During the October holiday, Whitney, Steph, Isaac and I went to visit the Lama Temple in the Nothern part of Beijing. This would be the one "cultural thing" we did during the week off. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm and we began with a western brekfast at a place called Steak & Eggs. It is always filled with foreigners and is well known for being a fill you up diner. I had a veggie omelet with wheat toast and a botomless cup of coffee (my favorite).
After brekfast we took a cab to the temple. Admission was 50 RMB. There are beautiful gates and lions at the park enterance. The lama temple has 5 gates that house buddhist art and sculpture. At the final gate there is a Bhuddha that stand about 60 feet high. My picture did not come out very well. As you walk through the buildings and into the court yards, you see many people kneeling in prayer and burning incense as an offerring. I decided not to take pictures of them. All in all, the temple felt very touristy, but it was nice to see.
After the lama temple, we decided to go for a walk in the hutong, or the back streets of Beijing. We "got lost" in the hutong and allowed the streets to lead us where they would.We had a really nice time that day just walking around and taking pictures. We ended this day at a tea house where it felt nice to sit down.
I've lived and worked in China for over three years now. One year in Hunan province, two years in Beijing and now a year in Shanghai. I can't even describe how much I have learned and how much I have grown. I am currently working as a recruiter for EF English First in China. This challenging position is just what I have been looking for. I hope to be able to match interesting, creative and passionate teachers to the right teaching opportunity. Now if I could only adjust to this city.... ... full info
