Day 260 Bird & Fish Market

I have been curious about the Bird & Fish Market
for some time, and have had it marked in my Beijing
guide book.  It is over on 'my side of town' on the
western side of Beijing.  Since we were headed back
that way after the Olympic Park, we decided to stop
and check it out. It took some doin' but we finally found it!

We zig-zagged our way through another hutong.

One vendor was selling some HUGE heads of cabbage
and lettuce for 1 rmb each- that's 16 cents, people!!!

I love peering through the doorways and alleyways :)

This old gal was selling some beautiful looking dragon fruit.
I wish I had a shopping bag with me... shopping in the
hutongs with the locals is where it's at!

I can't help but wonder who lives back in there,
what their home is like inside, and who all has lived there
in the centuries previous...the hutongs are THAT old.

There are eggs sold at every turn; and this
country eats and uses a crap ton of eggs!

Hank, Kirsten and I remarked several times what Beijing
must have been like when it was only hutongs all over the
city- long before proper infrastructure and skyscrapers.

After a few wrong turns, we knew we were getting
close when we started seeing bird cages hanging
in the trees and on bicycles, and old guys were
shooting the breeze everywhere we looked.  This
guy was sitting on a Rolls Royce of a bicycle- so fancy!

This was the first bird I met- and I know nothing
about birds.  Sadly his Mandarin was better than mine :/

I do not know my birds at all, but I could appreciate their
lovely songs and beautiful colors.  It seemed that some men
were selling their birds, or cages and accessories, while others
just brought their birds out to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

There were also tiny cages of kittens (some too small to be
weaned), piles of baby bunnies in small cages, and even
some puppies that were not looking the healthiest.
I found all of these to be disturbing.  It made my heart hurt :(

There were also crates of wiggly worms for sale.
Bird food, maybe?  Or as Hank suggested, maybe
additional protein to scramble with their eggs.  Ewww.

There were also lots of goldfish and koi for sale.  The more
exotic fish can fetch a handsome price, or so I'm told.

I know when I bought koi for my pond back home,
the yellow ones were especially pricey.
You could buy turtles here, too.  And I have
seen several neighbors bring BIG turtles out
into the courtyard for some fresh air and a walk.
Yep, in China they walk their pet turtles.

This guy was really sorting through the fish-
he obviously had specific ones he was fishing for ;)

While the Bird and Fish Market is obviously known
for it's namesake, I had heard from several sources
that old men can be found fighting and gambling
on their pet crickets.  I was hoping to get some
pictures of cricket fighting, but I didn't see any.
I did witness a raucous game of Majong tile :)

Always you are sure to find several older
Chinese men, (and families) out flying their
kites, and they are experts at building and
flying kites.  They even have lighted ones
they fly at night.  Beijing is perfect for kite
flying (or sailing!) as it is breezy most days.
When there is no breeze, the pollution sets in :/

I mean those kites were WAY up there!

There's only two things to top off an already pleasant afternoon-
finding a camel to sit on....

....and an 85 Bakery which is the only gig in town that sells
the most AMAZING chocolate buns.  It's the one chocolate
treat in China that is done right!  While it may not be a Krispy
Kreme or a Jack's Donut from New Castle, IN, it ranks up there :)
After walking 21km all over Olympic Park, several hutongs,
temples, markets, and back home again, I could justify my need
for a chocolate bun.  If you come visit me in Beijing, I promise
you many, many chocolate buns, noodles, and dumplings!
Life is good, y'all :)