China Day 7, 12th May, Beijing

So the weather was a bit damp but didn’t appear too bad when we awoke. A good early start and downstairs in the hotel for brekky today. Eggs, bacon, fruit and toast along with a brown beverage apparently purporting to be coffee.

After this it was on to the subway for a line 5, then change to line 2 to get to the Lama Temple with brollies at the ready. Arrived before 10 and already quite a lineup for tickets so patiently stood in line and waited our turn, no issue and at 25 Rmb each, a bargain. Have a look at the guys on the roof working immediately above the ticketing booth, there were even sparks from welding raining down; no OH&S. We then wandered around this rather large Buddhist complex looking at all the temples which are still actively used. This version of it rebuilt around 1740 but originating on the site from the 13^th century. There are no internal Buddha photos as they are not allowed.

When we had completed this it was raining so we gently wandered down some roads and came across the Confucius temple and Institute. Decided to go inside and what a difference to the Lama Temple. There were very few people and a large number of 500 year old trees around the complex. It was in excellent condition and well worth visiting and a good little education.

We then found a small coffee and tea shop down a small street and had an excellent coffee before wandering further in the rain to find the Drum and Bell towers as the maps weren’t quite working.

Grabbed a bite to eat from a small shop which ended up being similar to a naan bread with filling ( meat or veg) cooked in a tandoori oven, excellent choice. Finally located the drum tower and raced up the steep steps before the rain came down again. Great view of the city but not today sadly due to the weather but would be fantastic on a clear day. It was then down and across to the Bell Tower and once again up the steep steps for a look around and then down to get something warming.

Because it was wet, windy and cold and someone had left their cardigan at the hotel, we had to find a shawl or similar to buy (which we did) and then settled for another coffee (crap) and tea before finding our way back to a subway and catching a couple of trains back to the hotel for a little siesta. Of course there was the obligatory stop at the local shop for a couple of cold beers and some food for tomorrows train trip before dinner with Alec and Helen.

We all went just down the road to a Korean BBQ restaurant that was close for both of us and had a great meal with some Korean Puree (not beer apparently) which was poured from a large vat into beer jugs. Tasted like beer and we certainly all enjoyed it. Another late night and back to the hotel to pack and get ready for tomorrows trip. Another excellent though damp day.