Day 1
It was extremely difficult to wake up that morning at 6:30AM. We were all feeling lethargic and fatigue. We didn't know where the all-you-can-eat breakfast was being held so we went to look for our tour guide. He asked us if we had the tickets for the breakfast; we were confused as we thought we did not receive the tickets. Thus, after a bit of time and running around, we got the ticket and marched to the buffet place. The Sheraton AYCE breakfast wasn't bad, just the typical Chinese food you would find in a Chinese restaurant eg. rice, noodles, congee, Chinese donut, egg, veggies, bread, etc. Nothing about the breakfast really stand out or taste amazing.
After breakfast, we hurried to the foyer to meet up with our group. We thought our tour guide would be the one that we met the day before, but we ended up with a totally different guide. A bald, middle-aged man who smokes and preach about health and Chinese medicine. Anyways, this guy spoke Mandarin. Why was the tour advertised as Cantonese and Mandarin, when they don't speak Cantonese. Fake advertising.
The weather wasn't too bad, not too hot and not too cold.
On route to Tiananmen square, we encountered this... for a person who cannot read Chinese, cannot understand Mandarin...I can only take pictures without understanding the significance of this place...
Employees were cleaning the waters... it was a funny sight since there were so many of them.
As we approached the crosswalk and began to cross, the officers told us
to stop mid-way and to turn back because the government officials (in
the black cars) need to pass through (눈_눈)
Tiananmen square with the Forbidden city cross from it. Tiananmen square is famous as the site of protest back in the 1989 "Democracy Movement," which left thousands dead. A famous photograph is of the image of a student/citizen standing in front of a military tank and subsequently disappearing afterwords and nobody knows what happened to that him.
"The Great hall of the People" is on the left of Tiananmen square, it's where political meetings are held. As you can see, there are lots of tourists. The picture is a poor replication of the actual number of tourists, most of the tourists is on the other half of the square. I thought we would be entering this building since it was listed on the agenda- but I guess not, maybe cause there's an admission fee?
The Monument of People's Heroes is located in Tiananmen Square, and this monument is built to commemorate the people who fought for change in China.
We were supposed to go to Mao Mausoleum too, but we did not. This is the caveat with cheap tours, they can amend the agenda however they want. The tour guide had a photographer take a group picture even though some people were reluctant, and then they wanted us to buy it. Tour guides are such shady people.
And then it was time to go across the street to visit the Forbidden City. In order to get across the street, you have to go underground; and once you get there, there is a security check so they check your bag (machine) and they may pat you down.
The sky in Beijing is very hazy. Too much pollution. Apparently, it was very bad a couple of weeks before we arrived in Beijing; people had to wear masks and the pollution index was at a dangerous level.
Oh, lookie here. There's Mao. 
OMG. Look at all these tour groups. What I want to know is why do all the tour groups have to plan to go at the same time to the same place. I've notice that there is nobody at a certain area of the Forbidden City in around 10 minutes later because we ALL ADVANCE AT THE SAME TIME. BAD PLANNING.
The forbidden city is the imperial palace where the emperor lived. It was cool taking a stroll around the palace since many historical Chinese drama are filmed here. I mean, I recognize these buildings, these walls, these floors, and these doors! As you proceed further and further into the palace while passing each gigantic gate, you'll notice that the building looks exactly the same as the previous. Mind boggling.
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