Day 4 - Putzing around

Woke up at 3:30AM (well, 1:30 .. 2:00 .. 2:30 .. 3:00 .. 3:26) to get over to Tiananmen Square for the Flag Raising Ceremony @ Sunrise. Met a new friend at the end of my hutong (Hey mom, I'm walking down dark, deserted alleys at 4:00 in the morning -- good for you to know!) and we took a cab to the plaza.

There were swarms of Chinese tourists and school groups there, the guards had us sit on the pavement facing the Forbidden City for about half an hour before it began raining. Everyone leapt to their feet and began surging forward, I had to believe I was 1000 pounds just to stay grounded. The ceremony lasted about .. 3 minutes. It was interesting.

Spent the afternoon getting lost again, this time, I got on a bus and decided to get off wherever it looked interesting. Thinking I was going southwest, it turned out I was going north-east. I really need a compass!

Had the famed Peking Duck for dinner .. the restaurant was situated on the main tourist jaunt here in Beijing, like the Champs Elysees of Paris .. or City Walk/Rodeo Drive in L.A., Union Square in SF. And I finally saw tourists! There are mostly local residents in the alleyways where I am -- I don't understand why anyone would want to go to shopping area where they sell everything already available in their home countries. Or people that stay in hotels that mimic western traditions, "like you never left home".

Went to a mall and bargained for toys, walked back. Collapsed and died in a puddle of sweat for the night.

****

OH YEAH! I don't want to forget this part: At the restaurant, my friend (White Female) and I were seated in a back section of the restaurant. She was presented with a menu while I sat there ... staring.

Friend motioned to the waitress and indicated that I would need a menu, and the waitress apologized to her. After a few minutes, she came back to take our (her) order.

"The whole duck and some juice to drink"

When the food was brought out, a single steamer basket with crepes was placed by my friend along with half a duck before her.

"Uhhhhh .. I know I pointed to the whole duck"

Finally, I called the waitress over and demanded that the rest of the duck be brought out. So she turned to my friend and apologized profusely.

(To the waitress' credit, half-a-duck was definitely enough for the two of us. She probably did not know how to tell us that there there was no way we'd be able to finish the whole. But I liked how I was completely invisible.)

Also, Plastic Surgery is BIG here. On my map, the "Plastic Surgery Hospital" is noted as a destination point.

It is hot. 85 degrees-but-feels-like-105 hot.