We did it! -4 weeks of independent travel in China - a detailed report
Nov 2nd, 2010, 12:01 AM
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We did it! -4 weeks of independent travel in China - a detailed report
A trip report by someone who has just returned is always a valuable resource for those who love to plan trips on their own. I know I acquired a vast amount of information and was able to make informed decisions by constantly scanning travel forums and eagerly reading trip reports as they appeared. So I owe a lot of the success of our recent 4 week trip to China to all those who took the time to pass on information, answer my questions and post reports. Thank you to all and here is my report—I hope it isn’t too “winded” and that someone will find it useful for an upcoming trip.
It helps to understand the kind of travel being undertaken when reading a trip report. My husband and I are in our mid 50s and have traveled independently throughout Central America and Europe. We are relatively fit and love walking to discover unique places. We were certain we did not want a guided tour of China and after reading many reports we felt that we could manage an entirely independent holiday without a tour company. We don’t speak Mandarin but were sure we could make our needs known.
We pre-booked all flights (Travel Zen) and hotels via internet—and all worked well, except for one late night flight delay (and this was the one time we really wish we spoke Mandarin!). While many forum posters said one could easily book accommodation and flights while there, we wanted to not have to think about these. Knowing you have a place waiting, often with free airport pickup, was worth the extra $. All of our accommodations were wonderful, ranging from a hutong B&B to self-catering apartment to river retreat-all were wonderful in service and facility.
Here was out itinerary: Oct 4-31
Days 1 – 6 Beijing Mao’er B&B
Days 7 Datong Garden Hotel
Day 8 Pingyao Yide Hotel
Day 9 – 11 Xian Citadines Apartment Hotel
Day 12 – 18 Lijiang Zen Garden Hotel
Day 19 – 23 Yangshuo Li River Retreat
Day 24 – 27 Shanghai Magnolia B&B
For us it was a perfect schedule and itinerary. We saw a bit of the cities, small villages and of course the requisite touristy spots (filled with many, many Chinese tourists but worth it). We think it was the perfect overview of a country that we probably won’t have a chance to see again.
Days 1- Beijing
Our flight from Vancouver to Beijing was smooth, on time and relatively comfortable. We arrived in Beijing about 2:30pm, found an ATM at the airport and took a taxi to the hutong B&B. The hutongs are so narrow that taxis can’t drive down them, so we had to walk in with our backback/suitcases (convertible as we need it). The B&B was very quiet and peaceful, the rooms small and had no windows but that was why it was so quiet. Angela was the hostess and was very pleasant and helpful.
After dropping off bags and freshening up, we set out to explore the neighbourhood. A few blocks away was a pedestrian-only shopping street (Nan Luogo Xiang) with boutiques and small restaurants (it is also where the Backpackers Hostel is so we saw a lot of foreigners). After wandering, we found a place to eat (Drum and Bell restaurant) and had our first introduction to ordering and eating true Chinese food. We were put in a small windowless room with only 2 tables as everything else was full. We ordered 2 beer, rice, a sizzling beef plate, shrimp and a plate of Chinese broccoli. It was a lot of food but we must have been starved as it all went down quickly. Cheap and good. (We figured out eventually that for 2 of us, 2 plates of food plus rice or noodles, is plenty!)
By now jet lag was setting in so we walked back to the B&B and were out by 9:30!
Day 2 – Beijing
Next day, we woke early, eager to explore. Breakfast was at 7:30 and consisted of a fried egg between a bun, a sweeter bun and some Nescafe. We walked first to Jingshan Park (not far from B&B) and paid RMB2 to enter. The park was filled with Beijingers, singing, chanting, dancing, doing Taichi etc. AMAZING and so different from home. The whole park was buzzing with activities. We walked through the park, then up a series of rock stairs to a Temple at top with amazing views, a huge gold Buddha, and an excellent (albeit smoggy) view of the Forbidden City.
We then walked down and entered the Forbidden City at the north end where there was not much of a line-up at ticket booth, (it was 9:30ish at the time). We found a place to buy map and wandered through many temples, park-like areas, amazing architecture. By this time crowds started to build, so we hurried to try to cover as much as possible
After 3 hours of crowd fighting we found a small deserted courtyard oasis, guarded by a man in the corner. We sat and had some nuts, then the guard came over and offered (in sign language) to take our picture. I think he was bored but he was SO friendly (even kissed me on the cheek!!). He was a hoot!
After another hour or so, we exited the FC and tried to find our way to Tiannnamen Square. We found the main passageway to Tiannamen blocked off, and we were directed to a side exit the turned out to be a huge detour along the moat. It turned out some kind of celebration due to Nationall Week was still going on as the main entrance was closed off and there was security checks we had to go through, and 2 huge screens showing patriotic videos. We walked through the huge square to the south end feeling the importance and history of the place.
