a Mountain yoga retreat and small dogs - life and times in China

Time is whizzing by here in Beijing and before we had a chance to catch our breath my husband and I realized we had been here almost two months. I remember studying about loss of time and recreation in University and it seems that research has actually proven that time flies when you're having fun.

I just came back to work after the week long national holiday. Pancho, my husband, and I managed to use our time wisely and traveled out of the city while avoiding the atrocious bus, train and flight schedules. If you can imagine a billion people trying to travel the same day you have an idea why we feel proud having avoided the rush. Saturday morning we caught a shuttle with some friends to a mountain yoga retreat in a Buddhist temple. We had no idea what to expect and were wonderfully surprised with beautiful landscape, amazing weather, delicious vegetarian cuisine, cleansing yoga and the chance to meet and make new friends.

China often seems the land of contrast to me and this experience was no exception. Imagine staying at a Buddhist temple where everything seems still and quiet, however, when you walk through the gates and one block into town you are in the middle of a bustling little community, home to the famous Dajue Temple where thousands of tourists choose to spend their National Day vacation. Imagine looking up into the hills and seeing only a few pagodas on hilltops silhouetting the horizon, the only other hint of humanity being several gigantic power stations, some nestled closely with a pagoda. Imagine hiking through what seems to be serene forest, feeling the cool air on your face as you reach a lookout point, turning around to see the valley teeming with large gray buildings and factories and if your eyes stretch far enough... yes, you can see the Beijing sprawl in the distance. Imagine sitting down in the beautiful temple gardens as a wealthy Beijinger serves and shares tea with you and talks about her two houses in the City and then stepping into the kitchen where a migrant worker from Szechuan province smilingly teaches you about how to cook up your favorite dishes.

Another striking difference between the "countryside" and the City are the dogs. At the temple there is a big, furry German Shepherd in charge of the property. Strong, good humored and loyal, he is what I have always considered man's best friend. Coming home to our building here in Beijing all our neighbors have Shitzus, Pomeranians and (of course) Pekinese. My experience has been that the majority of these dogs are bad humored little twits. It seems that the owners are also aware of this fact. You see Denya, my daughter, is thrilled with the little critters. When we take her into the courtyard she starts to wiggle and giggle and wants to get as close as she can to the sweet little puppies. However, when we approach, most owners become skittish and put themselves between Denya and their dog. Often times the dog will even growl or bear teeth. To be honest, I have never pet any of these domestic dogs before and I even had a coworker take a day off work because she was bitten on the foot by one of these little 'cuties'...her grandmother's! Man's best friend? These little guys leave me doubting. I was talking about the dogs with a friend of mine and she filled me in that in order to have a big dog in Beijing you actually need a special permit and that is the reason for the abundance of little monsters and a lack of the noble friend here in the Capital City.

So, apart from the doggies, our time in Beijing is great and we are enjoying every day. The land of contrast keeps me guessing. It seems that around every turn there is another story or adventure. I'll keep you posted on the next one!