HOTLOG

We take the over ground light-rail as far as it goes, and discover that the model at the Exhibition Hall is not lying. Everywhere are huge developments, built and under construction: massive buildings, parks, stadiums, worker's barracks, old and new, rich and poor next to each other. We get a little lost since the map in my book and the actual railway does not correspond. We get off and discover a small market where we buy a set of speakers with sub base for 100 RMB. Back in town we try to get online at Starbucks, but a special phone card is needed. Walk through the old French part of town to Taipingqiao Park where some old men play string instruments while an old lady dances. We continue into the old Chinese area where we find a huge antique market, a warehouse for electronic goods and small stores and affairs where people live similar to in the Beijing hutongs. Later we reach a new mall in the shape of a series of temples that are full of tourists and souvenirs - awful! We find some peace in Yuyuan Garden that has a lake and a tea-house and a bamboo forest, before starting our hunt for the above mentioned phone card so we can go online. Many hours later, we succeed in checking our email while sipping ice-coffee at that dreaded place. Reconnected and charged we walk across Peoples Square - it is huge. Kids are playing in the fountain. We search in vain for a restaurant that no longer exists. When we arrive at the veggie joint from yesterday it is too late to be served, so we end up eating French fries at McDonald's - what a disgrace - but everything else is closed and we don't speak but two words of Chinese.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 21, 2005 at 9:38 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.