Beijing Day 3 (Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, Drum & Bell Towers)

We started bright and early and set off for the Temple of Heaven via the subway. Once we got there, we walked through the surrounding park and soon realized it was Senior Citizen Hang Out Central. There were about 6 different groups doing ta'i chi in the park (see below), and hundreds upon hundreds of seniors crocheting, playing checkers/board games, chatting, exercising, flying airplane, playing hacky sack (with their version of the hacky sack, which I'll call a colorful badminton-like shuttlecock topped off with feathers).

A nice man let Ryan get in on the hacky sack action...he was hooked.

The long walkway to the Temple of Heaven...lined with hordes of seniors on one side all entertaining themselves.

I could barely get Ryan to glance at the Temple. All he wanted to do was play hacky sack (we bought him two...since the first one he immediately kicked over a fence). I wanted to scale it and retrieve it, but I hear the po po don't take too kindly to that kind of thing over there.

 After we left the Temple of Heaven (which by the way...the replica in Disney's Epcot Center is a decent copy, we made our way over to what is informally called Lama Temple (also known as Yonghe Temple). This was a place Rich and I hadn't been to back in 2000, probably because we were on a long trip and really had to narrow down what temples/sights we could see. However, it's quite impressive and I'm glad we went this time.

It's apparently the most famous Tibetan Buddhist temple and monastery outside of Tibet. It was built in the 1600s and initially served as the official residence of court eunuchs, but also became an imperial palace for one of the emperors. There were five main halls, all separated by large courtyards (which felt similar to the lay out of the Forbidden City, but on a much smaller scale).

The mammoth sized entry gates to the temple

I couldn't resist snapping this cute kid as we walked into the temple/monastery. I loved his stroller and curious expression.

Tibetan prayer wheels lined the temple, Ryan and I said prayers while we spun them.

I wish, wish, wish that the camera could truly capture the beauty of these colorful tapestries hanging inside one of the halls.  But photography inside the buildings was forbidden (I accidentally opened my camera and hit the button to take a picture...while it was aimed at the tapestries. You know how that goes.) But I've never seen anything like it another Asian temple.

After leaving Lama temple we made our way over to check out some of the surrounding hutongs. I thought hutongs were old neighborhoods, but they actually refer to their narrow alleys, which are lined with traditional courtyard homes/businesses. Most have been plowed down to make way for modern skyscrapers/roads/development, however, a recent effort has been made to preserve these neighborhoods. We found both modest, humble ones (that reminded me of poorer areas in Morocco), and saw more affluent, commercialized ones that once housed the upper class and are now tourist shops/restaurants. I fell in love with the simple ones that obviously house the working class. The buildings were incredibly tiny, poorly built (I can't imagine the draft in winter) and cramped. We discreetly slunk through to observe them (one side benefit to being Asian is looking that you belong just about anywhere when in Asia).

We frequently saw these numbers stamped on the walls there and have no idea what they represent. Are they resident's names/ID numbers. Does anyone know that can tell me?

Chowing down lunch at a small neighborhood store near the Lamastery hutongs

Catching the subway to the Drum & Bell Towers...love how the railings in the subway look like the marble gates at many temples/palaces. I know I went on and on about the subway yesterday...but I'm just so in love with it there. So much easier to navigate than New York's.

The Drum and Bell Towers were both used to announce time throughout the city, through the pounding of drums or the ringing of bells.

The Drum Tower , built in 1272.

The Bell Tower (right behind the Drum Tower)

The steep steps up to the Drum Tower

The last remaining original drum (of 24). Not doing so well. Not being preserved so well either. ;-)

They still have a few drum performances per day...but they have nothing on Daifukuji Taiko in my opinion!

Someone wanted to be on the security camera

We hunted for food at a nearby grocery store from our apartment...the Happiness Market. :-) It was always funny trying to guess what certain foods were. At one point I was confident I had strips of bacon for everyone's breakfast...but when I pointed at the meat questioningly and mimed a cow (I even mooed for extra emphasis), the lady shook her head and pointed to a picture of a goat. Oops. :-)