Day 4

Day 4 – Today, I too woke up early. I think I am still adjusting to the 13hour time difference. For breakfast we made a stir-fry with the leftover food from our dinner with Carmen and Karma. It was delicious! I also began reading for my courses. In the morning we had coffee near the office and later had lunch at a place called Kung Fu. The café seems ideal for studying. After lunch we met Carmen and Karma and took the bus/subway where we toured the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was spectacular. The architecture, sophistication and colours were unbelievable. As we walked around the Temple of Heaven you couldn’t help but feel the age old history and culture. The three of us paid 30 yen to have our pictured taken in traditional clothing. I was the Emperor! I should mention that the Temple of Heaven is crowded with old people. China had a disproportionate number of elderly. Carmen and Karma were explaining how many of the elderly come to the Temple of Heaven to socialize throughout the year. It is a larger space so it is attractive to many of them. As we walked through the Temple of Heaven, older people were dancing, singing and playing games. From the Temple of Heaven we headed out for dinner with Karma and Carmen. We had a traditional Chinese cuisine known as hotpot. The sauce for the hot pot was not very pleasant but the fellowship and laughter made dinner overly enjoyable. After dinner we took the bus back to our neighborhood. Before we went back to the house Mike, Grace and I had a foot massage. It was heaven! Up to this point, today was probably the most enjoyable. Until next time, your Beijing brother.