Beijing - Lama Temple

Our visit to Beijing begins with a visit to the Lama Temple.  Originally, this was the mansion of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty when he was a prince.  After he ascended the throne in 1723 and moved into the Forbidden City, his mansion was converted inot a temple for Tibetan Buddhism.   Incredible architecture, color ... and people watching.

 The family picture ... first of the week.

The gate as we enter the Lama Temple grounds.

Whether we should have or not, we took pictures as people burned incense and worshiped Buddha.  It did start some interesting conversations with the girls (primarily Jenna) about what they were doing.

Our tour guide Lucy, explaining some of the interesting history.

A Prayer Wheel

Not Buddha (I don't believe), but in the foreground, you see where the monks would kneel and read / meditate.

Now here is Buddha.  9 meters above ground, 9 meters below ground.  A meter is about one yard.  So, that's almost 27 feet tall.   Total 18 meters tall, and made from a single piece of white sandalwood.

Small Emily and very large Buddha.

What happens when you have a blond white girl in China?  You get stopped for lots of pictures.  So, here it goes.