Beijing Blessings

I was blessed by a heavenly last day in Beijing. We had sunny skies, warm, but not hot temps and NO HUMIDITY. The air was almost a bit crisp. I wanted the day to last forever!

I just walked around the city enjoying the day. I walked all over the place (well, there was one rickshaw ride and a quick taxi trip too). I walked around two lakes, and went to an amazing park just at the north entrance to the Forbidden City. The park was made with dirt from the building of the Imperial Palace and the views from the Wanchun Temple on top were astounding. You could see from the air just how huge the Forbidden City really is. The clay colored tile roofs of the thousands of rooms that make up the Imperial Palace were shining in the sun. Also, I passed a tree where the last of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself when a revolt forced him from the Palace. The drama here never ends.

I stopped and ate and drank all over the place to lounge around and people watch. I am now in a little bar in my Hutong, watching the people go by, working my way back for dinner.

I have really come to love Beijing. The Hutong lifestyle is charming. The family next door have two rabbits they bring outside in the evening for the neighborhood kids to play with; old people play games at makeshift tables in their pajamas at night; there at tiny fruit stands and markets all over; and most importantly there is a public restroom on every block in China! Taxi's are about $1.50 a ride and beer is less than a dollar. The people are friendly and always seem willing to help foreigners. The Imperial legacy of palaces and the Great Wall are amazing. And, they even have a wonderful English language bookstore. You can't ask for more than that.

If it weren't for the whole communist thing, I could work for the Beijing Tourism Board! I look forward to visiting again one day to take the Trans-Siberian train trip! It's a shame the Chinese government won't let the people of China see my blog and learn how much I love it here!