Around the World in 119 Days...and then some!: Day 59: Beijing, China

Today was our last day with our tour guide in Beijing and the day's agenda was light, so we were able to get a late start on the day and catch up on some sleep. At 10am we met Julia for a hutong tour (hutong is an old Mongolian word for 'water well', residences would be built around a well to share a water source, the name carried forward as a shared residence place even without a well so the name is used slightly differently now). A hutong is usually a small alleyway or narrow street in a mostly residential neighborhood that usually has traditional shared courtyard residences. As Beijing grew most hutongs were destroyed to make way for new apartment buildings when space become scarce. Now only 10% of the original hutongs remain and are protected by the Chinese gov't in order to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history. The hutongs are now a rare residence and are worth a lot of money, but since not all residents have the money to renovate them the conditions of the hutongs vary greatly. On the tour we were taken around by richshaw with the driver riding a bicycle. Ilana and Julia were in one richshaw while I was alone in the other. A very interesting way to ride through the neighborhoods and get a history lesson on this aspect of Beijing life.

(Julia & Ilana in their richshaw in front on mine)

(Us stopping in front of an upscale house in a hutong. It was explained that the resident was obviously a military official due to the type of stone statues in front of the door. The gentleman on the right was my richshaw driver.)

At the end of the tour we were taken to a local family's house for lunch. Retired people in Beijing offer their home for tours and cuisine so visitors can learn more about the local lives of family here in Beijing. Although we were a little hesitant to barge in on a family it was recommended to us by our Singapore friends that it was a good experience, and right they were. The couple we visited were fabulous. They often have visitors from around the world and cook the greatest authentic Chinese cuisine. As we ate we chatted with the help of our excellent guide and translator, Julia. We spoke of family and life in Beijing, and also of travel. There were a few large jars in the kitchen of strange concotions that I had to inquire about. I was informed and offered the containing alcoholic drink that consisted of the remants of various sea and land creatures. I'm still not clear what was in there but I definitely saw the head of a lizard and a bunch of sand dollars. All I can say is that it was STRONG. The minute I took a shot my entire body temperature rose by about 20 degrees. I was told that it is good to warm you up on a cold day, and that it did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong

Before quitting our short day, we quickly went by the electronics market in my quest to find the netbook I have my eye on for a cheap price. Unfortunately the netbook is still cheaper in the US (by over $100), although the netbook is made by a Taiwanese company. Go figure.

Since is was rainy and cold day we decided to take the rest of the afternoon off from sightseeing and we went to a random Chinese massage house for a cheap body massage. All I can say is, what a funny experience. Although the massage was decent and extremely cheap for an hour ($16), it quickly turned into an English lesson for our Chinese masseuses once they found out that we were American.

Then on the way home we decided to take a break from Chinese food for dinner and went to what is classified as a "Western Delicacy"....Pizza Hut.