So after my previous post, we (me, Erin and Jenny) went to play Ping pong with one of Erin’s Chinese friends (who is kinda stalker-ish, which makes it very funny). Erin invited us with so that she won’t be alone. The table is on the 10th floor of a random building on campus just outside an elevator. Super duper random. We took turns, and in the end it was rather fun. The dude taught me a “magic” trick with a ring and chain, which I’ll show you guys when I get back.
Anyhoo, after the games we rested the afternoon and then decided to check out the English Corner on campus. It’s such an amazing concept. People come together at the University to practice their English. We went there without any expectations, but woah there were a lot of people! We were quickly swamped by people asking us questions. Most people don’t believe us when we say that we’re from South Africa. Some still think Nelson Mandela is president. They asked me many questions about South African politics, its industries and equality. Some talked to my about me studies and such. One guy asked me how strong the South African army is… er… wait… how strong is our army? Does anyone know? haha. It was an interesting experience!
After that we missioned for the night to HouHai district. WOW! I’ve never been so impressed with a nightlife area ever. I was overwhelmed. Every single place had the awesomest character and there were at least a 100 hundred places. The only downside though is the prices. It cost me 25Y for a beer. Ouch! Alas, it was worth it. We only spent a short time though, but we chilled at a jazz cafe which had live jazz. Really great place! All my friends will love it!
The rest of the night we strolled around the whole place looking for cheap booze, but alas none was to be found. When we’re about to go I found a guy playing some guitar on the streets. His tunes were amazing so I bought impulsively bought his CD. Can’t wait to listen to it at home! We got back fairly late though, and I got like under 4 hours of sleep.
I almost overslept for the bus this morning to the Great Wall. We all made it though, but very sleepy. Now, the Great Wall. It is amazingly impressive, however, it is SO crowded by tourists. It’s another example of a great place losing it’s touch because of all the tourists. We went to the Badaling area of the Great Wall which had two sides to walk on (left or right). We decided to take the left route. Although it was shorter and didn’t go as high as the other side, it had way less people. It made the trek much more bearable! Still, even when you get to the top, there are vendors trying to sell you things. You’d think you’d escape them on the Great Wall, but alas no you still here, “Look here! Cheap Price, just for you!”.
When we took the bus back, we, to our suprise, stopped at this random Cloisonne factory. It was so pretty and mesmerizing. We had lunch at the place too, which some amazing Chinese food. It reminded me of South African Chinese food ala Magic Flavour. I loved it!
Now, the plans for the weekend in still undecided. Chilling tonight, but tomorrow we might go to the Forbidden City and then party all Sunday night to see the sunrise on Tainamen Square! However, I’ll keep you guys updated!
Cheers for now
