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Wednesday, July 05, 2006
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Yesterday we arrived in Guangzhou and then flew to Beijing where we were met by our guide Maggie, who is amazing. We weren't t the hotel too long before she arranged to take us out for lunch at a local chinese restaurant. We ate alone while Maggie, her friend and the driver patiently waited for us. We have kung pao chicken and a plate of beef, a bowl of dumplings, some steamed spinach leaves (we think) and some watermelon. They gave us enough to feed a whole family! She said normally waitresses don't get tips in china but these had stayed late and kept the place open just for us so we gave them a few dollars.
After lunch we went to the Bi Yun temple, or temple of the azure sky. It was amazing. There were two HUGE carvings of warriors called I think Heng and Ha who guard the temple. They were massive and very intimidating. You could see the mountain in the background and there were many pagodas along the walk. In different pagodas you would find large buddha statues, or guardian statues. Inside one was statues of the 18 arahats who were disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha and in another room were bronze statues of 500 arahats. I took several pictures but I don;t think they were properly convey the beauty and tranquility of the place.
Maggie said that not many american tourists visit the Bi Yun temple so the curious stares we got came as no surprise. People here seem very curious and also a bit shocked at Mason's tattoos. Just about everyone does a double take, and some point and whisper to their friends. Mostly when we smile at people we are met with a very friendly smile and nod in return.
Some things that were not exaggerations about China -
the bed is hard as a rock. You couldnt jump on this bed without spraining an ankle!
the driving is scary. If you are brave enough to look out the window while being driven around, you are in for a shock. It seems like people are going to run into you or kill the hundreds of pedestrians and bike riders every single second. Mason says they drive in survival mode. There are lots and lots and lots of people on bikes, scooters and motorcycles. Many buses and cabs too but not as many as the cyclists. Maggie said many people cant afford a car here and owning one is a sign of wealth.
the weather is just like Houston. Hot, muggy, humid...you can't walk around too much without sweating. Feels just like home except at home I'm inside with the AC on all day.
Well, I am going to try to upload some pictures now and maybe lay down. We fell asleep at 6pm yesterday and woke up at 3am. Maggie will be calling us at 7am to get dressed and have breakfast then meet her and another family downstairs to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I will update more later!
To view our pictures from yesterday, please click the following link - http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/photo?ID=100311 and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
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