It occurred to me last week that I have been here in Beijing for nearly two months and have done hardly any sightseeing. So I thought to myself, this Tuesday, on my day off, I WILL go and do something touristy.
Well, you know how it is on your day off. You sleep in, faff about, have a leisurely breakfast, check your email. Suddenly it's 3pm. My options were therefore limited. A friend had recommended the Lama Temple as something you could do in an hour. So to the temple I went.
The Lama Temple is one of the best kept traditional Buddhist temples in Beijing. There were a lot of tourists there, but also quite a number of locals praying and burning incense.
After walking through the temple compound I sat down to enjoy the sunny afternoon in the peaceful gardens. I happened to sit next to an ancient giant bell. As I sat in deep contemplation about what to eat for dinner a group of monks came by and looked at the bell. One of them leaned in to try and move the giant hammer that makes it ring, much to the delight of his friends. They walked away laughing and smiling.
Five minutes later a group of Russian tourists came by and one of the guys in the group, I guess he must have been about 50 or so, smiled a mischievous boyish smile and did exactly the same thing. He leaned in and tried to make the bell ring. His friends laughed in appreciation.
Boys and their toys, always the same wherever you are in the world!
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