Worship, War, and a Wall . . . (Oct. 2016)
One of the great things about living here is the frequent phone call, "Hey, do you want to . . .?" We received just such a call from the Adamses on Monday, Oct. 17: "Do you want to go to The Temple of Heaven in a little while?" Um . . . . . . YES!!! The buildings were very interesting (this is where the Chinese hierarchy -- centuries ago -- performed animal sacrifices and other religious rituals, communed with heaven in an "inner sanctum," etc.), but the gardens -- acres and acres! -- were my favorite. Peaceful and quiet and empty . . . And you can see that it was a beautiful day -- something we don't take for granted anymore here in this land of smog and pollutants. We had a group of people over for dinner the other evening, and the woman saying the blessing on the food said, "And we're thankful for the beautiful, clean air we were breathing today." A few months ago, I might not have thought to be thankful for beautiful, clean air to breathe.
Apparently, The Temple of Heaven is also a popular spot for wedding photos. We paused long enough to enjoy part of the celebrating . . .
We asked the Adamses if they would like to try to find a restaurant that Amy has been suggesting -- an innocent query that led to a death-defying journey through rush-hour Beijing streets in a "tuk-tuk" (think rickshaw powered by a motorcycle rather than a bicycle). When he saw the map and restaurant address, our driver nodded his head knowingly and quickly sped off, leaving the Adamses and their tuk-tuk in the dust. Although Beijing residents don't seem to be encumbered by traffic rules in general (if such rules even exist), our tuk-tuk driver seemed especially reckless. One minute he would be in the street speeding alongside the cars and buses, while the next (still speeding, of course) in the bike lane alongside bicycles, three-wheeler delivery vehicles, motorcycles, and pedestrians, including one point where he was zipping along the sidewalk. I gripped Brigg's hand a little too tightly as we brazenly entered an intersection with a red light -- never even a hesitation. At one point while we were making our way down a congested one-way street, the driver made a sudden U-turn and headed back up the street -- against traffic. As odd as this may sound, I did find comfort in the thought that at least Brigg and I were going to die together. Our tuk-tuk driver finally pulled over, stopped, and ordered us out of the "vehicle." (We think he ordered us out -- he didn't speak English, and our Chinese is limited to asking where the bathroom is located and ordering ice water. I can also count to 100, but I didn't see any need to show off at that point.) Anyway, I couldn't get out fast enough -- but Brigg didn't see the restaurant anywhere and refused to pay a driver who was lost and just dumping us out on a random street. We tried to use our phones and a map to ask him to take us to the nearest subway stop, but he didn't understand us -- kept pointing to the map and then pointing down the street and nodding his head. Finally, I said "Tiananmen," which I hoped he would understand. We knew we were somewhere near Tiananmen Square and could find a subway stop there. So after nearly an hour in the one and only tuk-tuk I will ever take (on what should have been a two- or three-mile ride) we finally arrived at Tiananmen Square, paid the driver, and sent him on his way. It was quite late and dark by then and we just wanted to go home, but while we were walking to the subway station, we ran into . . . you guessed it! . . . the Adamses, who had by then given up on us. And we DID have a very lovely meal at the very aptly named . . .
On Saturday, October 22, the University invited the international and emeritus College of English faculty on an excursion to the Pingbei Anti-Japanese War Memorial. On our way, we stopped at a wetlands/nature preserve, where Brigg teased the ducks by pretending to feed them (seriously -- they waddled over to him every time he put out his hand -- but come to think of it, I guess I do the same thing . . . )
Our next stop was a small agricultural village where we had a traditional Chinese meal. We counted about 21 different dishes -- they just kept bringing them! The Chinese people at our table seemed to enjoy our reaction to the chicken dish. At least I now have an idea for those roosters in Wallsburg who wake us up every morning . . . (and the trout was actually DELICIOUS!)
At one point our friend Marilyn left the table very quickly. Turns out she was the only one who had eaten a few small bird eggs (we think that's what they were) in a fungus dish (various mushrooms -- but it's all called "fungus" here -- and it's quite good!) Anyway, Marilyn ran outside to the "bathroom" and became even more ill just looking at it -- so she just stayed out in the street until she "felt better." I just had to take a shot of the toilet facilities -- a combination of the "squatty potty" and open-trench outhouse -- for all you campers out there. And, yes, that is an "occupant" -- there were no doors.
The little village was filled with bins full of drying corn. Every street and alleyway contained the bins. We also noticed that the people were getting ready for winter -- piles of coal outside every little dwelling. Our friend Marilyn (feeling better by now) exclaimed, "I'll bet this is where Santa shops!"
Our next stop was the Pingbei Anti-Japanese War Memorial -- a monument/museum dedicated to the memory of a brave group of Chinese resistance fighters who held out against a much larger detachment of the Japanese army (kind of a Chinese version of the Alamo) during World War II. Much of the fighting took place in and around sections of the Great Wall, which we passed on our way to the memorial. It was somewhat surreal to look out of the bus window and see the Great Wall of China. I still can't believe I'm here!
And speaking of the Great Wall of China . . .
Monday, October 24 -- We rented a vehicle and driver, called the Adamses, and drove up to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. When word got out that we were planning the trip, two younger women from our branch asked if they could come along, so we upgraded to a van and said, "Sure!" It started out as a pretty nice fall day but became hazier as the day progressed. You can, however, still see some beautiful autumn foliage. We decided the day couldn't have been more perfect! In fact, Brigg and I were jumping for joy (notice how he jumped right out of the picture . . .)
As always, we kept ourselves safe by obeying the signs . . .
We rode the ski lift to the top of the Wall, hiked around for several miles (wish I had my step-counter!) and then rode the toboggan to the bottom, where we met some sketchy characters! (And by the way, if you look at the lift chair in front of us, you'll see a couple of members of the British RAF Red Arrows -- like the U.S. Air Force Blue Angels -- who were touring and performing in China during the month of October. We had a fun visit with them while we were standing in line for the lift -- the chair lift that is, not the British elevator!)
