The soft sleeper, although packing the matress of your grandma's couch, was the perfect fit at 6'4 lad and an ideal way to travel from Shanghai to Xi'an. For sure, we were a curiosity and a surprise to the guards and locals, but the gawks and giggles are easily humoured or ignored. Gazing out the windows, you quickly notice bare or unutilised land is a rarity; Crops are sown side by side with bridges, roads, and telephone poles. Time without a factory appearing on the horizon seems like only minutes and the word cul de sac brings new meaning, when you see 30 identical highrise apartments in a row, housing possibly ten thousand people.
Xi'an as a destination, has it. An ancient city, housing the imperial capitails for nigh on700 years, it is full of history, architectural delights and wonders. Situated in the mid east of China, it is far enough away from the megatropolises of Shanghai and Hong Kong to retain some of it's Chineseness; albeit the mix of 20th century charm, markets, and minority culture versus the neon lights and sky scrapers, and shopping malls of the 21st. The retention of the smaller city walls, 40 metres high covering 13 square kilometres, adds a real authenticity that sometimes you feel is faked for tourists. The hui muslim minority add an interesting mix with unique food, dress, music, architecture, and more kebabs than you can poke a stick at. The local sweets, less sugar intensive than western standards are brilliant at 20c a pop。As a rule, most street food is fantastic, but let me teach you a lesson Children, eating goose feet are why we invented antibiotics. Being smart ars*s, we've taken to communicating in spanish with each other when bartering, this is, until one young attendents snapped "Cuarenta es loco" and game was almost hers, 'cept that I have my Dad's dutch bartering genes.
Engaging the services of a local guide, whose self proclaimed English name is Tiger King (no, not something I made up after a few drinks), we embarked on quick jaunt around the eastern sites in his spanking new SUV. First of, the terracotta warriors, a series of underground "pits" containing at least 8000 unique 6 foot warriors, 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavarly horses, all masterfully and uniquely sculptured, painted, holding weapons. Built in 210 BC for the first emperor as protection in the after life seemed like a good idea at the time, except he failed to ensure they were adequately protected in the current life. As per most commissioners of great work, he was a bit of a tool who didn't mind engaging in the odd war, rape and pillage, and using slaves, to well, build thousands upon thousands of masterpieces, then killing them to ensure their secrecy. As such, about ten years after his passing, his enemies conquered his kingdom and plundered his tomb leaving a decades of restauration work for today's chinese.
Xi'an as a destination, has it. An ancient city, housing the imperial capitails for nigh on700 years, it is full of history, architectural delights and wonders. Situated in the mid east of China, it is far enough away from the megatropolises of Shanghai and Hong Kong to retain some of it's Chineseness; albeit the mix of 20th century charm, markets, and minority culture versus the neon lights and sky scrapers, and shopping malls of the 21st. The retention of the smaller city walls, 40 metres high covering 13 square kilometres, adds a real authenticity that sometimes you feel is faked for tourists. The hui muslim minority add an interesting mix with unique food, dress, music, architecture, and more kebabs than you can poke a stick at. The local sweets, less sugar intensive than western standards are brilliant at 20c a pop。As a rule, most street food is fantastic, but let me teach you a lesson Children, eating goose feet are why we invented antibiotics. Being smart ars*s, we've taken to communicating in spanish with each other when bartering, this is, until one young attendents snapped "Cuarenta es loco" and game was almost hers, 'cept that I have my Dad's dutch bartering genes.
Engaging the services of a local guide, whose self proclaimed English name is Tiger King (no, not something I made up after a few drinks), we embarked on quick jaunt around the eastern sites in his spanking new SUV. First of, the terracotta warriors, a series of underground "pits" containing at least 8000 unique 6 foot warriors, 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavarly horses, all masterfully and uniquely sculptured, painted, holding weapons. Built in 210 BC for the first emperor as protection in the after life seemed like a good idea at the time, except he failed to ensure they were adequately protected in the current life. As per most commissioners of great work, he was a bit of a tool who didn't mind engaging in the odd war, rape and pillage, and using slaves, to well, build thousands upon thousands of masterpieces, then killing them to ensure their secrecy. As such, about ten years after his passing, his enemies conquered his kingdom and plundered his tomb leaving a decades of restauration work for today's chinese.
Let me tell you, the Big Goose Pagoda is a real treat. Fortuitiously arriving just before closing time, we virtually had the whole place to ourselves for sunset, bar the odd farting monk. Fantastic architecture, brilliant gardens, and a plethora of bueatiful paintings and sculputres.
Mount Hua, one China's sacred and national mountains, with temples, shrines, and pagodas atop of scenic peaks is lauded about throughout China resulting in about a thousand tourist each day and night; oh, and it is known as the steep one to the locals. Sound brilliant? Well yes, but I accidently booked a tourist bus for Chinese who intended to bypass the hardest sections by cable car, meander up the mountains, and had no intention of letting me go it alone. Now, I'm not sure weather it was my chinglish debating skills or my constant pestering, but I secured my freedom which resulted in one of my most one day memorable hikes. Part adrenalin, part defiance at besting the lazy bunch, part iPod, and part orios, I quickly slayed the additional 2000 metres ascent a passed my group to ascend the first peak treated to a very light snow fall. Adding further to the delight with each peak was either a temple, statue, pagoda, or monastry. I wonder if it will get to me in five weeks, but I was asked to pose in about 10 photo's and even a small group offering to guide me through the passes just because I was a tall westerner.
We sped of to Chengdu on a 17 hour train ridem, befriending a pair of locals, a 17 from near Urumqi and a 24 ex army dude with 2 girlfriends who we chinglished with.
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