First they decided to build a palace, and because everything needs to be according to Feng Shui, they decided to build a mountain and a lake. I went... slightly skeptical about the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) until I was taken aback by its grandeur and serene atmosphere. The pavilions were lovely, with detailed traditional architecture, the gardens were not in bloom but I can only imagine how it must be when the lotus flowers are in bloom on the surface of the water. Amazing place to escape the noise and hustle and bustle of the city. Not sure if it was a bright idea to go out there on a freezing cloudy cold dry foggy (or smoggy?) November day though. I couldnt see one thing from afar and very few things up close...but the charm still was there. I could just imagine what the lake and the grounds would look like during spring - all the flowers, summer - green oasis or early fall - firework of colors, exquisite! And apparently during winter, kids can skate on the frozen lake. That would be quite an experience!

The palace itself is surrounded by the beautiful lake and bridges. You unfortunately cannot go into the buildings, only view them from the outside...offputting! There are many statues such as kylin, crane, deer which represent prosperity, power and health. I found the best part did not lay below but rather was up top. Go down the long windy corridor to the large gate with little shops/souvenir stops along the way that are good places to stop and get a warm milk tea to shelter you from the cold. Then pay a seperate fee to climb to the top to the Tower of Buddhist Incense. Its a steep but lovely climb thats very rewarding once you make it to the top. The sweeping views that greet you are incredible. Most people don't seem to make the climb up top. The temple itself is really neat. There are hundreds of small buddhas carved in the exterior of the building, and behind it offers long views to mountains far away...

Since it was my last day in Beijing, I was determined to go on a hunt for something uncommon, something authentic, something cultural enriching. We zipped through the ancient antique stores on Glass Street. We roamed the boulevard stretches of Ghost Street (Gui Jie) full of restaurants and bars. Beijing has prospered so much in the last decade. Many old villages with narrow streets and alleys demolished and replaced by wide boulevards with modern high rises and high-end shopping centers. Chinese people seem more sophisticated but are a bit out of touch with nature along with their culture. The most entertaining I found about Beijing is in almost every corner of the streets or parks, there are men and women performing and practicing Tai Chi to mainstream music. They look like they had all the time to dance and not to care about a thing in the world.

We finally arrived at the Wangfujing night food market (Donghuamen Snack Street). The market is home to about 100 stalls selling exotic less ordered snacks from all over China. For adventurous diners, its a food paradise with such unique snacks including king scorpions, earthworms, hand size tarantellas, deep fried crickets, sheep testicles and penises etc etc available to eat for $5 per stick (tourist price). Its definitely China's answer to what the Chinese think Westerners think the Chinese are. My suggestion is that dont visit China if you're a vegetarian :-)

Beijing 11/18/12