Seeing Korea With New Eyes-part I

It's bittersweet to be back in Korea. Nice to have the comforts of "home," but I miss the varied, well spiced Cantonese food and exciting sights I enjoyed on my recent trip to China.
The contrasts and energy of Beijing won me over right away. Truth be told, I flew out of Incheon tired and a bit dispirited. Also, my growing ovarian cyst had been causing me occasional discomfort in December. Bless my beau Steve's heart, he created a wonderful Christmas celebration (that man can COOK!). But the second Christmas in a row away from my sisters, parents, and high energy nephews and niece saddened me.

Then the positive momentum of Beijing hit me! This is China's time, and Beijing know it!! From our first day, when we ate yummy lamb from North-west China, and went to see the Dowager's Summer Palace in the biting wind, Beijing awakened my dulled senses. No more grey buildings. No more faces whitened by make-up. No more pork, pork, pork....For example, consider the Summer Palace.The emperor built it for his mother. It's not as ancient as some of the other palaces and temples in Beijing, but it's on a pretty lake. It boasts it's own mini-opera house and a rugged hill side temple.We enjoyed it despite the cold! A gorgeous temple stands behind it, positioned on a man-made hill facing the lake for ideal Feng Shui (spelling?) harmony. There was a distinct air of peace at the temple. It had been ravaged by the "Western Allies," with gold details and ceremonial ceramic Buddha's heads taken by English navy sailors as souvenirs. In Korea, Buddhist temples were, historically, often looted by the Japanese invaders. It felt awkward that, this time, the aggressors defiling the temples were white men, British and french sailors supported by American munitions an supplies....

Ancient tradition and frenetic construction met our eyes simultaneously as we drove through Beijing with our guide. Frankly, I would never have hired a guide had Steve not suggested it on the recommendation of some veteran traveler friends. I usually like to go my own, left of center way, armed with my Lonely Planet guide book. But, this time, I must say that splurging on the expense of an experienced Chinese speaking guide to Beijing (he was one of the managers of our travel agency) was worth it. As you, the reader, can tell from my barrage of run-on sentences, so much was occurring around us that Barry, our guide, helped us select which experiences to focus on in our limited time in the city to get the most for our money...

Now that I actually have the energy and drive to revive my blog, I have a lot of idea that I want to express! So, don't worry, there will be more details about my trip to China forthcoming in a few days. Thanks for reading...