Just steps from the Temple of Heaven is Pearl Market, an important destination for Bess. We didn't have nearly enough time when we were at the Temple of Heaven earlier in our trip, so we made a special outing today.
A good plan, since at this point Bess has polished her bargaining skills and we had a name or two to drop for (hopefully) a better price.
The kids were extraordinarily patient while we picked out pearls and other things to bring home. We rewarded Jess with a walk through the neighbouring toy market to admire the selection of Rubik's cube variations.
After the pearls we thought a little culture was in order - so we headed for the Lama Temple. After listening to the name repeated so many time on the subway (almost as nice to listen to as Nanaimo on the SkyTrain), I was curious to see it.
The main Buddha itself dates to the mid 18th century and stands 18 metres high. One big Buddha.
The temple grounds were also quite interesting, but by this point the kids were exhausted so we hopped on the subway and headed back to the hotel. The kids rested while I ran out again to explore a more modern district of Beijing - taking in the extreme contrast between the old hutongs and the ultra-modern buildings and outlandishly expensive shops.
Dinner was back in the hutong, at a little place I had walked by on a number of occasions - and it had always been very busy. Nice to sit out in the warm evening air and enjoy the wonderful food. I can recommend the dumplings at Mister Shi's.
A nice end to our last night in Beijing.
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