Then my feet and body said time to rest and eat. We didn't see any restaurants around so decided to walk back the street beside the square and head to Wangfunjing shopping street. We happened upon a side street market with narrow alleys and many stalls and teeming with people. We saw scorpions and seahorses etc on sticks for eating. We got accosted by vendors wanting us to sit and have a beer so we finally gave in and had beer and ordered some kind of dumplings which we thought had meat in them so we asked for one with chicken and one with beef--turned out they were filled with some kind of ground meat and we got cooked chicken and beef on the side. Oh well, the dumplings were blah but the beer was good! And our feet were happy!
We walked further down the pedestrian street and ended up walking back to B&B (looked in a few stores along the way). We revived ourselves then went looking for a nearby restaurant that was recommended in our guide books called "Kejia Cai". We had some difficulty finding it (no name signs) but eventually found it along the lake. There were no tables available outside on patio (very busy) but we could sit inside. We ordered a beef dish, some "greens" and rice--just the right amount. The food was ok, nothing to get too excited about. Afterwards we walked along the lake with many others (especially couples). The lake was filled with pedal boats (it was dark by now) and many couples smooching in corners of pathway. The streets along the lake were filled with nightclubs with blaring music, coloured lights and laser lights flashing. We ended up following another small market street filled with cooking supply shops, then circled back to end up at the B&B.
To be continued…
It helps to understand the kind of travel being undertaken when reading a trip report. My husband and I are in our mid 50s and have traveled independently throughout Central America and Europe. We are relatively fit and love walking to discover unique places. We were certain we did not want a guided tour of China and after reading many reports we felt that we could manage an entirely independent holiday without a tour company. We don’t speak Mandarin but were sure we could make our needs known.
We pre-booked all flights (Travel Zen) and hotels via internet—and all worked well, except for one late night flight delay (and this was the one time we really wish we spoke Mandarin!). While many forum posters said one could easily book accommodation and flights while there, we wanted to not have to think about these. Knowing you have a place waiting, often with free airport pickup, was worth the extra $. All of our accommodations were wonderful, ranging from a hutong B&B to self-catering apartment to river retreat-all were wonderful in service and facility.
Here was out itinerary: Oct 4-31
Days 1 – 6 Beijing Mao’er B&B
Days 7 Datong Garden Hotel
Day 8 Pingyao Yide Hotel
Day 9 – 11 Xian Citadines Apartment Hotel
Day 12 – 18 Lijiang Zen Garden Hotel
Day 19 – 23 Yangshuo Li River Retreat
Day 24 – 27 Shanghai Magnolia B&B
For us it was a perfect schedule and itinerary. We saw a bit of the cities, small villages and of course the requisite touristy spots (filled with many, many Chinese tourists but worth it). We think it was the perfect overview of a country that we probably won’t have a chance to see again.
Days 1- Beijing
Our flight from Vancouver to Beijing was smooth, on time and relatively comfortable. We arrived in Beijing about 2:30pm, found an ATM at the airport and took a taxi to the hutong B&B. The hutongs are so narrow that taxis can’t drive down them, so we had to walk in with our backback/suitcases (convertible as we need it). The B&B was very quiet and peaceful, the rooms small and had no windows but that was why it was so quiet. Angela was the hostess and was very pleasant and helpful.
After dropping off bags and freshening up, we set out to explore the neighbourhood. A few blocks away was a pedestrian-only shopping street (Nan Luogo Xiang) with boutiques and small restaurants (it is also where the Backpackers Hostel is so we saw a lot of foreigners). After wandering, we found a place to eat (Drum and Bell restaurant) and had our first introduction to ordering and eating true Chinese food. We were put in a small windowless room with only 2 tables as everything else was full. We ordered 2 beer, rice, a sizzling beef plate, shrimp and a plate of Chinese broccoli. It was a lot of food but we must have been starved as it all went down quickly. Cheap and good. (We figured out eventually that for 2 of us, 2 plates of food plus rice or noodles, is plenty!)
By now jet lag was setting in so we walked back to the B&B and were out by 9:30!
Day 2 – Beijing
Next day, we woke early, eager to explore. Breakfast was at 7:30 and consisted of a fried egg between a bun, a sweeter bun and some Nescafe. We walked first to Jingshan Park (not far from B&B) and paid RMB2 to enter. The park was filled with Beijingers, singing, chanting, dancing, doing Taichi etc. AMAZING and so different from home. The whole park was buzzing with activities. We walked through the park, then up a series of rock stairs to a Temple at top with amazing views, a huge gold Buddha, and an excellent (albeit smoggy) view of the Forbidden City.
We then walked down and entered the Forbidden City at the north end where there was not much of a line-up at ticket booth, (it was 9:30ish at the time). We found a place to buy map and wandered through many temples, park-like areas, amazing architecture. By this time crowds started to build, so we hurried to try to cover as much as possible
After 3 hours of crowd fighting we found a small deserted courtyard oasis, guarded by a man in the corner. We sat and had some nuts, then the guard came over and offered (in sign language) to take our picture. I think he was bored but he was SO friendly (even kissed me on the cheek!!). He was a hoot!
