LeighTravelClub

Fantastic report. Reminds me in many ways, of our trip to China. Brings it all back.

Great memories of many of our experiences.......but also a little envy...that we didn't manage to fit in quite as much !!!.

Thanks for taking the time and once again....great report.

monicapileggi

althom1122, we did eat very well and I was worried about coming back a few pounds heavier. As it stood, with all of our walking, hiking, biking, etc., I came home 5 pounds lighter! It's gotten me on a kick to getting back into exercising and loosing a few more lbs.

LeighTravelClub, I had originally planned a 2 week trip, but after all my reading and research, 2 weeks wasn't enough for me. And flying the long distance (and the cost of the flight) I decided to put in as must as possible. I can see myself going back someday!!

Monica

Nywoman

Am enjoying your report and experiences. Tell your cousin that chances of the mushrooms being canned are minimal. There are so many different varieties of fresh and dried mushrooms here, cheaper than any canned ones.

I hope her foot got better.

marksfour

Great Report

PS. Did you get your chop at a corner shop that is open on 2 sides?

rhkkmk

loving the report

monicapileggi

Nywoman,

There was a huge difference between those particular mushrooms and the ones we ate during other meals. But she could have been wrong.

Yes, her foot got better after a week or so. She babied the foot (actually the ankle area) as much as possible and used lots of ice when in the hotel room. We did find a bandage to wrap at a pharmacy.

No, I bought the chop at the Bazaar on the main street on the left coming in from the main road. Small shop. Address: No. 349 Fang Bang Zhong Road. Card states "Spring Breeze Invites" Ge Chun Hai, Gravemastre.

Monica

kodi

Monica, I'm so, so happy that I clicked on the China board this morning and saw your wonderful report. I haven't looked on this board for a a year or two, so it's so weird that I chanced upon your report like this....but so glad I did.

I'm going to make a cup of coffee , sit back relax, and enjoy reading every word of it.

It seems to me we were both thinking of China a few years ago. I still have not gone, so your report may get me moving on it!

monicapileggi

Hi Kodi,

Hopefully I'm not boring some people! I'm trying to keep it short as possible without missing anything important. I can get too long-winded sometimes, which I'm sure drives people nuts.

Will work on the journal today, so stay tuned. And I hope to get some photos up today, at least some of the food shots I took.

Monica

monicapileggi

Day two in Hangzhou:

20 October: Today we spent time around the West Lake area, which included a visit to the Lingyin temple. We had met in the morning and took the local bus (Y2), which cost 3 RMB per person. Tour groups were already filling the area. The temple grounds are large and we only saw a portion of it since we had other sights to see. We saw lots of buddhas carved into the walls and caves of the area (Feilai Feng, “Peak That Flew From Afar”), which I was glad to see since I had cancelled our trip to Luoyang (although I’m sure the ones at Luoyang are more impressive). These carvings are about 600 years old. Walking through the caves, one needs to be very careful, especially if the rocks are wet. Some of the ceilings are short, so that can be a problem too.

One hall contained 500 Arhats, which were made out of copper and apparently weigh a ton each. The hall’s floor plan was shaped like a swastika and there were swastika emblems on the walls and ceilings.

Moving on, we took the bus to the area of the Shangri-la hotel. We peeked inside for a few minutes (and even used their lobby bathroom), lovely place! The street in front of the hotel (main street around the lake) was busy with traffic. I don’t think I would like to stay there. We had lunch at a small place across the street, which was a little pricey, but we enjoyed the baked fish with a sweet vinegar sauce; beggar’s chicken (entire chicken served with head and feet); bokchoy with mushrooms, and cucumbers in garlic sauce (large chunks of garlic too!).

After our lunch we walked along West Lake and took a ride on a boat and visited two of the islands in the lake. It was the late afternoon and I enjoyed the scenery. Still, it was pretty hazy out. Both islands were lush with gardens, bridges, and pagodas. The sun was setting as we continued on to the northeast side of the lake. I think I got some good shots.

