Second day

Hello again!

Today, we've visited quite a few things. We had the vehicle and guide at our disposition the whole day, so we've been able to move to different spots of Beijing rather quickly. First of all, after a rather scarce breakfast, we set off to visit Qianmen, a very long and huge group of streets full of shops, restaurants and tourists. We walked along the main street and stopped occasionally to have a look at some of the shops.

After that, the driver picked us up and we went to the 768 District, which used to be a factory for the army until it closed and the artists began to set there their workshops. Today it is a huge complex of shops, bars, restaurants and galleries of all kinds. Also, there were all kinds of art there, from modern to abstract and traditional as well. It definitely was an interesting experience.

After that, we decided to have a look at one of the many imitation markets of Beijing, given that some of us wanted a few suits custom made and the rest had things to buy. It was a very good decision, but we ended up exhausted. You have to argue so much with the salesmen and women... And they don't even let you walk past them without trying to attract you to their part. I found some good deals though, so I liked the experience.

Finally, we went to a massage centre and due to me being rather special, I ended up having a manicure done while the rest of my group received full-body massages. Apparently, the lady who was in charge of the nails section wasn't there, so I have a feeling they called the first worker who said they knew how to paint nails to do my hands. So, I had to pay a high price for something I could have done myself... I didn't want to complain though, so I let it pass.

We went back to our hotel and had a drink at a nearby café before actually returning to our rooms. I have absolutely no idea about what we're going to do tomorrow, since the biggest part of the group will start their acupuncture advanced course and my father and I are the only ones with free time.

See you tomorrow!