After another hour or so, we exited the FC and tried to find our way to Tiannnamen Square. We found the main passageway to Tiannamen blocked off, and we were directed to a side exit the turned out to be a huge detour along the moat. It turned out some kind of celebration due to Nationall Week was still going on as the main entrance was closed off and there was security checks we had to go through, and 2 huge screens showing patriotic videos. We walked through the huge square to the south end feeling the importance and history of the place.
Then my feet and body said time to rest and eat. We didn't see any restaurants around so decided to walk back the street beside the square and head to Wangfunjing shopping street. We happened upon a side street market with narrow alleys and many stalls and teeming with people. We saw scorpions and seahorses etc on sticks for eating. We got accosted by vendors wanting us to sit and have a beer so we finally gave in and had beer and ordered some kind of dumplings which we thought had meat in them so we asked for one with chicken and one with beef--turned out they were filled with some kind of ground meat and we got cooked chicken and beef on the side. Oh well, the dumplings were blah but the beer was good! And our feet were happy!
We walked further down the pedestrian street and ended up walking back to B&B (looked in a few stores along the way). We revived ourselves then went looking for a nearby restaurant that was recommended in our guide books called "Kejia Cai". We had some difficulty finding it (no name signs) but eventually found it along the lake. There were no tables available outside on patio (very busy) but we could sit inside. We ordered a beef dish, some "greens" and rice--just the right amount. The food was ok, nothing to get too excited about. Afterwards we walked along the lake with many others (especially couples). The lake was filled with pedal boats (it was dark by now) and many couples smooching in corners of pathway. The streets along the lake were filled with nightclubs with blaring music, coloured lights and laser lights flashing. We ended up following another small market street filled with cooking supply shops, then circled back to end up at the B&B.
To be continued…
Nov 2nd, 2010, 01:10 PM
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Thanks all for the encouragement to continue..
Day 3 Beijing
Today our plan was to explore the Summer Palace. We wanted to buy some lunch items so we could have a “picnic” style lunch where ever we ended up. So after breakfast (this time it was some round doughy balls stuffed with something sweet) we headed out first to find a supermarket to buy lunch items. Angela told of us a big market down the street, where you had to go down 3 flights to the food floor. We found it easily but finding the “typical” things we could buy for a picnic lunch was more difficult. The closest we could find to sandwiches were some pre-packaged chicken “burgers” and they were not in any cooler storage. We wondered how many preservatives were needed in these to keep them from going bad. Despite some misgivings we decided to give them a try (they were actually edible and we didn’t end up with stomach issues). We also picked out some potato chips ( a huge selection of choices) and 2 bananas we pulled off a bunch. For some reason the cashier would NOT let us buy just 2 bananas--don’t know why? So we had to leave them with her.
We then walked to the metro. The metro system was very easy to figure out and cheap. To get to the Summer Palace cost each about 45 cents! On the walk there we got our first and most important lesson in traffic survival – walk with the pack! Even by the end of our trip, crossing a street was a frightening event!
The Summer Palace is huge and took up most of the afternoon. Upon entering, the first area was a quaint reconstructed "water" village. We wandered around the canal but it was all souvenir shops and restaurants. We walked up the hill and came to the palace temples---huge, amazing impressive! After wandering around we headed to a lookout towards the lake but the smog was so thick we could hardly see anything. It was quite surreal. We passed through many temples and eventually got down to the water’s edge. People were loading onto a tourist boat so we decided to get on too. The boat with its large dragon’s head prow took us to an island in center of lake that was connected to a 16 arch bridge. We got off here, walked over bridge and back along lake, stopping for lunch and viewing more temples and museum-type exhibits. Eventually we found our way back to entrance and headed out—by this time 4 hours passed (and we could have easily spent a few more hours).
We took the Metro back to B&B to get ready for a special dinner (it was our 10th wedding anniversary). Another couple staying at the B&B overheard us talking to Angela, our B&B hostess, about wanting to go to a recommended restaurant, the DaDong Peking Duck (where we had made reservations the day before). They asked if they could join us and share a taxi there, which was great as they were a very interesting couple and we had some great conversation. Dinner was amazing, it is a very elegant restaurant, beautifully prepared food, excellent wine! The duck is brought to the table and is carved in front of you into thin slices. The meal for the 2 of us (including a good bottle of wine) cost $75 - the priciest meal of our trip. We took a Taxi back to B&B and called it a night!
Day 4 Beijing
Today we planned to hike the Great Wall from Jinshanling to Simitai. Before we left home we had booked the hike via internet, which included transport and all entrance fees, through Beijing Downtown Backpackers Accommodation. The price was quite reasonable and there were no shopping stops. It was also very convenient for us as we only had to walk 5minutes to get to the hostel and bus pickup. Our transport was a small older bus that seated about 20 people.
