Two Travel Geeks: BEIJING- PANJIAYUAN, TIANTAN PK, HUTONG TOUR

OCT. 16, 2011 Sunday

EXCELLENT DAY FINISHES ON HIGH NOTE

Anneke and her "grandson" in the hutong

Singers at the Kiev Restaurant

Calligrapher at Tiantan Park

Lake Houhai, Beijing

The high notes - and low ones as well - were furnished by the Russian singers at the Kiev Restaurant in western Beijing where we were treated to a superb meal and top-notch service. The restaurant is located off a busy street and was a favourite of ours during our Beijing years. The singers are professionally trained musicians, many of whom may have sung in the Red Army Chorus.

But our dinner was just one part of a great day, which was made even better by a perfect weather day of blue, blue sky and 20 degree C. temperatures. We began with a shopping experience at Panjiayuan, also known as the Dirt Market, where on weekends anyone can spread out a blanket and sell their goods. Many are so-called antiques, often made specifically to look old. Permanent stall-holders sell jade, jewelry, wood carvings, Tibetan clothing, home decor items, books, leather puppets, ceramics, tea sets - and more. Everyone really enjoyed this market, as the vendors are not aggressive and the atmosphere is much different than at the Silk Market. Unfortunately, we were so busy shopping, we didn't have time for photos here.

Our next stop was a slow, informative walk through the Temple of Heaven complex, one of the largest green spaces in the city. Richard gave us a complete history and we were able to see and hear retired common people singing, dancing, doing tai chi, knitting, etc. along the wooden covered walkway near the central temple which was built for the Emperor to worship the gods of nature. It is amazingly quiet in the park, despite it being in the middle of the city of 20 million people.

A full lunch of Beijing special dishes preceded a walk through a reconstructed section of the imperial shopping street near Qiamen Gate of Tiananmen Square.. Then it was on to our hutong tour. Up near Houhai Lake to the northwest of the Forbidden City is an area of traditional old courtyard homes some of which date back to the Imperial times. These particular ones have been protected by the city and there is a thriving business of rickshaw/pedicab tours with neighbourhood guides. We were able to visit one such home where 8 people in one family have lived for over 100 years. The owners do fine paper-cutting, which some of us purchased.

After dinner we headed back to our hotel, tired, but happy, to pack for our departure tomorrow afternoon. We'll be on the train to Suzhou as you are getting up on Monday morning.