Its that time again! Greetings from Beijing, the city that never stops surprising you. Its day 17 now, 11.30 monday morning. Alot has happend in the last 2 days! here goes.

Sunday I went back down to the ping pong tables and had a few more sets (my game is improving!) and on the agenda today was Beijing City Zoo & The Summer Palace. I joined forces with Colleen the texan and we set off. Bejing City Zoo was absolutely packed solid. We payed extra to go see the pandas (PANDAS!) but turned out so had everyone else. I thought there was alot of people on the japanese subway but the Beijing zoo hearby takes the cake. We did still get to see the pandas, got a good video that ill try to upload, as well as an albino tiger and some funky monkeys.

Left at about 2 to try and find transport to the summer palace which is a fair ways away from the city senter. The bus here in china is the cheapest ive come across and only costs 1 yuan to get on (1.14kr) but taxis are also really cheap with the first 3 km costing 10 yuan. Summer palace was really good, nice change to get out of the dusty city and have a relaxing walk around the lake. Again tho, just too many people for my liking, guess thats an ongoing problem when your in china and just something you have to get used to. By dinner time (20.00) i had eaten a magnum ice-cream and a small hot dog all day so I was preeetty hungry. Lucky lucky me, tonight we were eating at the famous Night Market.

I was sure I'd be waiting untill i got to Vietnam before i was sinking my teeth into anything and all things unusual and gross. I was wrong. Beijing will forever be the place i first had the following. (Keep in mind i was eating to fill up, not just snacking). Snake skin, Centipede, a certain part of the sheep anatomy im not too proud of, and Scorpion!Mmmmmm goood. The scorpion honest to god was not half bad!

McFlurry to end my feast of feasts and sunday was my last night in the amazing Sitting on the City wall hostel so I had to move across town to Citycourt Hostel. I wanted to stay with my new found friends at Sitting hostel so I decided to borrow one of the horstel bikes. There really are 9 million bicycles in beijing. I dont want to say biking around in China is dangerous, but its freaky dangerous. Cars coming left and right, every man for himself. After a painfully hard time of trying to find my new hostel I got there to find out that they had only just 5 minutes ago recieved my reservation. So not only were they fully booked, they ended up sticking me in a 4 person mixed dorm, i was the fith, on a pop-out bed as hard as the dining room table. riight next to the shower so I did not have a good nights sleep last night. They did however give a good price and im changing hostels back to the good one on wednesday.

Commuting around Beijing is fun tho (without wearing the backpack). This morning i saw 2 car crashes, Beijing Swat team, equipt with the biggest shotguns ive ever seen in my life. Today i think will be a relaxing day, might go to Tian'man square and tomorrow night we are going as a group to the Beijing Acrobatics show! looks splendid.

Much love everyone. matt