Day 26: In the Line of Fire

Happy Birthday Megan!!
DID: First exposure to Chinese way of toilet training. Rhys made a friend with another little boy while we were waiting for Jason to bring our suitcases over to Beijing Hotel #2. Little ones here wear pants that are slit all along the crotch, no diapers, no underwear, and they squat when they feel the need. I found it a bit disconcerting because with him sitting and me standing over him, it put me right in the line of ‘fire’.

Today we explored the north section of the city. Drum Tower, then paddle boats on the lake. Another chance for the Chinese paparazzi to get their shots of Rhys, this time swarming around us on boats. They are relentless!

Afterwards, went shopping on Nanluogu Xiang street. Touristy for sure but the shops sell upscale souvenirs, not just the regular tat. I even found a tshirt for myself, first one!

Lots of people selling (and wearing) mini bunny ears. Is this another Gaga inspiration?

Gavin is getting in on the bartering action. He talked a seller down from 10RMB to 4 (about 60 cents) for a toy (a light-up spinning whirly slingshot thing).

ATE: Brunch – Dim sum @ Lei Garden. WOW. Had difficulty ordering (no carts, no pictures, no English menu, little English spoken, and although Jason knows most of the names of the dim sum items we like, he was not able to pronounce them in such a way as to be understood) but once the food started coming it was fan-ta-bulous, to quote Gavin. Fried pork belly and shrimp dumplings were highlights. Also service was particularly attentive. In addition to filling our drinks, a server stood by our table to replenish our plates with dumplings, rice etc as needed.

Snack – flaky pastries from a bakery near the Drum Tower. Jason went in after he noticed the queue out in the street.  Not sure what they were called but they were really good!

Dinner – chose a crowded restaurant on the main street perpendicular to NangLuoGu Xiang heading back towards the Drum Tower. Basket of fried shrimp and stir-fried green beans with pork, both quite tasty. Beginning to wonder about the reputation outside of China that food here is bland and lacking vegetables  – we’ve really enjoyed every meal, especially the veg!

After dinner we went to the Night Market for ‘dessert’. This is kind of the ‘fear factor’ market where they deep fry all sorts of crazy things like scorpions and snakes. Jason was looking forward to this but the smells completely turned him off, and in the end he didn’t try anything.

SLEPT: New hotel – the Red Wall Garden Hotel. Same neighborhood as the Legendale but on a Hutong (alley) rather than on the main road. Might be my favorite hotel so far. We were upgraded to a townhouse that has a living room + bathroom downstairs and bedroom upstairs. Rooms surround a courtyard with tables, birdcages and a fountain. This is much more to my taste – none of the pretentiousness of the big 5-star hotel, the room is actually far bigger and the service is much more personal. The boys especially appreciate the lollipops in the lobby! The only downside compared to the Legendale is the lack of the doorman to hail us cabs. Taxis really are impossible here.