Silver Mountain: CHECK; Pagodas: FAIL!

Today's adventure took us to Silver Mountain & The Pagoda Forest, which is roughly 50km North of Beijing's city center. The Pagoda forest is situated on a mountain and consists of peaks, cliffs and boulders. During the winter season, the mountain is covered in a silver-like snow, hence the name.

Let me start off first by saying that we couldn't have chosen a better day for hiking - it was absolutely gorgeous. Myself and five others hired a driver to take us north of Changping District to this beautiful location. Earlier this month was an international Strawberry Symposium in Beijing. On the drive to the mountain, it felt like we were driving through the World of Strawberry Shortcake. Another interesting observation: Beijing has a residential area called 'Vancouver Forest'. This real estate area is designed to  mimic the natural landscape of Vancouver. I must say, I did feel a touch of Canada while driving by and I had a moment of 'I wish I were back in Canada'.

Update - 1 month

Hi All,

I've been in Beijing for a solid month now and I thought I would update anyone who is interested in following along. I think monthly reflections on my time in China will give you an update and allow me to track my progression.

I am going onto week 4 of classes and I feel like I have learned a lot and nothing at all - how is this possible? I've learned that there is an enormous learning curve when it comes to this language. Everyday I am learning new vocabulary, which is great, but at the same time a bit overwhelming. I will be the first to admit that I haven't been the most studious since I have arrived. This realization that I won't just 'pick up' Chinese just hit me last week. So, in an actual attempt to learn Chinese, I will have to put forth more effort. No more falling asleep while studying and drooling on my pages. So, goal number one: study hanzi (characters) for 2 hours a day outside of class. I think Mary McKenna would be proud of my SMART goal. It is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. *Nerd alert for remembering this acronym!* After a plethora of classes on 'wellness' one would think that my goal setting skills would be well developed. Apparently I need to make it a goal to set more short-term goals.

Ming Village

A couple weekends ago, myself and six other friends ventured 90km outside of Beijing to the Cuandixia Ming Village. This village is has been virtually unchanged since it was built. During the Ming and Qing Dynasty, the village was built by a single extended family and consists of more than 70 courtyards.

It is truly an ancient mountain village. The roads are built from funky stone and wind throughout. There are approximately 500 rooms in the village and it is known for its local honey.

As we wandered about, we stumbled upon a 'honey for sale' sign. This kind old man gave us a sample of his honey -delicious! We bought 4 containers, I think, of this sweet treat. He said that if the season is good, he can gather enough honey to fill the barrel in two weeks. This is incredible as the season is only 40 days long. I wonder what they do with the rest of their time...

After spending a few hours here, 8 of us piled back into the 7 seater van. On our way back to the city we were stopped at some sort of check point. The driver said that if the van wasn't full of foreigners, resident permits, registration, etc., would have been required. Being an expat in China definitely does have its perks in circumstances like this.

 The 2 hour drive back to Beijing was pretty uneventful. I have a hard time sleeping in vehicles, planes, etc. so I stayed awake while the others slept, with exception of one.

Hiring a driver was definitely the best way to travel. In comparison to tours, we paid one third of the price. I recommend making sure that you have someone who can speak Chinese though. Thank goodness for Richard!

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven was heart of imperial ceremony and symbolism for five centuries. It was completed in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle. The temple was conceived as the meeting point between Earth and Heaven.

Round temples and altars stand on square bases. The reason for this is because Heaven was considered round and Earth square, thus 'Temple of Heaven'. The whole park is a semi-circle sitting beside a square.


Following the main path will lead you to The Round Altar, which consists of three marble tiers that represent Man, Earth and (at the summit) Heaven. The Throne of Heaven used to sit at the center of the top terrace, which was considered to be the middle of the Middle Kingdom.

Standing on the top terrace of the Round Altar

I entered the park at the North Gate and made my way through this large park. There were people dancing, running, walking, practicing kung fu and t'ai chi all over. The park is beautiful and tranquil with endless rows of trees and paths to wander on. I am told that the best time to visit the Temple of Heaven is early in the morning where you can witness people

The Summer Palace

I have been in Beijing for two weeks now and I haven't visited the tourist spots yet. I know I have several months to see everything here, but I am hoping to avoid the massive crowds by seeing the sights during the low season. The Summer Palace is only two subway transfers from the nearest station so I thought that would be a great place to start.

I will give you a little background information on the Summer Palace, also known as Yiheyuan. Empress Dowager Cixi (Emperor Xianfeng's concubine) ruled China in place of her son after Emperor Xianfeng died in 1861. Yiheyuan was considered Cixi's pleasure ground. She rebuilt palaces after they were destroyed by foreign troops. When her son died, she installed her nephew as Emperor and imprisoned him to retain her authority.

No happy endings at this massage

After that day of hiking, I thought it would be a great idea to get a nice foot massage. I was jokingly advised to exercising caution when choosing the right massage parlor because I might get more than I bargained for. We chose the first massage parlor that we saw and requested a foot massage. Once in, we were escorted to a private room where we spent the next hour and half. The massage started out with a lovely foot soak followed by a shoulder/back massage. I wasn't anticipating to have my shoulders and back tended to, so this was a nice surprise.

The foot massage was just what I needed. I was frightened though when I saw flames at the foot of my chair. I didn't realize that I was going to experience traditional Chinese cupping. It was an odd sensation and I was surprised that my feet didn't catch on fire! I was told that cupping is meant to increase blood circulation. I am not sure if I reaped the benefits of this technique, but it certainly didn't harm me. To finish off the massage, the therapist pulled out hammer-like tools and started pounding away at my legs. I think this part would have been more enjoyable if my calves weren't so sore from the hike.

Switchback Great Wall Hike

Last week I booked a hiking trip to a part of the Great Wall through Beijing Hikers (http://www.beijinghikers.com/). I am finally starting to feel a bit better which was great news to me because I didn't want to cancel the hike. We departed at 8:00am and traveled 2 hours North-West of Beijing to a section of the Great Wall called Switchback. This section was constructed near the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Our guides were knowledgable and fun. One of them wore a t-shirt for the entire hike, which is ridiculous because it was cold and snowing. He said he has been taking cold showers for 18 years and rarely gets cold! I managed to lose my Buff on the commute to the pick-up point. This doesn't surprise me because I have a tendency to misplace/lose a lot of things. This seniors moment was unfortunate because I didn't take an extra hat with me. Thankfully my hood provided me with enough protection. Maybe I should consider taking cold showers from now on so I don't end up in these predicaments..

Is that fog? Nope, it's SMOG!

I felt that it was necessary to dedicate an entire post to my inability to adjust to the air quality. I knew that the level of pollution was significantly higher here than anywhere else in the world, but I didn't realize I would adjust so poorly. I suppose that is what some would call naive, but I like to call it wishful thinking. Whatever you want to call it, I am not benefiting from my optimism.

I don't get sick very often. I have been in Beijing for 11 days and I have been sick for nearly half of those days. I contribute it to the nasty particles polluting my lungs. In an attempt to fight this chest cold, I have resorted to Chinese medicine and some good o'le Vitamin C.

In hopes of ridding myself of this cold I am trying some Chinese medicine.