Today I walked a lot. The “massage for tired foot” offered by the place next to the hostel sounds very appealing right now, however, I’m quite sure a foot massage over there will end in my pants. So I’m going to stay in the bar of the hostel, rest my feet on a stool, hang back, have a huge glass of beer for less than a euro, and type this blog in stead.
The only thing that might end up in my pants later tonight is the cockroach hiding in the corner of my bathroom. Yuch!

My walk started near a Christian church, something that is quite rare here in China. Even though a very small percentage of the people here are Christians, a small percentage of a couple of million (14 million in Beijing) people is still a lot. So the church is making over hours as scenery for the wedding album of Christian newly weds. In the five minutes I was there I already counted 4 couples being photographed at the same time.
After taking some shots of the ridiculous scenes there, I made my way to Tiananmen Square, the “Gate of Heavenly Peace”. It was warmer today, but also it was much more smoggy as well, I’m wondering if the people here wear masks because they are afraid of the H1N1 flu, or of the smog.
After wondering around the square I walked through the Hutongs, the old parts of the city and made my way over to a fake “old” part of the city. Last year when I was here it was still under construction and now all the big brands like Rolex, Zara and Star Bucks have taken up residence in this street. Only a couple of meters behind this facade start the Hutongs with their small, dirty and interesting streets, definitely my favorite parts of the city. Here you can choose either to have a small cup of hot chocolate at the Star Bucks, or have a 10 course dinner in the Hutong. I did both by the way…

If you might slip, just do so carefully ok?