May 29

It was supposed to be 105 degrees, and we didn't have class on Thursdays, so most of us stayed inside during the day. Props to Matt and James who braved the heat to go exploring! As soon as the sun went down, the rest of us headed out to Goulou, a cool and edgy downtown area. The shops looked great, and we wandered into a few. We saw a little panda store where everything they sold was panda-fied. We found some rooftop hangouts from where, surprisingly, we could spot the big dipper. (Beijing is great for many things, but not the place for stargazing; the smoggy air usually makes the sky dull-grey) Afterwards, we walked around the lake nearby. It was lively and colorful, with even more neon lights than can usually be seen in Beijing. We ran into a group of people that came by for a dip at a less busy spot. If I knew how to swim, I might have braved it myself. After wandering about a bit more, we decided to go to nice club we knew was nearby. Unfortunately, within a couple hours, it turned into Spanish night and not all of us had our salsa-pants on, and so we left. It was a pretty nice, relaxed night overall.