Day 4 recap: Old Hutong

I really had no idea what to expect.  The agenda said "visit old Hutong sightseeing on a rickshaw. Visit a local Beijing family and have homemade lunch there."  I was excited for the "local" experience but a bit worried about the homemade lunch option.   While the rickshaw ride was clearly a commercialized tourist attraction, the integrity of the Hutong appeared to be real.  Real people. Living in the Hutong.  Usually extended families share an alley.  They also share a bathroom; there isn't indoor plumbing within each of the residences.

The women's bathroom 

The bathroom lacks privacy and a door. I can't imagine having to walk outside and down the road to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. It was a humbling experience to say the least.

   Our "tour" on the rickshaw took us around the perimeter of the Hutong so we were able to see many different homes.  The residence looked very modest ( ok ..primitive would be a better description) and old beaten up bicycles lined the street. But there were also a decent number of cars. Shiny, new-looking cars.   So the visual was a bit confusing.   I guess that the advantage of the video.

Lunch was served by a local family that owns a local restaurant.  We didn't eat AT the  restaurant. We ate on their back porch!

It was decorated beautifully and clean.  I don't know exactly what we ate, but it was pretty good.     After lunch, a local guide shared some of the history of the residence. We heard traditional music played on an instrument that I didn't recognize.  And said hello to the family pet.

A cricket. In a itty-bitty bird cage!

Shawna really bonded with Vivian by this point in the trip.  Early in the day, an older couple asked Vivian if Shawna was her daughter.  When Vivian explained our family, the older couple smiled and nodded in approval.  I think Shawna really enjoyed the attention.


When we arrived at the Hutong, Vivian and Shawna shared a rickshaw. Vivian wasn't supposed to come on the rickshaws with us.  But Shawna asked her to ride with her-  Vivian couldn't say no.  We
were grateful.

I'm not sure why the boys are scowling. 

By early afternoon, it was time to head back to Beijing. We had a train to catch.

The train station was wickedly busy!

We still took the obligatory selfies. 

  Thankfully, Vivian was able to accompany us all the way onto the train.  (While I consider myself a fairly seasoned traveler, I don't know that I would have been able to navigate the train station without her help! )  Once our luggage was stored at the back of our car and we found our seats, we bid farewell to Vivian.  And settled in for the 4.5 hour train ride to Xian.