Today was the first day of Spring Break. Thy and I took the subway to Panjiayuan Antique Market. The subway was so crowded (weekends seem to be the worst) and we were squished up like sardines. People push and shove to get on and off - it's really every man for himself on the subway!
The market was absolutely fantastic (Thy wasn't overly impressed), selling all kinds of bits and pieces - art work, clothes, embroidery, jewelry, ceramics, communist memorabilia, etc. It has a great atmosphere but you have to bargain very hard - they start at 10 times the price! I'll definitely have to come back without Thy for some serious shopping one day.
After the market, we again took the subway and got off at the new CCTV building, famous for its quirky architecture. From there we walked to Ritan Park, passing fancy houses and diplomatic compounds on the way. Ritan Park is popular with Chinese and expats because of its greenery and location just south of Sanlitun. It's very manicured and 'Chinese' but very pretty at this time of year. You can sit and watch people doing all sorts of activities, including a giant climbing wall. Unfortunately for Thy, there was no fishing there.
We walked from Ritan Park to Sanlitun and dropped by at Yashow Clothing Market, The Book Work (a very trendy foreign bookstore/library/cafe/bar) and then stopped off at another subway stop to have a look in an international supermarket. There you can buy anything, but you'll pay big bucks for it! It's right opposite a diplomatic compound.
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