Beijing Zoo and Temple of Heaven

The third day we were in China, we visited the Temple of Heaven and the Beijing zoo.

The Temple of Heaven is located in a large park. It was neat to walk around and see all the local Beijing residents playing games, exercising, practicing calligraphy and socializing there in the park.

The Temple area was FREEZING! So I didn't take a ton of pictures. I think my fingers were a little numb.

We made a quick stop at the Beijing tower for a scenic view of the city before moving on to the Beijing zoo.

I'm not sure what it is about pandas that draws such a crowd, but our group's trip to the zoo was placed on the itinerary specifically so we could visit the pandas. On the way there, our tour guide warned us that the pandas in Beijing might look a little dirtier than pandas in the States. Apparently, zoos in the States bathe the pandas way more frequently. Oh, America and your high standards of cleanliness...

Do you see the panda behind me??? I actually think it may have tucked its head into the corner specifically to avoid being in the photo. But trust me, the black and grey lump near my shoulder is a genuine Chinese panda.

This panda was so much more photogenic.

We made a couple more stops to finish off the day. We went to this huge shop that sold nothing but knock off name brand goods... We were given an hour and a half to look around. It was crazy. The vendors' booths were small and packed closely together, and everywhere you walked, vendors pulled at your sleeves and coats trying to get you to stop in their booth. It was stressful...

...so we left the shop and spent the time at Starbucks instead. It was amazing. And I don't even regret the missed opportunity to buy North Fake jackets and Folex watches.

Then we had dinner. Peking duck, delicious.

We finished the evening with a show - The Legend of Kung Fu. Based on the title, I expected a Kung Fu demonstration. It was actually a story, told through ballet. It was beautiful. Unexpected, but beautiful.

We got to have our pictures taken with one of the stars of the show:)