A guide (Esther) was with us and explained the route. It was a 2 ½ hour drive to Jinshanling. There was about a 20 minute walk up a gentle slope to the actual Wall. The first bit of the hike was easy. The Wall surface was well-maintained with gentle ups and downs and some fabulous viewpoints. Although not as bad as the city it was still hazy so long distance views were not great but OK. The air was quite warm and humid. There were not a lot of people on the wall other than our group which made it even more special. A few vendors followed us but as we ignored them, they left us alone. Occasionally when we reached a tower, a vendor had set themselves up to sell drinks.
After about half way through the walk, the surface of the Wall was less maintained and some of the stairs were crumbling and difficult to climb. There were some very steep parts and sheer drop-offs (glad we brought our walking poles from home!). The hike took about 3 ½ hours and ended a bit before the Simitai part, which is still under construction. Our guide was waiting there. A newly-paved trail coming off the wall and down the hillside took us back to the parking lot where the bus waited. We had to buy the proverbial “I hiked the Great Wall” t-shirt. A word of advice—they will try to sell you one in many places along the Wall but hold out until the end and you will get the best price (I think I paid RMB35, while other who bought earlier paid RMB100). All in all it was a great experience.
Back in Beijing and after resting at the B&B we took a taxi to the Olympic Plaza to see the "Beehive" and "Cube". Everything was lit up and quite amazing and overwhelming. There were many people wandering in park plaza, people were dancing and singing and it was fun to wander around taking in the vibe. We then took the metro to Sanlitun Bar street (ex-pat area) looking for a recommended Thai restaurant. This is a strange environment. When we got out of the Metro we ended up on a long quiet street of Country Embassies with guards outside each gate. We wandered down long leafy boulevards, and eventually found the bar street (but not the Thai place). On one side of the street were huge shopping stores of Western origin( North Face, Haagen Daz); on the other side were bars, neon lights and booming music. The street was backed up with traffic and filled with non-Asian pedestrians. We wandered a bit looking for food. It was very late by this time so we ended up going to a pricey and not so good Italian restaurant. A quick taxi ride and we were back to the B&B and done for the day!
Day 3 Beijing
Today our plan was to explore the Summer Palace. We wanted to buy some lunch items so we could have a “picnic” style lunch where ever we ended up. So after breakfast (this time it was some round doughy balls stuffed with something sweet) we headed out first to find a supermarket to buy lunch items. Angela told of us a big market down the street, where you had to go down 3 flights to the food floor. We found it easily but finding the “typical” things we could buy for a picnic lunch was more difficult. The closest we could find to sandwiches were some pre-packaged chicken “burgers” and they were not in any cooler storage. We wondered how many preservatives were needed in these to keep them from going bad. Despite some misgivings we decided to give them a try (they were actually edible and we didn’t end up with stomach issues). We also picked out some potato chips ( a huge selection of choices) and 2 bananas we pulled off a bunch. For some reason the cashier would NOT let us buy just 2 bananas--don’t know why? So we had to leave them with her.
We then walked to the metro. The metro system was very easy to figure out and cheap. To get to the Summer Palace cost each about 45 cents! On the walk there we got our first and most important lesson in traffic survival – walk with the pack! Even by the end of our trip, crossing a street was a frightening event!
The Summer Palace is huge and took up most of the afternoon. Upon entering, the first area was a quaint reconstructed "water" village. We wandered around the canal but it was all souvenir shops and restaurants. We walked up the hill and came to the palace temples---huge, amazing impressive! After wandering around we headed to a lookout towards the lake but the smog was so thick we could hardly see anything. It was quite surreal. We passed through many temples and eventually got down to the water’s edge. People were loading onto a tourist boat so we decided to get on too. The boat with its large dragon’s head prow took us to an island in center of lake that was connected to a 16 arch bridge. We got off here, walked over bridge and back along lake, stopping for lunch and viewing more temples and museum-type exhibits. Eventually we found our way back to entrance and headed out—by this time 4 hours passed (and we could have easily spent a few more hours).
We took the Metro back to B&B to get ready for a special dinner (it was our 10th wedding anniversary). Another couple staying at the B&B overheard us talking to Angela, our B&B hostess, about wanting to go to a recommended restaurant, the DaDong Peking Duck (where we had made reservations the day before). They asked if they could join us and share a taxi there, which was great as they were a very interesting couple and we had some great conversation. Dinner was amazing, it is a very elegant restaurant, beautifully prepared food, excellent wine! The duck is brought to the table and is carved in front of you into thin slices. The meal for the 2 of us (including a good bottle of wine) cost $75 - the priciest meal of our trip. We took a Taxi back to B&B and called it a night!
Day 4 Beijing
Today we planned to hike the Great Wall from Jinshanling to Simitai. Before we left home we had booked the hike via internet, which included transport and all entrance fees, through Beijing Downtown Backpackers Accommodation. The price was quite reasonable and there were no shopping stops. It was also very convenient for us as we only had to walk 5minutes to get to the hostel and bus pickup. Our transport was a small older bus that seated about 20 people.
