DAY 3, Sun 4 Sep 2011

Drum Tower

Lazy Sunday, but I still wake up around 6. I usually check email on my phone in the morning. iPhone is so useful when traveling. I saved a picture of the subway map, different notes from my guide book, plus games for all the subway rides! ;)
Originally I hoped to go to Great Wall today, but Amy & I didn't really plan it out properly, so decided to skip it. We stayed out pretty late yesterday, and Amy lives way across town and the bus she wanted to take leaves at 0730 :-/ I will have find a tour group later.  Instead I go by myself to Drum tower and Bell tower. These towers were originally used to tell time in the city by banging drums during the day and ringing bells at night. At that time, time was measured in what is now about 2-hour increments. They are supposed to have drum performances, not sure if it's not on Sunday or what. Oh well. It's especially smoggy today, so I didn't get a great view, but you can see out over Houhai lake and the buildings in that district.

The walk up

The drums

After the towers I ended up going back to Nan Luo Gu Xiang, the street where the cooking class was and shopping a bit until Amy got up and I headed to the far western suburbs to meet her in Haidian. I was starving as usual, so we decided to go a place nearby the subway called Zhen Gong Fu or real/true Kung Fu. It's fast food, rice bowls and combo meals. I had paigu fan rice with pork ribs, cabbage, and black bone chicken soup. Black bone chickens are skinny and bony, but known for good flavor. I was eating fast food, so the soup wasn't amazing, but it was edible!

Chinese fast food  at real kung fu

From there we took the subway to Yi He Yuan the summer palace. It's in the far northwest of Beijing and was originally used as a getaway for the emperor. Unfortunately some parts were being renovated, but once we got around the various pagodas and temples we got to an overlook where we could clearly see Kunming lake. You can rent paddle boats or just relax near the water. I'm pretty sure I remember the Amazing Race contestants coming here, hopefully I can find some past seasons online! Amy and I were tired from all the walking so we grabbed a spot and people watched. Most of the tourists I've seen are European or Russian, I haven't run across very many Americans. Where y'all at?! Not that I want to hang out with people from home, just something I noticed.
After our break we walked out the South Gate and grabbed an unauthorized taxi that approached us to head back to town. We had to meet Amy's friend, Jessica Larsen, another girl from Richardson High School that I didn't know. She's been here for several years teaching English, and she met het husband and is raising their two children here. Her mom and dad also have temporarily moved to China to have their post retirement adventure and spend time with their grandchildren.
We go for dinner at a Yunnan restaurant which they often frequent since it's Jessica's husbands home province.


Yunnan food is known as being special because there are many different minority ethnicities in the region.

potato pancakes

We have a papaya soup fish, red bean sesame bread, ginkgo nuts and cucumber, spicy fried pork, eggplant, potato pancakes which are like latke, and ground beef with scallion.

ginkgo nuts were a favorite

papaya fish soup

Everything is really flavorful. The only thing is they don't  traditionally eat rice which is something I kinda feel weird not eating!Since we're in Beijing it's easy to order rice and I do. After dinner I cab it home. On the way, I see a bunch of people salsa dancing in an open space. Whaaa? I ask my cabbie to stop, I gotta check this out! He starts teasing me, yeah? Stop here? You're gonna go dance or something? *smirk* I say yeah! I'm going to see what it is at least!  I chat up an ayi sitting and watching.

dancing in the street

She tells me to try, and even points out men I should ask to dance! Haha I watch a while, until I notice another activity across the way. Turns out not only is there dancing, there's also karaoke!! I go and watch a bit and then head home. I don't feel like bombarding my way in and showing off my Chinese singing skills. It's just nice to watch and enjoy the local way.
When I get home I talk to Anna, the girl working at the hotel about going to the great wall. Unfortunately most people who stay here hire a private driver for about $100 USD. It's too much for me to pay as one person, so she has to find me a tour group. She also suggests I go to a show in the evening, either Beijing opera (known for sounding like screeching cats), Kung Fu show, or acrobatics show. I decide acrobatics would be the most entertaining. I have to meet the tour group at 0730--time for bed!