Running out of RMB, we found an ATM machine and filled our wallets. Took a bus back to our hotel where we picked up a bottle of wine to enjoy before dinner while Reenie iced down her ankle and foot. For dinner, we enjoyed Indian food at Haveli India Restaurant and Bar, located on Nanshan Road (#77) and within walking distance from our hotel. The restaurant was quite colorful with purple chairs, silk draperies of assorted colors, and a beautiful woman who danced every so often to Indian music. Having Indian food (Tiki Masala Chicken, chickpeas and lentils, raita, a mixed vegetable dish, and rice for 220 RMB for 3 people) was a nice change from all the Chinese food we had been eating.

I have to say we only scratched the surface in Hangzhou. We spent a lot of our first day on Hefang Street, which we had fun, but could have done more. I think this city deserves at least a 3-night stay. We did enjoy the lake views from our hotel the first night and I took some night shots of the nearby pagoda (which was the only time I used my tripod – Nutella, you were right, it was a waste to bring it).

Monica

monicapileggi

Off to Xian

21 October: We had a very early morning wake up call (5am) so that we could catch our flight to Xian. We were excited about visiting the panda research center. The streets were empty as we headed to the airport. Our taxi driver overcharged us and I even saw the meter skipping numbers. The ride came to 96 RMB. He ran off to get us a luggage cart and I was so temped to drive off with his car! LOL! I also hadn’t paid him yet and I wondered if he would have chased us down if we simply walked into the airport and got mixed into the crowds. He came back with the cart with all smiles on his face. I handed him the 100 RMB bill and he smiled to thank me. I smiled back and raised four fingers and then the palm of my hand. He kept smiling as if to thank me for the 100. He went to his door and I followed him with my hand still out. He continued to smile and this went on for a couple of minutes until he place a 1 RMB coin in my hand. I smiled and kept my hand out until he gave me the other three, one at a time. I thanked him for ripping us off and walked away.

We had a good 2-hour flight to Xian on an airbus plane. Upon landing, we were shocked to see such thick pollution in the air. We when landing, the pilot had practically no visibility and landed IFR (instruments versus visual). I didn’t see any ground until a few seconds before hitting the ground. Reenie and I just stared at the pollution. Unbelievable. I took a few photos from the window. I had read that Xian has some of the worse pollution in China, which is why I had changed the itinerary from 3 nights to 2 nights.

It was an easy ride to the city on the airport shuttle (27 RMB per person), which dropped people off at the Melody hotel. From there it was just a few minutes to walk to the Bell Tower Hotel. Our room (#441) was not ready, so we dropped off our luggage and explored our area. Both of us bought a crepe for lunch, which was filled with a chopped pickled hard boiled egg, cabbage, mushrooms, and hot sauce). It was filling, tasty and only 3 RMB.

Not too far from the hotel was a very small temple. I didn’t get the name of this temple. It was so peaceful and quiet, away from the traffic and congestion of people.

Reenie found a teashop where she bought a teapot. She didn’t want a whole set, just the pot. Up until then, I didn’t want to buy one, but hers was so pretty that I decided I wanted one too. The store didn’t have any other teapots, so I would start my search later.

On a small street corner, we picked up a bottle of wine. The old couple running the store enjoyed meeting us, as we tried to figure out which to buy. They hand gestured the prices, smiled, and seemed like they wanted to help us. As we walked away, we decided to turn back and get our picture taken with them. They laughed and seemed pleased. The man, at first, didn’t want his photo taken, but agreed after his wife harped on him. We showed them the photos and we got more smiles from. It would have been nice to go back another day to say hello to them.

Back to the hotel, we unpacked a few things. We had a great view of the Bell Tower from our room, which had a narrow balcony. The room was pretty basic. It had twin beds, desk/chair, large t.v., and a small bathroom. The carpeting was very old and dirty (thank goodness the hotel provided room slippers), including the carpeting in the hallways. The hotel really needs to replace all of it. The beds were slightly firm but comfortable.

After unpacking, we visited the Bell Tower, which had an expensive entry fee, 40RMB, compared to the other sights we visited. There was a short performance in the main room: five or six people playing various musical instruments and bells and a dancer with extra, extra long sleeves. It was entertaining and helped offset the entry fee. Not much else to see since the views were hampered by the pollution.

