods I have ever seen in my life. Let me reiterate again what I just said before I go into details: these stands were filled with the most abnormal and out-of-this-world foods I've seen in my life. 

Okay, you've been warned...

Scorpions, tarantulas, crickets, grasshoppers, snakes, jellyfish, grubs, seahorses, centipedes, starfish, and fresh young pigeons- all served on a stick for your eating convenience. Then there's the options for the weaklings: fried EVERYTHING, including bananas, ice cream, all types of meat, steamed dumplings, corn-on-the-cob, and chicken legs. I took the safe route, choosing my favorite dumplings, some fried cream-puffs (tasted like funnel cake), and my favorite treat which was strawberries on a stick dipped in a melted, then hardened sugar coating. I'd say this dining experience was by far one of the most memorable.

From left to right. TOP ROW: 1) Us enjoying our food picks. 2) Seafood station 3) Giant grasshoppers-on-a-stick 4) Some sort of pineapple creation MIDDLE ROW: 1) Grubs-on-a-stick 2) Our fruit and sugar treats 3) King-scorpions-on-a-stick 4) Seahorse-on-a-stick (50 Yuan! SUPER expensive!) BOTTOM ROW: 1) Getting brave with Tong-Ying's choice of jellyfish (no, I didn't actually eat it). 2) Centipedes, Tarantulas ("The Spider King"), even bigger centipedes, water beetles, medical centipedes, sheep's genitalia, and snake 3) Me about to try my fried cream puffs. 4) Fresh young pigeon 

Yesterday's trip was much more historically-based. We made our way to Tian'men Square East station by Subway, which took us out to the front entrance of the Forbidden City. The grounds of this ancient place are massive, and one could spend hours exploring the beautiful scenery. We walked for what felt like miles, but it was so worth it to experience what it would have been like to live as royalty during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Each building we saw uncovered even more about the way of life during that time: the structures built solely for the King's parties, for dressing, for resting, etc. The attention to detail is incredible and truly shows just how important this area was at one time in Chinese history.

I love Beijing and all the city has to offer its tourists! I can't believe I'm saying this, but tomorrow marks our final full day in China. We will spend it touring the Great Wall, and then we will pack up and fly home Thursday morning.

Thank you for your continued prayers as we begin saying our goodbyes and preparing for our homecoming.