BEIJING, China (Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008, 5:05 p.m.) – Pam and I took this trip determined to record a lot of video to replace some 10 hours of video from our 2006 trip that we lost moving from Hattiesburg to Gluckstadt.
So after our trip Carrefour, we took a $5 taxi ride to the Lama Temple – a beautiful Buddhist site we visited in 2006. This time we visited on our own rather than with an organized tour.
And despite 25-degree weather and biting cold strong wind, we managed to walk through the site and admire the lengthy history and beautiful classical architecture.
Built in 1694, the Palace of Harmony and Peace was originally the residence of Emperor Yongzheng before he ascended the throne.
After he ascended the throne, he transformed half of it as his temporary housing place and the other half as the upper house of Huangjiao, a sect of Lamaism.
What struck me the most Thursday was the quiet, reverent tone visitors took combined intermittently with the sound of clanging bells hanging from the buildings and rushing traffic and police sirens in the background.
Here are a few photos I snapped today, including a few from our visit to the Lama Temple. You also can visit the new photo gallery in the rail on the left of this page.
And yes, we were able to snag about 20 minutes of high definition video – which will go a long way toward showing our daughter Camryn, and our soon-to-be son, Matthew, a few things about their culture and heritage.
Photo 1: Pam stands bundled outside the entrance to the Lama Temple. The wind was fierce and quickly numbed our hands and face.
Photo 2: The street just outside the Lama Temple is lined with shops selling incense for worshippers to use.
Photo 3: Pam stands outside the entrance next to an impressive statute.
Photo 5: Pam was obviously bitterly cold.
Photo 6: One of the impressive statutes at the Lama Temple.
Photo 7: Just in case you were wondering if was here in Beijing, here is a shot of Pam and me on the second floor of the Novotel Peace Hotel. If I looked incredibly stuffed, I was: I had layers of clothing on so I could stay outside in the 25-degree cold weather. I mean it was cold.
Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
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