Turning 16 in Beijing!

So yesterday (here) was Linden’s 16th birthday. Of course, turning 16 and spending the day with your Mom might not be the most exciting venture for a young man, however, here we are. We have been so busy working and going to school up until now, and any free days we have had we have toured around cities other than Beijing, so this gave us a perfect chance to explore this city.I have had a hankering to visit the Lama temple, so we decided we would get up early, hit the subway and find our way there. After that, we could go to Sanlitun and have a burger (or his choice of lunch) then see what the rest of the day would offer. We are going to celebrate his birthday with his friends at school as well, but this is a good day for us to share the experience together.The Lama temple is an interesting place. Throngs of people come from everywhere to worship here, and we walked through a haze of incense smoke the entire way. There are 5 main halls, filled with various statues relating to Buddhism, and three very ornate archways to walk through. I think Linden’s days of being an alter server (which he does not look back on fondly (sorry Mom)) turned his already grumpy mood ( he's actually not a morning person) into one that was even “less happy” shall we say. While genuine prayer folk are kneeling or prostrating to the gods (three times seems to be the pattern), I was taking photographs of the whole thing, and Linden was standing aloof and to the side.It reminded me of a time a few years ago, when Ian MacLaine and I, had taken a group of students from Max Cameron on a trip of Italy and France. A few of the girls refused to go into the Sistine Chapel, as it was mandatory that they cover up their shoulders. They were planning to sit outside and wait on the steps, claiming they had nothing else to wear other than their little tank tops. Knowing this was going to be an issue, I had nabbed a few bed sheets prior to leaving our hotel that morning, and made them cover up pseudo-toga style. Sometimes, age brings wisdom, and I hope today those girls think back and laugh, but are grateful they made their way in.The prayer wheels here are really beautiful pieces of artwork unto themselves. It is believed that turning the prayer wheel clockwise is the same as reading the Buddhist Sutras and moves ones life ahead. So, just in case, I gave it a few good whirls…better safe than sorry.On the entrance to one of the halls, reads the sign, “If the heart is bright, the wonderful will appear”. It’s all in Mandarin of course, so took me a bit of looking up to figure it out. The irony of this is not lost on me.Canucks tickets await him in January.Onwards we go.