A guide (Esther) was with us and explained the route. It was a 2 ½ hour drive to Jinshanling. There was about a 20 minute walk up a gentle slope to the actual Wall. The first bit of the hike was easy. The Wall surface was well-maintained with gentle ups and downs and some fabulous viewpoints. Although not as bad as the city it was still hazy so long distance views were not great but OK. The air was quite warm and humid. There were not a lot of people on the wall other than our group which made it even more special. A few vendors followed us but as we ignored them, they left us alone. Occasionally when we reached a tower, a vendor had set themselves up to sell drinks.
After about half way through the walk, the surface of the Wall was less maintained and some of the stairs were crumbling and difficult to climb. There were some very steep parts and sheer drop-offs (glad we brought our walking poles from home!). The hike took about 3 ½ hours and ended a bit before the Simitai part, which is still under construction. Our guide was waiting there. A newly-paved trail coming off the wall and down the hillside took us back to the parking lot where the bus waited. We had to buy the proverbial “I hiked the Great Wall” t-shirt. A word of advice—they will try to sell you one in many places along the Wall but hold out until the end and you will get the best price (I think I paid RMB35, while other who bought earlier paid RMB100). All in all it was a great experience.
Back in Beijing and after resting at the B&B we took a taxi to the Olympic Plaza to see the "Beehive" and "Cube". Everything was lit up and quite amazing and overwhelming. There were many people wandering in park plaza, people were dancing and singing and it was fun to wander around taking in the vibe. We then took the metro to Sanlitun Bar street (ex-pat area) looking for a recommended Thai restaurant. This is a strange environment. When we got out of the Metro we ended up on a long quiet street of Country Embassies with guards outside each gate. We wandered down long leafy boulevards, and eventually found the bar street (but not the Thai place). On one side of the street were huge shopping stores of Western origin( North Face, Haagen Daz); on the other side were bars, neon lights and booming music. The street was backed up with traffic and filled with non-Asian pedestrians. We wandered a bit looking for food. It was very late by this time so we ended up going to a pricey and not so good Italian restaurant. A quick taxi ride and we were back to the B&B and done for the day!
Nov 3rd, 2010, 04:44 PM
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Glad you are wanting more because -- warning--our trip was 28 days! So here comes...
Day 5 Beijing
Today our goal was to explore the Temple of Heaven. After a breakfast of some more doughy sweet buns and some spicy cabbage and cucumber, we caught a taxi to the entrance. The main tower was impressive. We spent some time walking along the stone "bridgeway" and through the park area. After exiting, we headed for a recommended Noodle house (Old Beijing Noodle King), which we found but it was closed. There was actually a sign in English referring people to another nearby branch, and lo and behold a bicycle rickshaw guy was hovering nearby asking if we wanted a ride there. We decided to take him up on a ride as the price was low and we were starved. The ride was fun and took about 10 minutes of winding in and out of side streets. And we were glad we did as the restaurant was great. You order several dishes, all of which are mixed into a big bowl of noodles for you. Yum! And cheap!
After lunch we took the metro to a nearby area to try to do a Fodors “hutong walking tour” that was in our guidebook but got totally lost! Some older women sitting outside their home were having a good laugh as we passed them by about 3 times trying to find our way out of the narrow alleyways. Such fun, and of course, we did find our way out and had a great tour of the hutongs while we were at it!
We took the metro home, relaxed for a bit, then took a taxi to the Peking National Acrobats show (began at 7). We weren’t sure what to expect and admittedly it was a bit hokey, but we were thoroughly entertained. The show lasted just over an hour and had an amazing bicycling balancing finale. Afterwards we took a taxi back to Nan Luogo street near our B&B and found a bar that had pizza. It was OK. By this time we were pretty tired so we headed back to B&B and to bed.
Day 6 Beijing
We now were feeling quite comfortable navigating the city and metro system. We even developed some great strategies crossing streets and navigating crowded sidewalks. Today we were going to tackle Panjianyuan Market, purportedly the biggest in Beijing. And yes it was huge, with vast areas of ground stalls as well as rows of 3 story buildings filled with tiny stores. We liked how each area was defined by the product—i.e., one area for paintings, another for woodwork, another for papercutting, etc. We bought some great souvenirs, including a papercut of a hutong building that looked exactly like the one we were staying in. I must admit I was proud of my bargaining skills as I usually got the price down by at least 60%. After a few hours we walked outside of the market and found a busy restaurant and had a good cheap lunch.
We then flagged down a cab and went to check out the Lama Temple. The weather had turned very dark, even though it was only about 2pm. The Temple was huge, very interesting and full of Buddhas, but the incense smell was quite overpowering. Also it was beginning to rain and we were feeling tired. We had planned to do a “Back Lakes Walking Tour” in our guide book but the rain starting coming down strong so we bee-lined back to the B&B. We really needed some “down time” so basically relaxed for a few hours before dinner. We decided to go somewhere close by to eat so headed back to Nan Luogo Street and chose a Korean restaurant which was OK. By now the rain was minimal and we decided to walk back around the lakes area, but were continually accosted by young guys trying to get us into their club. So back to the B&B for the night we went!
Day 5 Beijing
Today our goal was to explore the Temple of Heaven. After a breakfast of some more doughy sweet buns and some spicy cabbage and cucumber, we caught a taxi to the entrance. The main tower was impressive. We spent some time walking along the stone "bridgeway" and through the park area. After exiting, we headed for a recommended Noodle house (Old Beijing Noodle King), which we found but it was closed. There was actually a sign in English referring people to another nearby branch, and lo and behold a bicycle rickshaw guy was hovering nearby asking if we wanted a ride there. We decided to take him up on a ride as the price was low and we were starved. The ride was fun and took about 10 minutes of winding in and out of side streets. And we were glad we did as the restaurant was great. You order several dishes, all of which are mixed into a big bowl of noodles for you. Yum! And cheap!
After lunch we took the metro to a nearby area to try to do a Fodors “hutong walking tour” that was in our guidebook but got totally lost! Some older women sitting outside their home were having a good laugh as we passed them by about 3 times trying to find our way out of the narrow alleyways. Such fun, and of course, we did find our way out and had a great tour of the hutongs while we were at it!
We took the metro home, relaxed for a bit, then took a taxi to the Peking National Acrobats show (began at 7). We weren’t sure what to expect and admittedly it was a bit hokey, but we were thoroughly entertained. The show lasted just over an hour and had an amazing bicycling balancing finale. Afterwards we took a taxi back to Nan Luogo street near our B&B and found a bar that had pizza. It was OK. By this time we were pretty tired so we headed back to B&B and to bed.
Day 6 Beijing
We now were feeling quite comfortable navigating the city and metro system. We even developed some great strategies crossing streets and navigating crowded sidewalks. Today we were going to tackle Panjianyuan Market, purportedly the biggest in Beijing. And yes it was huge, with vast areas of ground stalls as well as rows of 3 story buildings filled with tiny stores. We liked how each area was defined by the product—i.e., one area for paintings, another for woodwork, another for papercutting, etc. We bought some great souvenirs, including a papercut of a hutong building that looked exactly like the one we were staying in. I must admit I was proud of my bargaining skills as I usually got the price down by at least 60%. After a few hours we walked outside of the market and found a busy restaurant and had a good cheap lunch.
We then flagged down a cab and went to check out the Lama Temple. The weather had turned very dark, even though it was only about 2pm. The Temple was huge, very interesting and full of Buddhas, but the incense smell was quite overpowering. Also it was beginning to rain and we were feeling tired. We had planned to do a “Back Lakes Walking Tour” in our guide book but the rain starting coming down strong so we bee-lined back to the B&B. We really needed some “down time” so basically relaxed for a few hours before dinner. We decided to go somewhere close by to eat so headed back to Nan Luogo Street and chose a Korean restaurant which was OK. By now the rain was minimal and we decided to walk back around the lakes area, but were continually accosted by young guys trying to get us into their club. So back to the B&B for the night we went!
Nov 4th, 2010, 01:07 PM
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Thank you, wonderful narration. Even though we have a cousin living in Beijing, we cannot go there, both my husband and my son are asthmatic, therefore the smog is not going to be good for them. Therefore, I love reading your narration.
Please keep them coming.
Please keep them coming.
Nov 4th, 2010, 03:16 PM
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Thanks Tracy_W and joecher. Yes the smog in Beijing is noteworthy. I myself am borderline asthmatic and did acquire a cough and sore throat throughout the trip.
Warning--this next installment is a long one!
Day 7 Datong
Today we were moving on, but we certainly had many highlights in Beijing and could have spent a few more days really getting to know the city. There were still sights to see and areas to explore by foot. We also really liked our B&B (Mao’er) and recommend it to those who like middle-of-the road accommodation in a great area. It was wonderful walking off the main busy street down the quiet hutong alley filled with people going about their daily business. Angela the hostess, (niece of owner I think) spoke pretty good English and was always willing to help. She was very helpful with the next stage of our trip.
We had booked a flight to Datong specifically to visit 2 sites –the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple. We contacted CITS in Datong while we were in Beijing to see if we could get on their tour that left every day at 9am to both sites. Our flight was scheduled to arrive by 8:25am. We talked on the phone to Mr Gao who said it may be possible for us to take a cab to a nearby hotel from Datong airport and meet up with the tour bus as it passed by. But the directions were sketchy and he wanted us to phone him from the airport when we arrived etc. We decided to forego CITS and hire a driver ourselves. Angela went online and found us a good and cheap driver—I think the day with the driver cost RMB450.
