Lama Temple

Today, Annette (a friend from New Zealand) and I visited the Lama Temple, the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist Temple outside Tibet, and which served as an imperial palace prior to 1744 when it was converted into a lamasery. Most famous in the temple is the 18 metre statue of Buddha reputedly sculpted from a single block of sandalwood. The photograph certainly doesn’t do it justice, it is really quite spectacular to see. The architecture was stunning, as were the statues and other treasures on display. I think this is now my favourite place in Beijing, along side the hutongs. The streets surrounding the temple are lined with shops selling all kinds of worship paraphernalia, ranging from $1 or $2, to thousands of dollars!

We then had a delicious meal at a little vegetarian courtyard restaurant. We ordered a number of dishes including lamb and chicken meals – they were just delicious! We ended up paying $20 each which is a midrange restaurant price, but we had so much food that we had to bring it home in doggy bags!

We then explored some of the hutongs around the area and discovered a huge Confucian temple complex that we will definitely have to return to and explore further. We found two very trendy hutongs lined with shops and bars – with great atmosphere! I absolutely love the hutongs and keep discovering new ones all the time.

This evening we need to do our Chinese homework before our next lesson on Sunday. (Loving the Chinese language!!!) Tomorrow we are joining the Beijing Hikers on a hike along a section of the Wall. Can’t wait but also a little tentative because I think it’s a hard hike, very steep in parts. I hope I’m fit enough!