A Last Look at Beijing, China

Photo by myself at the Lama Temple, in Beijing.

Worshippers young and old gather daily to pray and burn incense at the Lama Temple, in Beijing.

My father and I visited the Lama Temple in Beijing, on Tuesday. The Temple is composed of many courtyards and large, ornate wood pavilions dedicated to the many Buddhist gods. The temple was constructed in the 1700's and somehow escaped destruction, despite Beijing's turbulent political history.

We are set to leave Beijing today (Thursday). Our time here was divided between visiting my brother's family and touring about. Most of our time was spent in Guo Mao, a very ritzy but small area filled with high rise apartments, hotels and construction sites.

We took several car trips through Beijing to various locations, and I could not fathom how immense this city is. It's like contemplating infinity. Our drivers were local people who grew up in the city. They knew the streets very well and said that Beijing has completely changed in the last 20 years.
 A likeness of Buddha was carved out of a single sandalwood tree. The statue stands 26m (66 ft) high.

One of the many colorful pavilions on the temple grounds. It is difficult to believe that these structures are made of wood.

The widely photographed CCTV building in Beijing is called 'the pair of trousers' building by locals.


A closer look at the CCTV building, which seems to defy gravity.

Huge swaths of Beijing are under development right now.

My fiance Mark is helping me post photos while I'm in China. Blogger is banned, and I regret that I cannot respond to your comments or visit any blogger-hosted blogs, while I'm here.

Posts will continue here while I'm on vacation. Some pre-scheduled posts will occur with photos of New York City.