Beijing: When it Rains, it Pours

It seems that our luck is beginning to run out. The trip was simply going too well. Hillary, at the travel agency, started a snowball effect of rough experiences. Since the bullet train ride to Beijing was cancelled we adapted quickly and purchased plane tickets for 6 pm the same day. Upon our departure time, we were delayed due to weather conditions in Beijing (monsoon season I guess). Then delay after delay, the flight after us gets canceled. Preparing for the worst, now 10 pm, our flight was ready for boarding. Phew.

We finally made it to our hostel by 2 am (collecting luggage, waiting for a cab, then long cab ride). Thanks again Hillary for not only robbing us of a fun experience but also of our time!

Anyway, we took our bad experience with a grain of salt and began to plan our first day in Beijing. This is when things start to turn around. First stop: the (not so) Forbidden City. This place was incredible! Palace after Palace after Palace, we were astonished by their intricacies. Photos and a 360 video can be seen below:

Then we walked over to Tiananmen Square (yes the same from the '89 protest where a single man stood in front of a tank). This area was massive! We were able to see a monument to the heroes of China, the "Mao"soleum (Mao Mausoleum), Museum of China as well as the Forbidden City in the distance.

Afterwards, we were getting a bit famished and needed a place to eat. Nick and I decided to hit one of the most popular markets in Beijing, Wang Fujing Street. This market was truly an impressive area to shop. Since we were used to the back alleys of Shanghai, we decided to do similarly here and found some great things to eat: scorpions, crickets, snakes, etc. Unfortunately, we were looking for something a little more filling so we just grabbed some street meat and dumplings.

Impressed by Wang Fujing, we wanted a high scale market but with faux goods to cap our day. After a little research, the Silk Market came up. A couple metro stops away and we were there. This place was essentially a 6 story mall full of fake goods of incredible quality. Shanghai markets required back alleys for the fake watches whereas this place was selling them with no shame! To answer your question, yes I found the watch I was looking for, and the resemblance is uncanny. I had visited two, genuine Cartier shops on Wang Fujing to see the real deal earlier and I had a photo for a side by side comparison: just to be prepared. I must say, this thing looked like the $30k watch I had seen earlier for a small fraction of the price! What a deal.

It did rain a bit of bad fortune on us initially but it has been offset immediately by the city of Beijing and the beauty that resides within it. Speaking of beauty, we see the Great Wall next! Stay tuned for that exciting adventure.