I met up with Ahmad today at the Temple of Heaven. He was coincidentally travelling in Beijing with his family. Today was an extremely nice day - bright blue skies and good weather. It was definitely a gorgeous day to be out with an old friend of mine. I reached the Temple of Heaven 15 minutes late because as usual I had problems with the public bus. Somehow I always get myself lost or on the wrong bus route. Thus I was extremely glad to reach the Temple of Heaven in one piece and only 15 minutes late. Poor Mat had to walk from the South Gate to the West Gate because I only just realised that the bus stopped at the latter gate. Well, good exercise I suppose. We walked around the Temple of Heaven grounds and took a couple of photos together. It was really nice to catch up with the latest news of mutual friends and how life was in general. It just seems like yesterday that all of us were gathered together at St. George's having dinner together and just being childish teenagers. Where has the time gone? We walked around for 2 hours before Mat had to get back to his hotel. Somehow all the taxi drivers we asked seemed reluctant to fetch him back to his hotel. I wonder why though? They kept saying they had no idea where it was but we suspect they felt the hotel was too close for them to drive to or it was their subtle hint that we should pay them extra. Mat ended up walking to his hotel while I walked back to the West Gate of the Temple of Heaven bus stop to catch the No. 896 bus.

The bus was extremely crowded. We were like packed sardines. If only I had a photograph to show! We were so close to each other that we could smell each other, nose to nose, hand to hand. I stood a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes on the bus before I reached campus. There was a terrible traffic jam on the way back. I do salute Beijing bus drivers with their daring manoeuvres and speedy driving. You need to be extremely confident to brave Beijing traffic. While on the bus, I could clearly hear the sound of car and bus honks, and bicycle chimes accompanied by the shuffles of feet on the pathway; this is Beijing music. By the time I got off the bus, I could actually feel the cramp in my leg muscles. That was how bad it was! Remind me never to travel to the centre of Beijing during a public holiday. The streets were filled to the brim with Chinese people and tourists. It was overwhelming to see the mass exodus of people from the subways and bus stops and shopping centres. Beijing is certainly overpopulated and I just feel like a nameless face in the crowd. Just another "Chinese" girl to others.

Yes, I have been meaning to blog about the fact that Chinese babies and toddlers wear clothes that have a cut-out hole in a strategically placed area. This generally only applies to those of 3 years and under. If you notice in one of the photographs of my Beijing.Walkabouts photo album, there is a photograph of a Chinese boy that describes what I am saying. I actually think that it is a simple idea, which puts an end to the misery of parents who have to bring children to a proper toilet. Instead, now Chinese parents can just bring their babies and toddlers to any area for them to relieve themselves. From grassy areas to concrete cement. You get the idea?! However, another part of me finds it strange not to fully clothe your child, especially when it comes to such a private part in all senses. Firstly, there is the hygiene issue. Then, there is the question of social etiquette. How difficult is it after all to bring the children to a proper toilet? Also, such openess in terms of the male and female anatomy at a young age seems unusual. Maybe I am just an old fuddy-duddy or maybe because I was never exposed to such issues earlier? All these cultural and social aspects in China have certainly surprised me, and this highlights the fact that I know very little about a country that my forefathers came from.