We left Beijing early and caught a 7:30 flight to Datong and arrived on time. Pei, our driver, was waiting with our name on a card. Apparently he lives in Xian and drives in Datong—or something like that. He spoke no English but we had no problems communicating, except once when I made a comment about how many tour buses were arriving at the site and he interpreted it as we want to get out and get a tour bus ourselves! He was so alarmed that he actually phoned someone he knew who spoke a little English and I had to explain that I was only making a “conversational” comment. Needless to say, I didn’t try and strike up a conversation again!
From the airport we drove first to the Hanging Temple. The drive was about 1 ½ hours and the roads got a bit windy and narrow. There were many, many trucks on the road and some questionable passing of other vehicles by driver, but he was a good driver overall.
Built in 491, the Hanging Temple is quite amazing because it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground. The structure is seemingly held up by bamboo poles (but we found out later there were metal supports drilled deep into the cliff-face). You actually go right up onto the temple walkways on the cliff and climb up to the top room. The walkways are very narrow and are one way, so there is a route to follow otherwise it is difficult to pass others. Thank goodness we were there just before the mass of tour buses arrived. Definitely worth visiting. The only negative was the big dam and culvert with black sludge pouring out of it right beside the temple.
Next we drove back towards Yungang caves on the other side of Datong. We got stuck behind a huge caravan of trucks, so it was slow going. The driver made an unexpected stop at a place where an old man was standing on the road. We weren’t sure what the reason was but it turned out to be a bit of a tourist trap (seems the buses even stop for him). The old guy lives in a cave next to the highway and shows off his home to tourists. We followed him to his home anyway and he proudly showed us how he lived. Two rooms inside, very basic but he had water and electricity (he had a TV!). We took a few pictures—he was a cheery fellow-- and gave him 10RMB.
Then we caught up to the trucks again but this time they had stopped. There seemed to be an accident on the highway. The line of trucks went a long way and after some chatting with others, the driver decided to veer off the highway and follow a sketchy muddy road into the fields. Well, after about 30 minutes and some wild driving we made it back onto the highway and drove through Datong to Yungang Caves,
The driver let us off outside the Caves entrance and we found ticket building (all brand new). However we had a bit of trouble finding the entrance to the Caves- no signs-and there were many new buildings for a tourist "village” you had to go through first. We walked a pleasant pathway through courtyards, psuedo-temples and a park-like area and eventually came across the caves (numbered up to 45). We were very impressed and awed, even with the first few smaller caves and it got better. Some Buddhas were absolutely huge, some painted, Buddhas were carved all over cave walls, very cool!
When we had seen all, we got the driver to take us back into town and to the Garden hotel . This is a nice 4* hotel, with great service. Our room was great and the price was reasonable. We relaxes a bit then went to look around for dinner options in town.
We didn’t like the town of Datong at all. The streets were noisy and dirty, store fronts looked uninviting. After 15 minutes we did find one recommended place not far from hotel but it was "fast food" joint and didn't look too great so we wandered a bit in the other direction but did not see any other restaurants along the main street. So we returned to the hotel and decided to eat at the buffet at the hotel (called Latina). This turned out to be one of the best meals we had. It had a SALAD BAR! The meal was pricey but very good…seafood , carved beef, great desserts…Yum! The service was excellent, especially one young waitress, who we gave a Canada pin to as a tip. Well, she was so excited by that she ran around showing the whole staff! After dinner, we called it a night!
Warning--this next installment is a long one!
Day 7 Datong
Today we were moving on, but we certainly had many highlights in Beijing and could have spent a few more days really getting to know the city. There were still sights to see and areas to explore by foot. We also really liked our B&B (Mao’er) and recommend it to those who like middle-of-the road accommodation in a great area. It was wonderful walking off the main busy street down the quiet hutong alley filled with people going about their daily business. Angela the hostess, (niece of owner I think) spoke pretty good English and was always willing to help. She was very helpful with the next stage of our trip.
We had booked a flight to Datong specifically to visit 2 sites –the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple. We contacted CITS in Datong while we were in Beijing to see if we could get on their tour that left every day at 9am to both sites. Our flight was scheduled to arrive by 8:25am. We talked on the phone to Mr Gao who said it may be possible for us to take a cab to a nearby hotel from Datong airport and meet up with the tour bus as it passed by. But the directions were sketchy and he wanted us to phone him from the airport when we arrived etc. We decided to forego CITS and hire a driver ourselves. Angela went online and found us a good and cheap driver—I think the day with the driver cost RMB450.
We left Beijing early and caught a 7:30 flight to Datong and arrived on time. Pei, our driver, was waiting with our name on a card. Apparently he lives in Xian and drives in Datong—or something like that. He spoke no English but we had no problems communicating, except once when I made a comment about how many tour buses were arriving at the site and he interpreted it as we want to get out and get a tour bus ourselves! He was so alarmed that he actually phoned someone he knew who spoke a little English and I had to explain that I was only making a “conversational” comment. Needless to say, I didn’t try and strike up a conversation again!
