14 Mar 09: Dashilar, Slanting Street & Hou Hai Riverside

I think I shall learn to love weekends here. My morning started out great with a nice beef fried noodles at the Jackpot Café. Many other yummy stuff. But may cost a wee bit more. Around Y30 a dish. The cost of living in Beijing can be pretty high, especially eating at nicer restaurants.

Then we made our way by taxi to Dashilar (nearby Qianmen Dajie, south of Tiananmen Square) which is actually one long street of silkshops, herbal medicine shops, food, shoe and cheongsam makers. Worth a visit for it’s beautifully decorated and remodeled buildings. Some of those shops have been operating there since the 1800s. I think I would come back one day for a customised cheong sam after.

The end of Dashilar actually leads further out into a newly built area which was remodeled on its old buildings there with a tram track. You can actually see Qian Men at the end of the road (bottom right most picture). The Government is just so smart; it makes a great Tourist spot. And here, I was introduced to Qianmen Quenjude Roast Duck Restaurant, which I was told went publicly listed in China. *Gasp* What? Roast duck seller went listed??? Damn.. And they had been around since 1861, according to the signboard anyways. I wonder how good it would actually taste...mmm..

Next is Slanting Street, one of the old hutongs turned into a street full of small souvenir shops. Pretty creative things being sold there. Got myself a nicely handcrafted photo album. Am also guessing that there is much less bargaining going on here, judging from all the Visa signs hanging outside the shops. To get here take the bus No 5 from the bus stop beside Tiananmen Square and stop at Gulou Street to get there.

At the end of Slanting Street is the scenic Hou Hai Lake. They have quite a few cafes, restaurants and bars overlooking Ho Hai. I would like to catch tea at one of these café’s one day or a nice beer. What a fantastic view!!! Damn..I wonder how the sunset looks here. Maybe the air is too polluted for a good one. But it’s a marvel how clean they have kept the lake. It was fun watching the locals coming out here for leisure walks with their family and going about their activities. You can also see some old folks practising qi gong, kite flying and qoute writing on the cement floor with just a wet cloth by a few old folks. Creative.

Wish I could post more pictures, I have to find some better way to do this maybe through picasa. Just taking too long.