After entering the park, we quickly realized that a few others had heard about this event as well:
First on the agenda was FOOD! After a satisfying lunch of grilled spicy lamb kebabs and noodles, I found a snack I had been trying to locate for some time: fried balls of dough dipped in sugar. These are very similar to New Orleans Beignets but they use regular sugar rather than powdered sugar. Oh yeah, and before you judge my hat, the Chinese girls say I look cute in it! It keeps me warm as well.
After eating, we wandered around checking out some of the booths. There were masks, fireworks, balloons, and everything else that is cheap and made in China. We then checked out two performances: a traditional Chinese dance and a Chinese magician who did a very impressive Square Circle routine in which he made a big pot of tea appear.
The actual temple area was lined with carnival games. I stopped to play one game where you toss coins onto small circles (how do you say step right up and win some crap in Chinese?), but alas did not win anything.
While playing this game just a few feet away from the temple's altar, I couldn't help thinking if this is what things looked like when Jesus cleared the Jerusalem temple of the moneychangers. Were they selling junk like this too?
On the way out, I stopped to pick up a scary mask. Masks are traditional at Chinese New Year because they scare away the evil spirits much like masks at our Halloween. If you dont' want to be scared don't read any further, my mask was really scary.
YES WE CAN! BOO! (Actually I think I look more like a black Nixon, maybe its the peace sign.)
After the fair, I headed over to the Crowne Plaza hotel to meet Gray Line tours for an evening of Chinese Acrobatics and Peking Roast Duck. Thomas, our excellent tour guide, took me and 2 ladies who were visiting China in his personal SUV. The show was good consisting of various acts including contortion, plate spinning, tumbling, climbing, and unicycle riding. It wasn't exactly Cirque Du Soleil but these kids have some talent. Afterwards, it was on to a nearby restaurant for Peking Duck, the duck that so many Americans know as being in the last scene of A Christmas Story. Actually our dinner consisted of many items: beef, veggies, fried rice and the duck. No it wasn't smiling at me. This restaurant knows a lot of westerners will be dining there and the head on the duck doesn't fly (no pun intended) with most westerners. Actually I was hoping it did have the head on just I could say that classic line. The chef carved the duck tableside and then our fuwuyaun showed us how to eat it. You wrap the meat in a thin tortilla type pancake with vegetables and plum sauce and eat with your hands. Later in the meal the fuwuyuan approached me for some help with his English, that is one of the daily experiences of being a foreigner here. He proudly proclaimed to me he was learning American English and was so appreciative that I took a few minutes out of my meal to help him practice a new sentence.
Tomorrow is the second day of Chinese New Year and is considered to be the birthday of all dogs, so do something special for your canine companions and tell them Chun Jie Kuai Le!
Also, if you are reading this on facebook, you will need to go to the actual blog to see the photos: http://beijingtim.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment