The Hutongs

It is amazing what you can see in the back streets of Beijing.

I was out this weekend with some friends and they took me to a beautiful courtyard that was just off of a tiny hutong. The courtyard was part of a hotel that was renovated to be a replica of the palace that the emperors of China used to live in. The beds were made of the same wood as the emperor's and the ceilings were painted with gold. One night in this hotel costs 8,888rmb; 8 is the lucky number of the Chinese people.

I also stopped to get a snack- soft chinese cheese and a coffee- and ended up in this cellar-like bar. But what struck me most was the picture behind the bar.

For future reference both of these places are near Nan Luo Gu Xiang hutong in Beijing. This hutong also is near Gui Jie, also known as "Ghost Street" and a great place to grab a local bite to eat, especially late at night!

Hanging out with friends.

A good friend of mine invited me to come and have tea with her one afternoon at her family tea house. It was very traditional and I was highly impressed with the elaborate ceremony that goes along with making tea. It is some combination of smelling it, putting the warm glass on your eye (which really is relaxing), sipping it, rewarming it, then rubbing the remaining tea in your hands (to soften your skin). EVERYTHING the Chinese do is to improve your health. It was great to hear some of the legends that went along with the stories of the teas. Overall, a great experience!

Beyond Beauty...

When the Sun Sets in Malaysia.