Sunshine and dumplings

This morning we awoke to a blue sky and bright sunshine in Beijing. We walked a short distance to the public bus and we were off to the Dirt Market. Rows and rows of stalls of treasures just waiting to be bartered for. And barter we did! A little information about exchange rates, how to negotiate, and when to walk away, and everyone was set loose in a sea of tea sets, jewelry, silks, swords and imitation antiquities!

Two hours later we were satisfied with our purchases and ready for lunch. Shuo Yuan and Lincoln arranged lunch in a restaurant a few blocks walk from the market, and we ate fish, cabbage, chicken, pork, a soup with spinach and soft boiled quail eggs, and a salad with deep fried pigeon eggs. Everyone is getting very good at eating with chopsticks.

After lunch we took another bus to the Temple of Heaven. The temple sits at the center of a magnificent park with 500 year old cedar and juniper trees. The park was filled with people enjoying the day- singing in groups, playing cards, playing musical instruments, and dancing. We were watching groups of people dancing, and an older woman beckoned us to join them. Courtney, Kathleen and Lily joined them, and then a few more of us, and soon we were all dancing! Then we turned around to see that we had become the subject of many cameras! We were laughing and dancing, and Lincoln learned from the woman who coaxed us to dance that her son was a PhD living in Chicago, and that she was a math teacher in Beijing. Mrs. Chase borrowed a rather terrific bling scarf from one of the dancers, tied it 'round her waist, and showed us a few moves.

We walked through the park to the Temple of Heaven, a majestic spot made even more beautiful by the blue sky. We took many photographs, got the Gould banner out for a few group shots, and enjoyed the afternoon.

We headed back to our hotel on a very crowded bus, and we all got laughing at the positions we were squeezed into with complete strangers, and when we arrived at the hotel, we had a meal of dumplings- boiled dumplings, fried dumplings, pork, chicken, vegetable, you name it dumplings. Finished off with cold slices of delicious watermelon.

We ventured out into the neighborhood in small groups for an hour this evening, all returned safely, and after a day of walking, bartering, trying new things and enjoying one another's company, we are ready for sleep!

Jan Baker