Anyhow, I know I've been delaying this entry for way too long now, but with the holidays, there was just too much going on. So now my long overdue entry on my Beijing Trip: Day 1.
We arrived in Beijing at about 5:30am.
With barely 8 hours of sleep on a 14+ hour plane ride, I was ready to jump out of my seat and breathe the Beijing air already...well at least that's what I thought.
Dressed in a thin cotton sweater and jeans, I stepped off of the plane to find myself shivering. I was so not ready for the weather at 12 degrees Fahrenheit. It was worse than Tahoe weather (and I thought that was bad)! If you know me, I've never been a fan of the cold.
Freezing cold. That was my first impression of Beijing.
I was feeling a bit miserable in the cold. I tried to layer myself to keep warm. I had my hands stuffed in a pair of gloves which were stuffed in my pockets. Snow boarding jacket on. Scarf wrapped over my face and my feet and hands were still frozen.
Despite the unbearable weather, I was ready to explore the city. I guess my adrenaline some how allowed for me to momentarily forget about the cold. Our tour guide offered to take us on a tour to the Temple of Heaven, Cole Hill Park and lunch close by the Wang Fu Jing snack food street before checking into our hotel (which was not ready for us).
Truly an amazing city with so much culture and history. Buildings and temples that have been around for hundreds of years..geez even their squatter toilets seem ancient.
A very hungry, tired me that wanted to take a shower.
First stop: Temple of Heaven
Look at the details.
Locals playing Scrabble? They sat around this one area either playing Chinese boardgames. Reminds me of Portsmouth Square in San Francisco Chinatown, where all the older Chinese men sat around playing Chinese checkers. Perhaps there's some gambling going on.
Almost at the top of the highest point in Cole Hill park. Freezing cold!
A picture of Buddah. If you look closely at the picture, there are signs that say no photos on it. Only merely a minute after I had taken this picture did I take a step on a ramp, losing balance, falling and sliding about 5-6 feet down the ramp until I landed at the bottom. It was totally Karma! SMH!
At the highest point of Cole Hill park overlooking the Forbidden City
Ready to eat at Wang Fu Jing Street
Stinky tofu! Looks and smell not so good, but super tasty!
Sour milk. I did not try it, but it seemed to be popular with the locals!
I did not want to get a stomach ache.
Not during my first visit, but I tried some my second visit on this street. After my nerves and guts got over the idea of eating insects did it taste good.
This pretty much sums up my first morning in Beijing! Spent the rest of the afternoon checking into our hotel, settling in and unpacking.
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