Arriving and The Lhama Temple

Today is Saturday. We lost a day coming over since we crossed the International Dateline. When we arrived yesterday, it was about 5:30 PM when we finally arrived at the hostel. It's called Candy's Place or, more officially, 1 Hai Inn. It's located down what we would call an alley but where there is also a little bit of traffic. So maybe it's an Alley Way? In any case, here are two pictures of the outside

The people that work here at 1 Hai Inn are very nice. They speak English and have helped to get us either plane (for Eric) or train (for me) tickets.

When we got through customs in China we had to hop on a tram. The airport is absolutely HUGE. The tram, like all the trains and buses, are very crowded. Eric and I were the last two on the tram and as soon as we entered the doors began to close. Eric decided it was a good time to grab the overhead bar to prevent him from falling. Unfortunately, a little Chinese woman was standing there and her face got in the way of his hand. So, in China for 10 minutes, Eric has proceeded to knock a cute woman right in the eye with a right cross. So, welcome to China!

We took a cab from the airport to the hostel. They have lanes here that have the obligatory markings but which no one follows. It is amazing that more cars do not have dents and scratches.

I slept much longer than Eric but that isn't surprising. I slept roughly 14 hours straight. Eric didn't sleep as long as he was busy in the middle of the night trying to watch Chinese television. There is also an English speaking channel that is like a CNN but is mostly Chinese news. Apparently, I snore because Eric couldn't hear the tv. I think he is delusional. Who knows what the truth really is but all I know is that I don't snore.

I brought a map with us of downtown Beijing when we went on our hike. However, as we were about to find out, it was not to scale. We figured we would walk today and get an idea of what the city was like on a weekend. To give you an idea, think of downtown Chicago on a Saturday but with 4-5 times as many people. This city is huge. Our first stop was to the Lama Temple which is right behind us here at the hostel. You'd have to be Bhuddist to really appreciate it. No pictures in the buildings were allowed so these are the only two. This one shows the actual layout.

There is a huge Budda statue that stands about 60 ft tall within one of the temples. Pretty cool. If you look carefully at this picture, you can read about the temple.

After the Temple, we thought we would try to blend in with the crowds. However, we stuck out like sore thumbs no matter how hard we tried. We walked a total of close to roughly 17 km (based on a map that WAS to scale). For all you metrically impaired, that's a little more than 10 miles. It's also about 85 degrees here so I'm feeling a little stinky right now. We found the only Irish-owned bar/restaurant in Beijing called Paddy's something or other. We stopped there for lunch and water. LOTS of water! We met a couple of people from the states that work for Microsoft that have lived here for a while. The guy we met was obnoxious. Knows way too much and can speak a little Chinese so he's pretty impressed with himself. The lady was nice and actually gave me some tips for the next few days on where to hang out, what to watch for in relation to scams, and so forth.
We walked down a street that is known as 'Ghost Town'. Read about it here:

Here is one side of the street:

You can tell the street is full of markets, both inside and out, because of all the red lanterns. They will sell ANYTHING! Most everything is not marked so there is bartering that takes place. Most of it is junk so I still have all my money.

I didn't take many pictures because there was nothing that seemed 'picturable'. Eric has left this morning and so I am going to go out and explore the city in another direction. I'm going to try and find the Bell and Drum towers. I have no idea what they represent. However, they will probably be torn down as part of the city's rejuvination projects. I'll try and post more pictures tonight (it's Sunday now).

We left at a little after 11 AM and got back to our hostel at 5. My feet hurt, I stink, and I'm hungry. I am glad to see that the Hawks won AGAIN! 3-0 with the next two at the United Center. Looking good Hawks fans!

That's all for now. More tonight or tomorrow.

written by

akstoltzy on May 22, 2010 from Beijing, China

from the travel blog: China

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So glad you made it safely...so fun seeing the pictures and reading about it. The pictures are so clear! Stay safe and keep posting...love it!

written by Lori on May 22, 2010

Way to go Eric! Knock some more around......
JK!

What an adventure.....Whole different world
Great Wall....that will be a sight to see!
Be well and safe travels

written by Dana Craig on May 22, 2010

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