The idea was to go to the Great Wall at Badaling and, as we can’t get the internet, we were reduced to asking the concierge how to get there. A man with painted finger nails (the best inference is that he is trying to revive an imperial tradition) had to look at his phone and gave us instructions how to get the metro to Dongshimen and then two buses. We got to Dongshimen and walked to a bus stop which didn’t list the right bus numbers. As we were looking around helplessly, a lady stopped and asked if we needed help. This has happened to us so many times in China. The cardinal rule is to stop when you are lost, look at a map (and preferably scratch your head) and before long some person (or even a throng of people) will stop to help you. This lady said “You are too late. It takes two hours to get there and it will be too hot because there is no shade. That convinced us to abandon the idea. Instead we went to the Lama Temple, which we saw last year, but was well worth another visit despite the huge crowds. It did seem that there were far more young people bowing before the Hungry Ghost (a huge pot burning juniper sticks and giving off clouds of sweet-smelling smoke) and getting down on their knees before the various images of the Buddha. The enormous Buddha carved out of a single tree was as dramatic as last year.
Entrance to the Lama Temple
The Hungry Ghost
The Laughing Buddha
The gigantic Buddha carved from a single tree
Prayer wheel
Beijing Roast Duck Restaurant