Another lunch time sketch

For Creative Every Day.

Bei Hai Park

 

Photo taken in Bei Hai Park in Beijing. Looking towards the Bai Ta (White Dagoba). Visit Sunday Bridge Series to see other bridge photos.

I love the intricate details.

Osaka reflection

It’s not a clear reflection but I love it – I think it looks a little bit like oil painting… I have flipped it upside down. Hope you like it too. Visit James at Weekend Reflections for more pics.

Our next stop after Beijing was Osaka. This photo is taken at Dotonbori in Osaka. I enjoyed people watching there. It is also a popular tourist spot for food and shopping.

Here’s a photo of the Dotonbori canal

Did I say people watching? There are lots of them! 

The famous ‘Takoyaki" or  octopus balls. Yummy but only in small doses…

Visit Scenic Sunday for more photos. 

Drawing at lunch

Luckily for me, this man did not move very much. So I managed to finish the sketch during lunch, then coloured it later with Photoshop.

For Creative Every Day.

Happy Weekend.

Blue sky over the Great Wall

Stones of the Great Wall against the beautiful blue sky

Still under construction… glass reflecting other buildings and the blue sky above

Sunset in Beijing

Please visit Skywatch for more pics.

Three wheelers on the streets of Beijing

I wonder where the branches were being taken to…

Carefully moving a gas tank

Eggs?

Moving people… On the left, a couple on a day out … and on the right, daughter (the rider) taking her mother out in a covered three wheeler.

Nice and high up there to look around…

 

This is a special vehicle operated by hand. There are no pedals.

Lots of recyclables being packed onto this 3 wheeler

I love Beijing food

Here are just a few of my favourite dishes:

My favourite dish is pork cooked with chilli and Szechuan pepper, eaten with steamed rice.

Fish cooked in a similar way as the pork (above) – look at those garlic! Really delicious.

And another variation – chicken cooked in almost the same way. Also yummy.

Steamed buns for breakfast – satisfying!

Meat dumplings for breakfast, lunch or anytime of the day.

Siew Loong Pau literally means little dragon parcels – I love the name! Lovely little parcels with meat and broth.

Visit My World for more photos.

Ring ring

 

This bell belongs to the bicycle below… Visit Macro Monday for more pics.

A bicycle parked in our guesthouse. Pedal power is very popular, but there are also many electric bicycles.

 

When in China, do as the Chinese do… We hired a couple of Flying Pigeon bicycles (Chinese made) for the authentic riding experience. The above was my hired bike with loads of character, but no gear (Beijing is quite flat) and poor brakes. We rode across the city – it was such a scary experience, that I returned my bicycle the next day, and decided to stick to their fantastic subway to get around.

Bridges, Beijing

Stone pedestrian bridge reflection in Summer Palace

Bridge across a canal; this one is near the south gate of the Summer Palace

Visit Scenic Sunday and Sunday Bridge Series for more photos.

Watery Reflections, Beijing

We took a tour via canals to the Purple Bamboo Garden (Zizhuyuan Park) one afternoon.  There were lots of bamboo, but  no purple ones.

Visit Weekend Reflections for more photos.

Beijing sights

On our first day in Beijing, we got to the heart of the city via train (the subway system is excellent), then decided to walk home so that we could see the city on foot. It was a great way to see the city, but as Beijing is a very very very large city, it was 7 hours later when we arrived at our guesthouse!

There was so much to see, as one can imagine. The above is one of the most pleasant areas we passed. The steps to the shops remind me of Manhattan!

We stopped when we got tired. This photo was taken at a very nice shop with free wifi. There were many youngsters with their macs and PCs surfing the net. We sat around people watching…

 

Then we came across a street market.

We crossed a park, and there were lots of lights and activities.

We stopped to watch this sport (sorry about the quality of the photo… can’t do much with a point and shoot). It’s a little like beach volleyball… There were 4 players; 2 players on each side of the court.

The “ball” is an object made of feathers and rubber (maybe other materials too). I couldn’t get a photo, but see the drawing on the left. It will always land on its base, because the base is heavy.

The players kick the object over the net. If someone lets it  fall, the other team gets a point. There were some amazing kicks and smashes.

I am glad to have seen this. When I was a kid growing up in Malaysia, my brothers used to play with this, and tried to kick it as many times as possible, without letting it fall. This is the first time I have seen it played in a competitive setting.

Climbing the Great Wall

It is my second visit to Beijing, and although I had been to the Great Wall before, I wanted to go there again. It’s an awesome structure and the view out there is just beautiful.

Did I mention that the view is beautiful? Mountains after mountains as far as one can see, the fresh air, the big sky….

There are several tourist spots to visit the Great Wall. Some are busier than others due to ease of access. We went  to Simatei. It was quiet and there weren’t many people about.

It’s also great for exercise – we walked up and up for about 3 hours

There are food, drinks and souvenirs stalls along the way

We stopped often to enjoy the view, and to take some photos. But we also stopped because we ran out of breath…

Meet a resident of the Great Wall

An another…

And another.

On the way down, we took the easy way out. Some people opted for the flying fox.

Visit My World for more photos.

Spa sketches – good therapy

When my husband had a massage while we were on holiday, I asked if they would mind if I went into the room. They obliged and I spent 2 hours sketching. Very therapeutic for me!



They started off washing his legs in the bucket



They gave me a hand towel and sweet tea



I love this decorative basket, which was in the corner of the room.

Visit Creative Every Day for blogs on creative activities.