​I didn’t go to Beijing with my friends earlier in April because I wanted to go when the weather was better. But I knew I would go to Beijing eventually --- I can’t go to China without going to Beijing.

So I booked everything in advanced: the train tickets, hotel, tour ticket, and performance ticket. I wanted to try out the first-class seat on the high-speed rail so I purchased one on this trip since it would be a 5-hour long sitting trip. I also booked a hotel because an incident recently happened in Beijing, where a woman was almost dragged away by a man inside the hotel, who she thought was a sex trafficker.

The Ride There ...

The first-class seating area was nothing special except it’s four seats per row, with two on each side. The cabin was mainly seated with business class travelers and as a blogger described they chose first-class so they don’t have to speak to their mates.

鹿肉 For Dinner!

​After arriving around 1 pm, I learned how to take the Beijing metro to the New World Beijing Hotel at Chongwenmen. I rested for a few hours before meeting up with my friend Ashley and Saul, who were studying in Beijing for dinner. We walked around and finally decided to eat at a restaurant that served donkey meat. The meal was very delicious --- and it was nice to meet up with them and talked about our study abroad experience in China.

After dinner & Back at the Hotel

​I walked back with Ashley to her dorm and realized how different our dorming experience is. She shared a dorm with a roommate in a hotel-style building, whereas I lived in a three-room suite with two other roommates in an apartment-style building.