Day 3: Temples, Pizza, and Pandas

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If you asked Brecklyn what she was most excited for about this trip, the answer was always the same - Pandas! After seeing them at the San Diego zoo, she was in love. So, we couldn't disappoint and miss out on a trip to the Beijing Zoo, where they have a rather large panda exhibit.

Doing some research on Tripadvisor, we found that most people were not too keen on the Beijing Zoo's treatment of animals, and that the panda exhibit is one of the very few highlights. It was also a very cheap zoo compared to American standards, so we only planned on visiting for an hour or so with this exhibit being the focus. In other words, we needed to figure out what else to do this day.

The Confucius and Lama Temples were within walking distance of our hotel, so this was a logical start to the day. We stopped at the Temple of Confucius first and were amazed at the number of very large (8+ feet tall), headstone-like stone tablets holding the teachings of China's most prominent philosopher. Reinforcing the fact that someone had to actually carve the hundreds of stones, we asked the kids why they thought paper wasn't used, and what is meant by 'carved in stone'. The temple was a quiet sanctuary in the middle of the bustling neighborhood, so we did have to move quickly to keep the kids interested.

Across the street was the Lama Temple, also known as the Yonghe Temple or Palace of Peace. This is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world, and its importance cannot be missed while watching followers burn incense and bow to the many Buddha statues throughout the Temple. It was a much more popular site, which provided great opportunities for us to people watch a little. Grace was especially moved by the similarities between some of their customs and those in our own faith. There were many beautifully decorated buildings and a particularly large statue of Maitreya Buddha, carved from a single piece of sandalwood. By the time we made the rounds here and let the kids throw some coins at the bell, it was well past lunch time, so we decided to make a stop at a familiar favorite, Pizza Hut!

Now, I have heard in the past that Pizza Huts in asian countries provide a fancier experience than those in the U.S. This was definately true of the restaurant that we found nearby. It felt similar to eating at an Olive Garden, although the only real options on the menu were still pizzas. We ordered the largest pizza available (paltry by U.S. standards!) and a couple of chocolate bubble teas for the kids to try in order to refuel before our journey to the zoo. The meal was rather expensive compared to a similar local restaurant, but it was a nice break from the traditional northern Chinese food that we had been eating for the past 2 days.

A couple of subway stops later, and we arrived at the zoo station. The entrance fee was 15 RMB + 5 RMB for the panda exhibit, and the kids were free, so we ended up paying less than $7 USD for a family of 5. We made a beeline to the panda exhibits and were getting kind of discouranged with the empty rooms until we found the two areas where they were hiding. The exhibit areas were large and full of play equipment, but the bears were clearly not wanting to interact or show off. But, it was still a memorable experience for the kids just to see such beautiful animals.

We really didn't want to hang around too long since it was getting late already, so we decided to just stop by the monkey exhibit on the way out. From here on, I can't say that I disagree with the Tripadvisor reviews in terms of cleanliness and animal hygeine. There were a lot of monkeys in that large cage, and the walls had definately not been cleaned recently. But, we got to watch a few of the monkeys grooming each other and getting upset about various territorial conflicts.

Our next intended destination was to head farther out of the city to see some malls and restaurants, but by this time it was after 4pm, meaning that we would probably be fighting the brunt of rush hour traffic. So, we stayed off the subway and started exploring locally. Across the street was a large market building that was a fun experience until it closed at 5pm. Then, we headed to the underground mall attached to the subway station. Dinner in a small restaurant, and we were on our way home.

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