Wednesday, March 30

Our adventures today took us outside the normal itinerary that the travel services usually book for people.  We were originally scheduled to go see the Temple of Heaven, but we decided that although this is an icon of Beijing, we weren't all that excited to see another mostly empty piece of architecture - impressive as it may be.  Especially now that we have a three year old in tow, who is getting busier by the day, we thought something with a little more to see and explore would be better.  So we took Kirsty's recommendation and went to see the Drum tower and what they call the Hutong area around it.  Then, very nearby that area is a shopping area with a big lake and beautiful walkways.  In hindsight, this really was such a nice area, we could have stayed here all day instead of moving on somewhere else in the afternoon.  I wish we could go back.

To get to the drum tower, we took a rickshaw.  These things are all over this area, and we took a tour where the rickshaw drives you up to the drum tower, you tour the tower, and then the rickshaw drives you all through what they call the Hutong areas.  

Getting ready for the rickshaw ride

These drivers must have some amazing quad muscles to pull a load like us!

More rickshaws coming toward us.  These narrow "streets" are what we were on the whole time.

 The drum tower is part of the historic buildings of Beijing.  There is also a bell tower very near to the drum tower.  They were used to mark the time for the emperor in ancient times.  They would ring the bell each hour through the morning hours, and the drum each hour through the afternoon hours.  Now if you go to the drum tower, you can not only go up inside it (Ugh - more stairs!)  but you can also see a drum performance.  We wished we had taken the camera with video ability.  We have pictures, but the video would have been better.

A shot of the drum tower from the front

Jim is smiling happily for the camera, but he's really thinking, "Are you kidding?  I have to carry this kid up MORE STAIRS!?"

Some of the drums up in the tower.  These are of course not original, because those would be too old to actually play.

Getting ready to start the drum performance

Going down....

....and down, and down...

 After touring the drum tower, we got back in the rickshaw and rode around an area they call a Hutong area.  The word hutong basically means well area - so originally these neighborhoods were centered around a well, and they were made up of many courtyard areas where people lived in very small houses all connected together.  There are a lot less of these Hutongs in Beijing now than there used to be, but they are still active residential areas.  Many people live in these areas, with tiny homes all connected in courtyard areas.  There are tiny stores and markets all right in the Hutong, and there are no bathrooms in the homes, so there are public bathrooms in among the homes that they all share.  This was an eye-opening tour into some of the real life residential areas in Beijing.  Of course, there are many other kinds of residential areas as well, but these Hutong areas are heavily populated and many people live and work there.  As we glimpsed life here, we were sobered by what we saw.  It did shed a new light on some of what can go into the very situation that causes a little one like TingTing to need a forever family.  There are many people that may simply be in a position of not being able to best care for a child and they are left with no other choice than to give the child the hope of a different life.  All speculation of course, but the area we rode through today made us wonder what kind of beginning TingTing's life may have had.  All of these pictures are from our ride through that Hutong area.  The doorways are views into the courtyard areas where people's homes are.

 After the rickshaw tour of the Hutong area, we went to an area of shops on a lake with lots of pretty walkways and bridges.  We didn't really have a lot of time planned in for this before we headed off somewhere else, but in hindsight this is the place I wish we would have stayed all afternoon.  The weather was perfect, it wasn't busy, there were shops and small restaurants and tea houses, and in the shops the workers didn't even yell things at you!  I would love to have time to go back!

Unfortunately, we left this wonderfully peaceful area, and went to a place called Yashow market.  Similar to the popular silk market that every tourist in China MUST go to, we went instead to this Yashow market because we heard it was better than the silk market.  I have no doubt that the silk market is perhaps even worse than what we experienced today, but either way it is the absolute worst shopping experience EVER for the Bennett family.  We are not the world's most enthusiastic shoppers anyway, so for people who are I suppose they would love this.  For us, it was pure torture.  We went there hoping to find some clothing that would fit TingTing better than what we brought for her, but we left with a huge dose of insanity!  It was stall after stall of everything - coats, men's clothing, women's clothing, kid's clothing, silk products, scarves, chinese souvenirs, electronics, jewelry, and on and on and on.  And everywhere we walked, we were met with shop owners calling to us, "Halloo!  You want some scarf?  You want a coat?  You want some jeans?  Hey lady!  You need a purse?"  Then, if you actually brave one of their stalls and look at something, then you have to bargain with them for the price.  Back and forth, back and forth, them trying to convince me to pay more for something than I could get it for right at home in the US.  Torture.  Torture.  Torture.  Oh to walk into a Kohl's and find what I need for TingTing all in one place, without in-your-face store owners and without price wars!

The best picture I got of the outside of this Yashow market.  It's in an old department store building now filled with bargain shops - more like an indoor flea market.

Get me out!  Get me out!  Get me out!

One more group of pictures just for fun!  We've been really having fun seeing Lydia's personality come out more and more throughout this past week of having her with us.  She has relaxed more and more, she has begun to test our authority, and she has really begun to show a bubbly and exuberant personality.  The best part of our day isn't the amazing sightseeing or the food, and it certainly isn't the shopping opportunities.  The best part of our day is just being with Lydia, playing with her, doing nothing much at all - just becoming family.

 

 

Three things we are thankful for today...

1.  That we have been successful getting taxis several times since that one bad experience

2.  That employees at retail stores in America are NOT trained to sell like used car salesman


3.  For the mother that is out there somewhere who grew and birthed this sweet daughter that we are now blessed to have