Again with going out yesterday to the market it has really taken it out of me. I'm not feeling like doing anything to exhaustive today, I think really the only other thing I want to see in Beijing is the Summer Palace and seeing as I have an extra day here I will probably just do that tomorrow. I feel as though I have been sick ever since I got to China, which has sort of held me back when it comes to doing anything. Hopefully a night in a hard sleeper will sort me out. Ha
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There are many a strange thing happening in China. As you walk down the street you will be accompanied by the constant noise of beeping horns. From what I can observe, you cycle through the streets constantly beeping and then people move out of the way. All manner of vehicles and trikes carry these horns, as the streets are so small everything is miniature. Most of the bikes are electric, you don't see too many people actually putting in the effort. There is also a constant police presence, every street corner there are police, police cars with lights flashing everywhere. I haven't seen any trouble, perhaps this is why. Another thing, toddlers all wear these tracksuit bottoms that looked ripped. This is not because they can't buy new trousers, ohhh no, this is because it is not uncommon to see a toddler squatting to go to the toilet, anywhere. Number 1 or 2, it all appears to be ok, so far I have been treated to the show in the street and the subway. If I see it in a restaurant that'll be it!! So in the western world when a woman has a nice stomach she would wear a belly top to show it off, China has a version of this. If you are a man and you have a particularly impressive belly, what you do is pull your t-shirt up over your belly so that all can see. On any street at any point in time you will see at least half a dozen men doing this, and then just walking around. Only seen the larger man partaking, i'm not sure what the appeal is.
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Went out for some Beijing duck this evening. Went to the hottest place in town, got there at 5pm to get a ticket, we are then told that it will be about 7.30 before we can eat. It's ok we knew the score before we went. This place is the fanciest place I have seen in China. People everywhere, it is like the doctors waiting surgery, except everyone is waiting for duck. We head back to the hostel while we wait and a few other people that we had been talking to came back from the wall and so they joined us, I think in the end we had 5 Israelis, a Spaniard and myself. Before we left the hostel to head back up to the restaurant this older woman checked in to the hostel. She came up and asked if any of us were going to Mongolia as she had some currency that they won't change for her here in China. Turns out this woman has been travelling on and off for the past 10 years, after she retired. She is 76!!! I was blown away, I couldn't believe a woman of that age had trekked across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, something I had thought too extreme for myself, you really meet all sorts when you travel. Time for the duck, we head back up the street with our ticket, and when we get in the place is still just as packed. This place has it sorted, it only opens the restaurant from 5-8 daily, and it is queued out. We have a look at the menu, i'm not sure why as we are here for the duck. There is some debate about how many ducks we should get, i'm thinking at least 1 duck for 2, but the table is put off by the price, I really had to force the issue to get 2 ducks ordered. So you get small wraps, cucumber, cress, chillies, celery and some of the darkest richest soy sauce I have ever tasted. Then out comes the duck, on a trolley with a master carver chef. He stands beside your table and carves the duck and then it gets presented to you on a plate in slices so that you can put it in to your wraps. Once he is done with the duck you can get a bone to take home, either one for making soup or one that has the remaining bits of duck on it. The duck was awesome, really tasty and went well with the wraps and accompanying veg. I still think for a table of 7 we could have had another duck no problem, it ends up costing £11 a head, that included a round of drinks. Expensive for China, but still very good value non the less. As I was still hungry at the end the only pieces left were the heads, so I gave one of those a go, a lot of fiddling for not much meat, though I did get brains and eyes, I wouldn't say they are the best piece of a duck, but why not? 
Quite an impressive operation, all very slick, and in addition to the great duck, there was also the best toilets in Beijing, there was no smell, I couldn't believe it. I enjoyed that very much.
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After dinner entertainment was some beers, before a number of people parted to get transport to the next location. Then those that were left headed across the road for some pool. £2.50 for an hour, pretty good deal I think, there is even a guy who will set the balls up for you after each game, now you can't be bad to that.