Today we planned to strike out on our own and visit the Summer Palace. Instead, due time constraints, we went to Beihai Park which is closer to our hotel.
The most exciting part of the trip was the taxi ride. Driving anywhere in Beijing is a competitive sport. Several times our taxi driver came within inches (or less) of striking another vehicle as he maneuvered as quickly as possible between lanes, then slammed on his brakes when someone equally reckless cut in front of him. He did all of this while talking on his cell phone with one hand, and both steering and driving stick shift with his other. At one point, he charged a city bus head on and I thought we would all surely die. Yet, against all odds, we managed to make it to our destination safely.
Beihai Park is absolutely gorgeous. It is located in the center of downtown Beijing and is the oldest existing garden in all of China. It is over 800 years old. It also has many Buddist temples and we saw lots of people offering money to the statutes of the various gods in the temples.
Benjamin was a huge attraction at the park. Several people gestured to have their picture taken with him and he very kindly obliged. One person told us in English that he was "very beautiful."
Ben was also thrilled to discover, and use, the squatty potty at the park. He told me that he was going to check out the bathrooms at the acrobatic show tonight because if they also have squatty potties, then he wants to use one there as well.
It is so wonderful to travel with him. Most westerns complain bitterly about squatty potties. They are difficult to use and I can attest first hand that they smell terrible. But to Ben, using them is an adventure. Seeing everything through his eyes has made this trip so much more enjoyable.
The acrobatic show was astounding. As Jay pointed out, given the mass media we have access to, very few things surprise us. We've seen it all on T.V. The acrobatic show, however, was truly unbelievable. There is simply no way to adequately describe seeing 14 young women ride on 1 bicycle. Or seeing a series of three young men standing one on top of the other, the first and the third both on moving balance boards, and the top one using his balance board to simultaneously launch 4 bowls into the air and catch them on his head. It is incomprehensible to me how the performers learned their routines, or how they are capable of contorting their bodies in ways that seem inhuman. Our guide told us they have been trained since they were babies.
They perform 2 back to back shows every day, 7 days a week. Tonight, we saw the first of the two shows. As the curtain started to go down, an announcer said, "The performance is over. Thank you for coming." Everyone in the audience rushed out to make way for those attending the next show. Most people were gone before the curtain had touched the floor. I felt sorry for the performers. I am sure they would have received multiple standing ovations in the U.S.
Tomorrow we will visit the Great Wall. Just three more days until we finally meet Hannah Dong En.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment