Spring Day Stroll

A friend who recently transplanted to Beijing asked me to take him to a place he hadn't been to before.

So, not having been to Houhai or the "back lakes" since the Olympics, I thought it was high time to go back for a visit.

The sky wasn't as blue as yesterday, but it was still a nice sunny day and it wasn't too cold for a stroll around the lake.

It wasn't too busy, with a few tour groups going around in bicycle rickshaws and a few locals wandering around with cotton candy.

We did see the regular swimming group by the exercise machines, a few doing a few laps, while another old guy in his red small swim suit, sunning himself as he chatted with his fully-clothed friends.

This year it wasn't cold enough for the lake to be frozen over for skating, and so I thought all the ice was gone.

But on the south side, there were still thin slabs of ice floating around.

And there on one slab, were three ducks, having an early afternoon snooze.

I found it strange they didn't think it was freezing to sit on ice.

Each to their own, I guess.