Aloha to Beijing - Lama Monastery

Hubby wanted to visit China during our stay in Korea.  China is only a two hour flight across the Yellow Sea.  We booked our trip through China Odyssey Tours (link).  We waited for our flight from Seoul to Beijing.

I wondered around the airport and found Hello Kitty ...

... Talking Tom and Dancing Psy ...

... Charlie Brown and Snoopy!

Upon landing in Beijing, our guide Babbitt met us outside customs.  Most guides use an English name for Western tourists (hangs head that I am language challenged).  Now we jump to extra large photos ...

It was drizzling in Beijing as we drove up to the Lama Monastery.   From Wikipedia (link), 

The Yonghe Temple (Chinese: 雍和宮, yonghegong), also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple", the "Yonghe Lamasery", or - popularly - the "Lama Temple" is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, China. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple is a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.

Here is an incense burner ... 

... and one of the several halls for praying.

Inside is the "Happy Buddha", laughing to demonstrate his contentment with life.  

I was amazed by the vibrant colors ... 

 ... and the fascinating architecture!

Notice the animals on the roofs ... the number represents the importance of the building.   Nine is associated with the Emperor.   Above are six animals as the buildings previously housed the court's eunuchs before converting to a temple.

Many buidings (historical and contemporary) are guarded by the Shi (Chinese: 獅, shī) - imperial lions.  From Wikipedia (link),

The lions are usually depicted in pairs. When used as statuary, the pair would consist of a male (to the right) resting his paw upon an embroidered ball (in imperial contexts, representing supremacy over the world) ... 

... and a female (to the left) restraining a playful cub that is on its back (representing nurture). 

After our enlightenment, we checked into the Penta Hotel (link) with Western accommodations.   We enjoyed dinner in the noodle house. Above are Beef Noodles and below are Beijing Noodles, famous for its bean sauce.

Mahalo,

Kim in Korea