The Muslim quarter was nearby, so we went to check it out. There were lots of food vendors and people shopping for souvenirs. I found a place that sold teapots and I bargained: less than what Reenie paid for hers! I’ve done this twice now underbidding her.

We met up with Jasmine, a young woman that I met on VT. She had given me suggestions on getting to the Terra Cotta Warriors (TCW) by local bus. She took us to a restaurant near our hotel (Du Du Family Cuisine), about a 10-minute walk. We ordered five dishes but should have ordered four, but we ate most of it: baked eggplant, squid with celery and bamboo shoots, beef with cucumber, vegetable rolls (my favorite!), and a plate of various mushrooms with green and red bell pepper. It was an excellent dinner! 83 RMB for the three of us.

Back at our hotel we said our goodbye’s to Jasmine.

Monica

monicapileggi

22 October: Our main purpose for visiting Xian was to see the Terra Cotta Warriors (TCW). We woke up early to a much clearer (pollution-wise) day but it was colder and lightly raining. We figured our light jackets would be fine, but we were wrong! Standing on our balcony didn’t help us determine the temperature, which turned out to be in the high 40s/low 50s.

We took a taxi to the train station (9 RMB) after the first taxi wouldn’t take us. I learned it’s best to get inside the taxi and then show him the destination. We found the location of the buses, as we were told to take bus 306. There were four 306 buses, which were parked side-by-side. We got on board and it left within minutes. (7 RMB per person). Good timing!

It took about an hour to get to the site and by then the winds had kicked up and it was raining like crazy. By the time we got to the main entrance, our pants were soaked. The wind was blowing the rain sideways. I had a small umbrella that didn’t do much help to keep me dry. It wasn't fun and it was cold! However, seeing the TWC (90 RMB per person) certainly made up for it. We spent a few hours just staring them in awe. There is a museum, as well as three pits. This was an amazing find. Apparently the TWC were never written in the history records. How something so significant and so large could disappear for so long is astounding. In seeing the other two pits, I know it will be many, many years before they uncover it all. We saw two sets of chariots and horses behind glass, which apparently were pieced back together with over 3,500 pieces. The museum had many artifacts, including bows, arrows, harnesses, swords, etc. In one pit you could see the shape of the remains of the roof beams, now crushed by the weight of the ground that covered them.

I took too many photographs and wish I had a longer lens (kept the zoom lens at home to my regret).

On the way out, I picked up a box of terra cotta warriors for my Mom. I told her I had read they were not well made and by the time she got them they might be broken. I figure for $2, I would chance mailing them to her. Reenie picked up a warrior that stood about 8” tall. Heading back to the bus stop, we went through another gauntlet of vendors. They were selling boxes of the TCW for $1!

We met a couple on the way out and I told them about the local bus. They had arrived by taxi but were glad to save the money with the bus ride. We ended up on another bus (can’t remember the number) but the driver told us it goes back to the Xian train station/bus stop. While on the bus, the head of Reenie’s soldier fell onto the floor! We cracked up laughing! She bought it 15 minutes earlier and already it was falling apart! She said she would keep it on her mantel with the head next to the body, just as they were originally found. (Back at the hotel, I double wrapped Mom’s warriors and got them home safely and will triple wrap them for the package to Florida).

The couple was also staying at the Bell Tower hotel, so we shared a taxi back and made plans to meet up later for dinner.

I got on the computer at the hotel and quickly sent a few emails. The hotel charged 1 RMB per minute, so I typed quickly.

The four of us met up and we headed out to visit the Muslim quarter, which I had told them about while on the bus. We all did a little shopping and then had dinner at Jiasan Guantang Baozi on Bei Yuan Men 93. Coming from the beginning of the bazaar, it’s on the right hand side. Reenie and I had mutton dumplings, which were delicious and filled with broth, spicy lamb shanks, and a shredded potato dish that had vinegar dressing. I tried a couple of the dumplings that the other couple ordered (wish I could remember their names) but when I bit into one, I knew something wasn’t right. It had a bad, bitter taste. I later had a stomachache, but that was the only food item that hit me wrong while on this trip.

After dinner, we did more shopping and I got the hang of bargaining. It was quite fun! A third day in Xian would have been nice for more shopping and sight seeing. We were right in the Muslim quarter and I forgot to visit the Mosque!

We headed back to the hotel to pack for our next destination: Chengdu and the Pandas!

Monica

easytraveler

Your report is not boring at all! In fact, it's very stimulating!

Fatty pork with chestnuts - and all those other food descriptions! Yum! Do you suppose food tastes better because it come from small farms and didn't have the dickens taken out by massive production methods?

More please!

monicapileggi

Thanks easytraveler!

Here's the last input for today. I need to get out of the house!

Off to Chengdu

23 October: Up at 6:45am, we were out early to take the airport bus to the airport. No worries about any taxi driver ripping us off. It was a sunny day, yet cold day (9 degrees celsius), the best of the days we were there. Too bad. We caught the 8am bus and 50 minutes later we were at the airport. The bus driver, after asking if we were at the correct terminal, told us it would be the next one. Well, he was wrong! We had to back track to the first terminal. A woman told us to go back outside and catch a small golf-cart shuttle. I didn’t see any outside and was worried we would have to lug our bags to the other terminal. A couple of people said to walk. Finally, a shuttle arrived and we hopped in. We had plenty of time at the airport, but it’s best to get to the airport about 1.5 hours before the flight, as the desks close 30 minutes prior. I like the idea of the extra time to find the correct counters and gates.

Another smooth flight (1 hour, 10 minutes) and we landed in Chengdu. We took the shuttle bus to the city and transferred to a taxi to our hotel, the Crowne Plaza. It seemed to be in a good location. Our room, #1217, faced the front street. I loved the large lobby and the flower arrangements. One, near the elevators, was of Anthuriums, a beautiful display. I joked with the bellhop asking if there was an arrangement in our room and he told us we could take one. Of course, we didn’t.

The service was wonderful at the hotel. Everyone was very friendly. Some waited at the doors, opening as you came and went. They also bowed slightly and gave their greetings. Our room was very nice with two beds, a safe, desk, nice bathroom, robes and a mini bar.

We spent the afternoon at the Wenshu monastery. By now we were starting to get our monastery and temples mixed up! The area was nice, as it was set in an area with old buildings and shops. Inside the monastery is a vegetarian restaurant. We enjoyed the mushroom dumplings and deep fried pumpkin with red bean paste in the center, which was coated with sesame seeds. Tea was also served. (34 RMB).

After walking around the area, we had a hard time catching a taxi. It was rush hour and people were heading home from work. It took an hour to crab a taxi. We kept walking thinking the next corner would be a better spot to hail one. As we walked into the hotel lobby, we met up with Fiona. We were about 20 minutes late but she accepted our apologies when I told her our struggle to get a taxi. I met Fiona on Trip Advisor. I had hired someone to guide us, but his price was outrageous. After several emails with Fiona, I asked her if she would be our guide and she agreed. I think she was one of the nicest that I hired on this trip.

For dinner, we just went to the back side of our hotel to a small alley way that was filled with small restaurants and some shops. We dined at one restaurant on the corner and had just a couple of dishes: an egg and tofu mixture, thick and almost soupy, and sliced pork with mixed vegetables with crispy rice at the bottom of the plate. A sauce was poured on top at the table. Fiona treated us to dinner saying as host, she should pay for the first meal.

After dinner we had fun with some of the cooks at a small restaurant. They had a food stall at the entrance and we took photos of a little boy. He was so cute sitting in his little chair. The parents tried to get him to say hello but he just stared at us. I showed the parents the photos I took and they smiled. We really enjoyed our encounters with the Chinese during our trip and they seemed to enjoy us too.


More tomorrow!

Monica

monicapileggi

Here are some photos to whet your appetite.

http://mjpileggi.smugmug.com/gallery...13339294_Dp2NB

More to come in the next few days.

Monica

Images2

Monica,

You're not boring anyone, and you can't be to detailed for me! I'm enjoying your report alot. I love your photos, they're just excellent!

tanyaacatherine

It is really very glad to take a fabulous trip to china. Hotels and restaurants are also very cheap in China.
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http://www.drivenwide.com

bmttokyo

Looks like you ate your way through China. Thanks for sharing the photos. Will keep your report on file for our future China trip !

monicapileggi

I definitely ate my way through China, walked a ton and actually came home 5 lbs lighter!

Monica ((F)

monicapileggi

Pandas and Movie Stars!

24 October: Chengdu. One thing I found near my hotel was a CHEAP Internet bar. I used it a couple of times: 3 RMB per hour, which is about .45 cents. It was a great price compared to the hotels that normally charge 1 RMB per minute. Directions: Head out to the backside of the Crowne Plaza hotel, turn right and then right into the small shopping ally. Head upstairs (stairs on the left at the beginning of the alley) and left into the room going through plastic curtains. There are probably 40-50 computers with young people mostly using them to play games.

Fiona met us at 8am for our taxi ride to the panda research center. We had a blast seeing all the pandas, from the babies in the nursery (about 8-9 of them asleep - wish I could cuddle one), to the young 1-2 year old pandas, to the adults. I took a 'few' photos. We could have watched them all day long. We had arrived early enough to see them feed on the piles of bamboo, their food staple. There was a small line of people waiting to pose with a panda while he (or she) ate apples. A pose for about 30 seconds and 3 photos (with your own camera) cost 400 RMB. I wondered if the photographer got the shots right and in focus!

We encountered several groups of school children, probably about 200 of them. All were excited to see the pandas, but many were excited to see Americans and other foreigners. Many came up to us and said, "Hello!" Probably one of the very few English words they knew. That was just the beginning. Several came up with their panda postcards and a pen and asked for our autographs. What a frenzy it became! Both Reenie and I were swamped with children shoving the cards in our faces for our signatures. It started out fun and I wrote my name, "Monica J. Pileggi, USA". Well, by the third group of kids I was barely scribbling "Monica", as they were just happy to have anything written down. I couldn't keep up. One sweet girl came up to me and seemed to want to touch me, so I held out my hand. We shook hands and then she reached for me and we hugged. That just blew me away. They were such great kids. I saw another tourist bombarded by kids.

We later taxied to a museum, Sanxingdui, which has artifacts from an ancient Chinese culture from 2000-4000 years ago. Lots of bronze sculptures, masks, and swords made out of jade, etc. Reenie didn’t think much of the museum, especially it’s expensive entry fee of 80 RMB per person. In a way, I agree. We could have seen more of the sights in the city. Had lunch at the small restaurant across the street from the museum entrance. We had a pork dish and fried tofu with beef. Reenie ordered soup, which was a meal in itself!

We took the local bus back to the city, which took about 1.5 hours. A lot of the ride was on what seemed to be the back roads, which were not paved. I wasn't happy as I could feel the beginnings of a bladder infection and the bumpy long ride did not help me. Fortunately, I had Cipro, which I started to use once I got back to the hotel. At the bus station, I ran in to try to use the toilet and encountered quite a different bathroom: No doors on the stalls and no toilets or hole, just a running stream of water down a channel with a woman at the “top end” pushing the water through with a mop. It threw me off a second, but then I did what I came to do and left. I told Reenie what she missed and she was thankful.

Before dinner, I went to the Internet bar and emailed home. For dinner, we dined at one of the small restaurants behind our hotel. We all had soup with noodles. Mine came very spicy, which I didn’t think would be a good idea with my infection, so Reenie and I switched soups. The spicy soup had more flavor. I really didn’t eat much that night.

After dinner, Reenie shopped for a new carry on bag with a pullout handle and wheels, as she was shopping more than me! She found two that she liked and went back and forth between the stores. She finally bought one for 65 RMB, which was an excellent price.

