April 7/05 ~ Hutong Visit

This morning we had a rickshaw tour of a Hutong which is an old traditional Chinese community. There aren’t very many around any more. The rickshaw ride was very enjoyable although Sophie slept through most of it. We toured a primary school and the children sang us some English songs and did a dance. We then were invited into a retired couple’s home and the translator explained how life is in a Hutong. These families don’t have a bathroom but share a communal washroom. It sure made me feel humble to think of the 3 toilets we have in our house. Their home consisted of a livingroom, bedroom and a very small kitchen. We arrived back at the hotel for lunch which we had in the rooftop restaurant. Sophie has been a bit constipated (I’ve been feeding her prunes to get things moving) and lets out loud grunts when she tries to go. So right in the middle of our lunch, she starts to grunt and then the aroma hit! So I quickly headed off in search of the washroom to change her. The public restrooms don’t have baby change tables so I had to do another balancing act on the vanity. In the afternoon we went to Silk Street again and had a lot of fun looking around at all the market stalls. Tonight we are busy packing and getting organized for our flight home. I can’t believe that it is now nearing the end and we’ll be bringing our China princess home!
Rickshaw ride (Sophie slept through this).
The courtyard.
Visiting a hutong.
Inside the home.