I am feeling a bit better today, although still feeling quite homesick. Matt had persuaded me that the best thing to do is to go out and do something I have wanted to do on my own, so at 10.30am I found myself on the subway making my way across the city to Beijing zoo market for a bit of retail therapy. As I got off the subway, the passage leading from the underground up to the street was full of traders, there were a few there with carrier bags full of puppies as well, they are so cute and I always feel so sad when I see them, animal rights really is another world right now.
Once inside the market it wasn’t long before I was feeding my jewellery addiction with a pair of earrings (real silver I am told, I doubt it for £1.50 but they are still very pretty snowflake earrings, great for Christmas) I also bought a few bits of make up for my zombie outfit and had a quick look at the clothes (I don’t know why I bother, I am repeatedly told the clothes here are “no good” for me, they really are quite small sizes) It is nice to get ideas though as if I see anything I really like, I can get it tailor made in my size at the silk market quite cheaply.
I am quite proud of myself really as I was only at the zoo market 30 minutes, then I was on my way to the destination I had planned for today. I passed through the subway passage again and even though it had only been 30 minutes, the passage was empty of traders and there were quite a few police there. I had come prepared as earlier this morning I had written Beijing botanical gardens on a piece of paper, then copied the Chinese symbols underneath it, desperately hoping they were close enough to actually mean the botanical gardens. GCSE Art had obviously paid off though as not long after showing it to the taxi driver, I arrived at the botanical gardens. Throughout the taxi journey it had been lightly raining (luckily I was wearing my coat as it looked a lot colder today) but the closer we got to the gardens the heavier the rain got, to the point that I almost told the taxi driver to turn around and take me back to the city! I got out at the gardens though and went to pay my 5 RMB (50p) to get in, hoping that the rain would ease off. Just my luck really, the day I decide to go and it’s freezing, windy and raining for the first time in weeks! I wished I had bought my gloves....
Beijing botanical gardens are not as modern as Shanghai botanical gardens or anywhere near as big. Beijing botanical gardens sort of feel like they have been forgotten by time, they are still in many ways how I imagine they were hundreds of years ago, apart from one small modern section near the entrance with big flower displays. The older part of the gardens reminded me a bit of the film sleepy hollow as it was that kind of style and it was kind of creepy, I went a whole hour without seeing anyone (so sorry mum, I know you wanted more pictures with me in but it just wasn’t possible). It was nice just to walk round on my own though and the rain stopped shortly after I got there.
When I had finished at the gardens I got a taxi back to the city and went to the tapas bar I went to a while ago and had a nice late lunch there which was nice, then I got the subway home and caught up with a few people on skype, quite a nice day really in the end.
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