I was woken at 5.30 and again at 6.30 and so I got up then. The bed had not been great and the room was a bit crowded. I went downstairs and ate some of the food I had as breakfast and did some research into places to go to. I went to reception and cancelled my stay for the next two nights and then booked the hostel with hopefully a bottom bunk and I asked the girl on the desk as I booked it. I packed up and checked out as it was too early to move into my new room. I headed out at 7.30 and there was a blue sky but it was still a bit cold so I wore my jacket. I went to Tienanmen square and tried to go through the metro station to get there but there was no access there. There was a railway museum so I had a look and it was shut until 9am with no ticket prices listed. I got into the middle of the square through security but the memorial there was shut, possibly for quite a while so I crossed to the west side and had a look at the great hall, but that was closed for the day for some reason. It was still before 9 and I crossed to the north side and followed the crowd through a gate. The tower there was 15 yuan to go into which I considered but I wanted to see the museum and then get back in time to get a bottom bunk. I tried to go back where I'd come and was not allowed. I probably should have just gone that way anyway but I followed the route they wanted me to take towards the Forbidden City. I spoke to another guard who directed me a long way around and I was walking along in a bad mood when a woman talked to me and wanted to know where I was from and going. I explained that I was angry when asked as time is something that you cannot buy and she said something about patience. We walked together around the way we were supposed to go and she said she had already been in the forbidden palace that morning having booked her tickets online. It seemed a bit unrealistic as it was only 9.30 but I can believe lots of things. She wanted to go to a coffee shop and I agreed and ordered orange juice but she suggested to share tea so we did that. The prices were fairly ridiculous and another couple of tourists came in and ordered while we were there. We talked about how Chinese writing rakes up less space and can be read quickly and other things. There was a snack bowl but we would be charged if we are any so I didn't want any but she said she would pay for that so I ate a little. The bill came and it was expensive with the tea cost for both of us despite only being a small pot and not very nice. We had talked about how good bike rental was in China and she rented 2 bikes and we cycled for a bit and it was still quite far back to Tienanmen square. I went off to the museum and she went shopping. I went to cross back into the square and there was a long, slow security queue so that it was getting on by the time I got to the museum. It was free entry though and a big place and I started with the hall of communism or something before going upstairs where I saw some stone reliefs from the song dynasty and then famous people from history, not all but most Chinese. Next was a gallery with more normal things like porcelain and bronze and another with coins and some Chinese galleries with no English translations. I went back downstairs and found ancient China at the bottom so I went round and there was a lot to see which got a bit tiring. It was now 1pm or so and I asked the way and went to the road to rejuvenation section. It was the more modern history from the last 150 years and I found it interesting that they never mentioned any details of the opium war but also that 8 countries had allied against them to force them to open up to trade. Some sections just in Chinese and the history continued with the revolutions and through to launching a satellite etc and a bright future ending. I'd finished the museum so I left and went back to hostel where I found out I had booked another place called the Leo courtyard l. It was not so close so I got my things and walked there for maybe 10 minutes but I got a bottom bunk. It was more expensive but didn't have as much to do so I should have stayed despite my crap bed. I left my things and headed out to the temple of heaven. I couldn't find the bus I needed so I took the metro and the outskirts if the place didn't have much to see. The temple looked good and was round so I went up and around and then on to other places in the complex and saw the other buildings. There was a sacrifice circle which was just a round flat space with loads of people crowded around trying to stand in the centre. I went out of there and there was a wall to follow and I came to a place like a castle with its own moat that was shut. I went to see the other places bookmarked there like the rose garden but it had no roses while the double pagoda was nice. Then I headed out and came to the Natural history museum but it was closed. There was a clock tower and some statues there as well as a performing arts place that was closed but was showing the wicked musical famous in Broadway and London in June. I took a bus which went past Tienanmen square and I took it 1 stop too far. I headed to a cathedral and on the way 2 girls talked to me. It was around 6pm and I wasn't really in a hurry as I still had days left on Beijing so I went with them through a food market that was selling all kinds of things like scorpions on sticks. Seems it was quite a tourist attraction and at the end we went into a bar with a very expensive menu. I decided I didn't want a drink and one of the girls said "you can leave" in a way that sounded like "you should leave" so I did. I went towards a temple and met 2 people who wanted the food market so I showed them the way. I went into a cafe place and got a salad thing with egg which was ok but not filling enough. I got to the temple which was shut and nearby the Laoshe residence looked like a normal place or else was not there. I carried on to the cathedral which looked ok but was closed. I was still hungry so I stopped at some food places which were good and got more to eat. I found an art museum that looked free but of course it was closed as it was late and I went to a temple but there was construction work and no access. It was late so I went to Dongshi tube and went back to the hostel from a different metro station but I missed my turning so went along the same road and learnt no shortcuts. There weren't many chairs in the common areas and I was on a bench near reception sitting and reading when an American guy wanted to know where he can pay with mastercard and was going to be eating in McDonald's. We chatted for a while about Tibet where the toilets were terrible and the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum where you can see his actual body. When he left I talked to an Argentinian for a while. I looked up wikitravel for Beijing and there was advice on a scam where women take men to an expensive coffee shop or bar and try to get them to pay, hmmmm. I read a bit more then went to bed.
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