Yonghe Gong (Lama Temple) & Beihai Park

Went to an expensive-looking Japanese restaurant for dinner tonight, yet it only cost 22 RMB. The interior was really nice, and the restaurant smelled like vinegary sushi rice. Except for the Chinese waitresses, you’d think you were in Japan. I had warm Japanese soba. The noodles were a little too soft, but it tasted ok. There was spinach (!), some kind of chewy mushroom, shimeji mushroom, bamboo shoots and some other mountain veggie in it. It was a nice place to relax after 5 hours of walking.

Today, K, D and I met Steffi for another day of sightseeing. First we went to Yonghe Gong, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple in China. It was huge. The architecture was amazing. I was particularly impressed by the colorful and elaborately painted ceilings and roofs.

After lunch, D left to meet a family friend and the rest of us strolled around Beihai Park. It’s so big that it took us several hours to walk from the north gate to the south gate. Though we did stop to take lots of photos.^^

I tried a haw-flavoured ice-block...not bad. (Fyi, "haw" is the fruit of a hawthorn.)

＞＞　Click here for more Lama Temple photos

＞＞　Click here for more Beihai Park photos