Monica

monicapileggi

25 October, A day trip to the ancient town of Huanglongxi. Today we took a taxi (100 RMB) with Fiona to the ancient town of Huanglonxi. The local buses were booked until noon and we didn't want to wait that long. We negotiated with a taxi driver, which Fiona said the 100 RMB was a fair price - $15 USD.

I had read about this small town in my research. Not many Americans have visited this place, but I wanted to because I had read part of the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was filmed here. I wanted to visit a town that still had the feel of old China. It did in a way. The buildings still stand, although much of it has been renovated. Most of the buildings are two stories with ceramic rooftops and large pillars at the entrances. I would have loved to see the rooftops from above! Many buildings also had red lanterns hanging, as well as assorted flags written in Chinese characters.

This was a popular tourist destination site based on the crowds. We wandered the smaller streets, shopped a little, and just took in the area walking down the smaller streets. There were many vendors, which make it less than authentic. Still, we enjoyed our time here. I took many photos including those of the old folks. They all enjoyed the attention. Unlike yesterday with the many, many children asking for autographs, we had several that came up to us with their "hello!" One woman was holding her baby, a beautiful girl, so I took their photo. It's a keeper.

Near the river, to cross from one part to the next, is a short “walkway” that consisted of large stepping-stones. Reenie would have none of it and walked the long way around.

Along the way were old women with shallow baskets filled with baby rabbits for sell, but not to eat! One basket included a shivering and scared puppy. A pair of rabbits in another basket was nibbling on one lettuce leaf. I watched as they ate it quickly, almost kissing at the end when the reached the last piece of lettuce at the same time.

I saw three old women playing cards, which one had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. It was definitely a “kodak moment” that I captured.

There were lots of tables and chairs along side the river. A few people were having shoulder massages while others were having their ears cleaned with long metal prongs. I had seen this on the Anthony Bourdain show. No thank you! A few ‘cleaners’ approached me with prong in hand, and I politely said I don’t want it, “bú yào,” a phrase Reenie and I learned quickly for our shopping. Many people would repeat “bú yào” back to us, laughing, probably because they were surprised we knew this phrase.

While walking along, a young woman stopped Fiona (Reenie was off taking photos of the river area) and they chatted a few minutes. Next Fiona tells me the woman is in college and is doing a project and would I agree to being interviewed? Sure, which not! With a small video camera, she asked me a few questions, which Fiona translated. The main question was "How did you come to find this town?" I explained about my research for this trip, the movie I saw and that I wanted to visit a place that was relatively unknown to Americans. It was a short interview but it was fun. There were lots of people standing around watching the scene. I tell you, this trip has been a great experience and I have had fun interacting with the Chinese. They are wonderful, friendly people, especially the young ones.

Another time, two young girls came up to me and asked for my photo with them. This happened a few times on the trip. I had Reenie take my photo with them too with my camera. Thinking back, when waiting for Violet to buy our tickets for the Temple of heaven, I spotted two cameras in our direction. This also happened in Yangshou along the Li River where one man just walked up and stood beside me and posed for his friend.

Lunch was in a tiny hole-in-the-wall. I think we were eating tripe, which I have had before, but not my favorite food item. I asked Fiona a few times if it was tripe, but she didn’t know this word and kept saying it was part of the pig. Another dish we had, and I ate, was a sliced pork dish in a very spicy sauce, and soft tofu. This lunch was probably the one I didn’t care for the most.

We visited the small temple in town for just an RMB. I liked this one especially because of the gardens. There was also an old theatre stage, located on the second floor of one of the buildings.

Back in town, we took a taxi to a Thai restaurant for dinner, which was very good: Spring rolls, pad thai, and a curry chicken dish with green beans and mushrooms. We were served tea as well (129 RMB for the three of us).

Back at the hotel, we said our goodbyes to Fiona. She was really disappointed that she had other plans the next day and would have preferred visiting with us instead. Reenie and I really enjoyed her company. She told us a lot about Chengdu, China, and her own life. We enjoyed getting to know her and always felt comfortable with her. We both told her she had a place to stay if she ever came to the USA. If anyone needs a reliable, friendly guide, I will be more than happy to pass her information to you via email: mjpileggi @Comcast.net.

Monica