Today is our final full day of our trip to China; unfortunately all good things must come to an end. We had our last lecture today on the media in China as well as a recapitulation of all the lessons we have had throughout the last two weeks. I found this lecture to be a bit dry, but yet much of this information was still interesting and allows for though as to how China wants itself portrayed on the world stage. It explained what in China is controlled by the government and how the news still gets to people after such limitations have been imposed. After the lecture concluded, a select group assembled in the lobby and headed over to the subway bound for the Lama Temple. We arrived, got our tickets, and proceeded into the temple. The temple was really something out of this world, a religion of sorts that I never imagined. I knew that Buddhism existed, but I never really knew the types of rituals or prayer that was associated with following. The incense in the air was omnipresent as we walked the grounds. The monks there caring for the relics of the site, ensuring they remain sacred to all those who visit. Large statues of religious figures decorated each of the temple’s buildings, each as bizarre and out of a fiction novel as the last. It was truly an experience to see how another religion operates.
We exited the temple after an hour or so of visiting, and headed back to the pearl market for a bit more of shopping. We ate at Yoshinoya and Dairy Queen before we headed back into battle with the vendors, and upon emerging from the fray I found myself with two more inexpensive shirts. We then headed back to the hotel and then regrouped and headed to another hotel for our farewell dinner. The weirdest thing I had at this meal was the preserved egg, which had turned almost clear and had speckles of what had to be some form of bacteria on the surface. I was just glad it didn’t make me sick. We then headed back to the hotel where we again regrouped and headed to a local night club for some fun and to celebrate our China trip coming to an end.