I slept terribly. An older Chinese gentleman in my room had a full-on conversation on speakerphone for much of the night. On top of that, my stomach was in shambles from the hotpot. I woke up late and feeling lethargic.
Yu, the guy I met the night before, invited me to a traditional Chinese bathhouse with him. Of course, I said yes. You know I love saunas, so I was curious to see what it would be like in China. Yu's family is from Northeast China, near Manchuria, where Chinese bathing culture originated.
We took the metro out of the city to a bathhouse. Before going in, we grabbed wonton dumplings from a small shop inside an old apartment building—super authentic. The bathhouse cost 116 yuan and included a massage and a scrub. First, we sat in a literal bathtub of hot water. Then we used the sauna, which wasn't as hot as I expected. After that, we laid on massage tables while an older Chinese man scrubbed us down with a coarse cloth, supposedly to remove dead skin. Then came the massage—super aggressive but great. It was a fun experience overall. Old Chinese men were smoking cigarettes inside, something you'd never see in America.
At this point, I should comment on the sheer number of Chinese apps you need, which is a huge part of the China experience. Yu, being a local, graciously gave me some insider tips. Let me break it down concisely:
• Alipay: This was my favorite and by far the most important app. It's in English, has a built-in translator, and does everything. You pay for everything with a QR code, send money to friends and merchants, and even get a metro QR code instead of buying tickets all the time. It's also integrated with other apps—like the bike rentals, which you can unlock and pay for directly through Alipay.
• Didi: This is China's version of Uber. You can actually access it through Alipay, but I downloaded the standalone app. It's insanely efficient—cars arrive in less than five seconds, unlike in the U.S. Every car in China is electric, so the streets are dead silent.
• Trip.com: I had never heard of this before coming to China, but Yu put me on. It's the best app for booking trains and hotels—it's in English, super cheap, and seamless. Trains don't require a ticket; you just scan your passport, and facial recognition does the rest. It even generates AI-powered itineraries, which I used.
• Amap: This is an English-friendly map app. It's kind of janky, but it gives metro directions, which is helpful.
• WeChat: You've probably heard of this one. It's the main messaging app in China and also works for payments like Alipay. Some parks, shows, and attractions only sell tickets through WeChat, so I had to start using it. I also added a few Chinese people I met on there.
Another important thing: choosing the right VPN is crucial. My original VPN didn't work because Chinese WiFi blocked it. Yu recommended a different one, which I got a free 7-day trial for, and it worked perfectly.
Oh, and in the afternoon, I made a big purchase—I bought a DJI drone! DJI is a world-class drone company, and since they're made in China, I saved a good chunk of money. I can't wait to use it.
To end the day, I went back to People's Park at night for some tea.
