FAVORITE DAY

Today was my favorite day so far.  We traveled to the old part of Beijing,where the old traditional houses and small winding alley ways are being bought and restored. The city has made rules that there cannot be high rises( which is basically all one sees in Beijing now). So if you buy to remodel, one must keep the old traditional style. We got a "rickshaw" and took off on a great ride through the alleys.  Alot of  tourists do this, but the regular residents also use the rickshaw to get around because the alleys are almost too small for cars, and there is really no place to park.  There are many many rickshaws for hire and the driver gives you a fun ride! After the ride, we explored the old area on foot. We ended up at the home of a Beijing artist named Mr. Ho.  He had a typical "old style" home with his wife and mother in law and he let us tour his residence and explained through an interprretor how he lived.  He learned the art of caligraphy from his wife's grandfather and fell in love with her as he was learning his craft. He is actually famous in Beijing for his work and he showed us his art. He also raises homeing pidgens, and gardens, and has a good but humble life style.