Most of the hostel was up early to head to the wall, and when you’re in a dorm room, that means there’s a good chance you’ll be up to. I woke up, uploaded some pictures, then tried to fall back asleep for a bit. After a short rest, I showered and had breakfast then asked directions to Lama temple.
Other than the times I’ve gone with people from the hostel, I’ve always been the only white person on the bus. Little kids tend to stare as well, so Beijing must not get as many tourists as you’d expect. The buses are always jammed, so maybe most tourists would rather pay a dollar more for a taxi instead of being crammed in like a sardine. Got off the bus and was puzzled at all the incense shops lining the street. China is interesting because nearly every store sells exactly the same thing as the store next to it. I guess the culture doesn’t put much emphasis on being unique.
After getting into the temple (the admission ticket was a small cd – Not sure what’s on it – I’ll have to check it out at some point), the reason for the incense shops became clear. There are many temples in the park, and at each one it’s customary to offer (or burn) incense to the Buddhist statues.
I’m a tad templed out, but some of the statues were quite nice (but sadly all marked NO PHOTO). The highlight, located in the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses, is a 26 metre tall statue of Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of Sandalwood. There was a Guinness World Record plaque outside confirming it’s authenticity. Made the visit worthwhile, as it was quite nice.
I wanted to check out the Silk Market next, and the best way I could see to do it was to hop on the subway. My first attempt at it – and for only 2rmb (40 cents) per ride, I figured even if I made a mistake, it wouldn’t be a costly one. The subway cars were packed too (worse than the buses by far), but I made it to the market without much trouble. Everything is labelled in English, and it was all quite clear (and clean) – just very crowded (okay, you might not believe me after seeing the next picture).
The Silk Market was much like the other markets I’ve been to in China. I thought there might be some actual silk up for grabs, and I’m sure there was, but not in abundance. It was fun haggling, and pretty easy to determine a bottom price, because if one person refuses to give you the item you want at your price, you can bump up your price by 5rmb (80 cents Canadian) or so at the vendor next door, because they’ll be selling the exact same thing.
Took the subway and bus back to the hostel, via Tian’anmen Square, then did a bit of web work. The tour to the wall got back a little later, and I chatted with everyone. They’d gone to a less touristy place on the wall than Badaling (where we went), and had done a ton of walking, but it sounded like they had fun.
Two new arrivals to the hostel, friends Victor (Vancouverite living in Hong Kong) and Cheryn (Vancouverite living in Shanghai) asked if anyone was up for going to a nearby restaurant for some Hot Pot. Kris (from Belgium, extending a business trip by a few days) and I took them up on the offer and headed over.
The restaurant was quite nice, and we got an assortment of meat and vegetables and noodles for our small individual pots (no communal pot this time). I’d had decent service in China, but this was exceptional. We even got some free food – and figured they must have thought we were important people for some reason. There was a bird in a cage that greeted everyone with “Ni Hao” (Hello) as they entered. The restaurant was a little classier than the place we’d gone yesterday, where the waitress (who couldn’t have been older than 13) carried a propane tank over to the table, slid it beside my legs, and placed a hot plate on the table – with a cable running from the plate to the tank. A little worrisome eating dinner with an ancient looking propane tank at your feet.
Simon, Constantine and myself (now seasoned pros) taught Stef to play some mahjong after dinner, and eventually we all headed to bed. I had the luxury of a single room (because the dorm was completely booked), so I should be well rested for my flight to Singapore.