Live and Let Live!: Beijing part 2

The next day, the air was still as bad. Our plan to go to the Great Wall with my husband's colleague was cancelled.

Our transport tool in Beijing was the MRT. It was weekend so I didn't experience their crazy peak hours. Every passenger had to undergo security screening before passing the gates. I had not seen long queues at security but I imagined it could be quite bad if there were more people.

The rides were quite pleasant. Except that the trains were well heated. We already wore a lot to beat the cold outside. To be in the train in the same attire for a few min makes one perspire. A few times, I went back into the cold with sweat after a train ride, imagine how much colder that made.

It was Sunday. We went to 雍和宫 instead.

The streets were lined with trees with beautiful autumn leaves.

We paid an admission fee to go into 雍和宫 and the incense was free of charge. While I was trying to light the incense, I broke the sticks. I really cracked up and started laughing. I didn't broke just one but the entire stack! First time I broke incense sticks.

We slowly walked around the place which has several identical buildings like this with many Buddha statues in it.

Then we went to the 孔子庙 and 国子监, the MOE and imperial college of ancient china.

We also took a walk in the 胡同. There were interesting shops and small cafes.

A little snack cart.

We had a afternoon tea of 饺子 because we missed lunch and we already have a dinner appointment. Very yummy. It was great to eat piping hot 饺子 in cold weather.

This is actually 一人份. I saw the guy beside our table gobbled down a portion of this. We shared.

We had to go back to the hotel to pick up the kueh lapis which I brought from Singapore, to give to my husband's colleague whom we are meeting for dinner. On the way back, I couldn't resist buying a piece of 古法炸鸡.