02.23.2011 Pt. 2 Visit to Bell and Drum Tower, Lotus Lane and new friends in Beijing, China

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Before I arrived at the Bell and Drum Towers I had a chance to walk around the area and on Xi’an Street. The sights and sounds are sometimes almost overwhelming. Never have I seen such a place that people would ever consider a place to live, let along call it home. It is a travesty that I still to this day cannot comprehend. Stores and abandon buildings look very similar, the only difference is that one has a bright LED light in the front and the other doesn’t. I couldn’t help but wonder around and find myself in the exact location that I came out from at the station. The neighborhood is complex and has a life of its own. I can feel the people around me; some have a heart of gold and wish the best, while others lurk from around the corner. There are police posts about every 30 meters (100 feet) or so that guard the public bathrooms on the streets. The bathrooms are new and have very modern architecture and seem almost out of element when you look at them compared to the surroundings. Although this might not seem like the prettiest neighborhood in Beijing, it did have a certain antiquities appeal. I was very fond of some of the old Chinese architecture some buildings kept, and also the cultural aspect of the surroundings. I could tell this location had a lot of history entwined with the community. Nothing was fake, well besides some of the watches and purses sold; but it felt alive and purposeful. Unlike some places that seem to try to be richer or show the magnificent of the area when really it was dullsville. The community wasn’t trying to be something it wasn’t; instead it was raw, real, and honest. That made this an exceptional area and this was also one of the best streets to walk on.

I finally found my way towards the Bell and Drum Tower and headed straight on in. In the middle of both the Drum and Bell Tower is a strip of land called The Culture Square. This directs visitors to either the Bell or Drum tower and tells a little history along the side. The Bell Tower houses an ancient bronze bell on the second floor of the tower. The bell itself is approximately 63 tons, standing at 7.02 meters high and a diameter of 3.4 meters with a thickness of 24.4 centimeters. It was noted that all the people inside and outside the capital, even those 5km (3.10 miles) away could hear the ring of the bell when struck. Climb up 69 steps leading to the top floor of this 47m-tall tower where you enjoy the stunning view over Beijing. Although the smog took away some of the sight, it was still one of the best views of Beijing I have ever seen. I was fortunate to meet some tourist on the way from Ireland and also a couple with three kids from France. I feel very luck to meet so many people on this journey across Asia.

After the Bell Tower I strolled on over to the Drum Tower and walked up the other 69 steps to the Drum Tower and greeted by a surprise. I was fortunate enough to drop in at the exact moment a drum performance was taking place. The tower rumbled and the drummed cracked as each performer threw wooden batons on the leather hid. The set was perfectly coordinated and had a rhythm that could shake all of Beijing. The sound was very intense and could be heard from down the stairs before you enter the tower. I could actually feel the vibrations emit from the drums as they were stuck. It lasted about five minutes or so then ended with a solo from the middle drummer chiming out to the other four drums. I had a chance to walk around and see some of the other artifacts in the tower such as older drums used, a water fall clock, and also had the chance to get a picture with two of the drummers from the performance.

With nothing to eat since the two bun snack I was on a hunt for some food. I bumped into another group of tourist from Europe leaving a restaurant, they suggested checking it out and it seemed like a perfect fit. The restaurant turned out to be a small coffee house called Isarha that seemed very out of element with the surrounding buildings. The interior looked like Mac coordinated the decorations and the door handle were instead replaced with large forks. I grabbed a two bread sandwich like things and a coffee. Seeing as I was alone I searched for someone else to at least talk with and found a Canadian couple and single traveling French girl. The couple from Canada were named Richard and Sonya and the other solo traveler was named Natalie. We all spoke about our adventures here in China and abroad to other countries. We also bounced off idea of places to visit and what is good to eat in China. Oddly enough Richard and Sonya have eaten at this restaurant three times already, but this was Natalie and my first time. Sadly, I was the only one that did not speak French in the group so it seems no matter where I go I just can’t seem to find any Americans. The two in the couple were driven to travel and see what the world has to offer and another point of view in another culture. Richard and Sonya needed to split back home so that left Natalie to wander around a suggested shopping area called Lotus Lane.

Lotus lane is refined and fashionable area. It suggests a route to walk and shops to please the mind, but it is relatively straight forward and easy to locate shops on the street. The highlight of street would be the cleanliness and efforts to keep the area prestige. I rather enjoyed that area and the people and it almost seemed like I was somewhere else, in Asia that is. Natalie was also a nice break from the screaming horns and fast banter from the locals. We walked and talked the evening away. Natalie is teaching English through a program in rather rough area. She says “it’s tough and sometimes I don’t know how to handle it”, but there are also some great rewards for the job such as being paid to travel. I spoke of my study abroad and travel adventures to Asia. We actually had a great talk about personal accounts in life. Apparently Natalie was offered to visit China by a friend living in Shanghai, she came to Beijing to see the sights but also to get a good nights sleep. She has never been to China, so when she found out her friend was somewhat “wealthy”, she just about died. She told me that she only gets Two minute showers, none of the rooms are heated, and her room is about 3 meters (10 feet) long and wide. I was also shocked when coming to China so it made for good table talk. I remember Natalie and I talking about how things don’t always work out the way we plan; but it never works out if you don’t try. It was relaxing to walk around the lake and just a talk. Our walk took us around the magnificent lake view and took us from evening to night. The restaurants line the docks and the lights shimmered off the lake water. Some of the more well known restaurants like Lotus Blue, Home Pizza, and ShiSha Bar were packed with people. It was getting late and I still needed to get home to eat so Natalie and I parted ways. I stopped off to Wangfujing Street and grabbed a meat lovers Pizza Hut pizza. I haven’t had a real fatty pizza in a long time and it was cheaper to get in China than in Japan so I thought “why not”. It turned out to be one of the best meals I had in China and I was very happy with the outcome. With another day under my belt it was game time for getting ready for tomorrows visit Mutianyu Great Wall.

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