From the airport we drove first to the Hanging Temple. The drive was about 1 ½ hours and the roads got a bit windy and narrow. There were many, many trucks on the road and some questionable passing of other vehicles by driver, but he was a good driver overall.
Built in 491, the Hanging Temple is quite amazing because it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground. The structure is seemingly held up by bamboo poles (but we found out later there were metal supports drilled deep into the cliff-face). You actually go right up onto the temple walkways on the cliff and climb up to the top room. The walkways are very narrow and are one way, so there is a route to follow otherwise it is difficult to pass others. Thank goodness we were there just before the mass of tour buses arrived. Definitely worth visiting. The only negative was the big dam and culvert with black sludge pouring out of it right beside the temple.
Next we drove back towards Yungang caves on the other side of Datong. We got stuck behind a huge caravan of trucks, so it was slow going. The driver made an unexpected stop at a place where an old man was standing on the road. We weren’t sure what the reason was but it turned out to be a bit of a tourist trap (seems the buses even stop for him). The old guy lives in a cave next to the highway and shows off his home to tourists. We followed him to his home anyway and he proudly showed us how he lived. Two rooms inside, very basic but he had water and electricity (he had a TV!). We took a few pictures—he was a cheery fellow-- and gave him 10RMB.
Then we caught up to the trucks again but this time they had stopped. There seemed to be an accident on the highway. The line of trucks went a long way and after some chatting with others, the driver decided to veer off the highway and follow a sketchy muddy road into the fields. Well, after about 30 minutes and some wild driving we made it back onto the highway and drove through Datong to Yungang Caves,
The driver let us off outside the Caves entrance and we found ticket building (all brand new). However we had a bit of trouble finding the entrance to the Caves- no signs-and there were many new buildings for a tourist "village” you had to go through first. We walked a pleasant pathway through courtyards, psuedo-temples and a park-like area and eventually came across the caves (numbered up to 45). We were very impressed and awed, even with the first few smaller caves and it got better. Some Buddhas were absolutely huge, some painted, Buddhas were carved all over cave walls, very cool!
When we had seen all, we got the driver to take us back into town and to the Garden hotel . This is a nice 4* hotel, with great service. Our room was great and the price was reasonable. We relaxes a bit then went to look around for dinner options in town.
We didn’t like the town of Datong at all. The streets were noisy and dirty, store fronts looked uninviting. After 15 minutes we did find one recommended place not far from hotel but it was "fast food" joint and didn't look too great so we wandered a bit in the other direction but did not see any other restaurants along the main street. So we returned to the hotel and decided to eat at the buffet at the hotel (called Latina). This turned out to be one of the best meals we had. It had a SALAD BAR! The meal was pricey but very good…seafood , carved beef, great desserts…Yum! The service was excellent, especially one young waitress, who we gave a Canada pin to as a tip. Well, she was so excited by that she ran around showing the whole staff! After dinner, we called it a night!
Nov 4th, 2010, 04:42 PM
#15
Great stuff! Interested to hear about the tourist "village" at the caves. Pity they didn't "improve" the eating situation instead. Datong is in a coal mining area, and used to manufacture locomotives, so certainly on the grimy side, but there were a couple of temples and a dragon screen in town worth seeing.
Nov 5th, 2010, 11:30 AM
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Thursdaysd-You are right to point out that there are some worthwhile things to see in Datong. We really didn't take the time to explore the town so perhaps we made an uneducated assessment. This was just our immediate impression.
Day 8 Datong/Pingyao
Angela at the B&B in Beijing also assisted us in purchasing tickets for the day train from Datong to Pingyao. She was able to secure some lower bunk hard sleepers, (although we didn’t plan to sleep we figured it would be more comfortable for us as the trip was 7 hours and it was still very cheap). That morning we were up early and took a taxi to the train station. There were hordes of people streaming into the station and we merged with the crowds, found our waiting room with the hundreds of people also waiting and after about 15 minutes followed the throng to board the train. In our “hard sleeper” car, some locals had already claimed the lower berth and had settled in. Well, as we had paid extra for the lower bunks, we made it clear through gestures that they needed to vacate the lower bunks. At first they looked at us blankly then ignored us, but after more “forceful” gestures and voices they got up, moved their luggage and went to the aisle seats outside the room, while 2 of them climbed up to the top bunks. We supposed that locals will claim the lower bunks until those that actually paid for them show up.
It was rather cold in the train, but generally quiet as we travelled through a rather bleak landscape with many smoke-spewing factory towers and abandoned and derelict buildings lining the tracks. A person selling a boxed lunch came by after a few hours and as we hadn’t thought to bring a lunch, purchased one each. It was actually a hot chicken stirfry and surprisingly quite good. After 7 hours (about 3:30pm), we arrived in Pingyao where a driver from our hotel – the Yide Hotel-- was holding a sign with our name. The drive to the old walled town (built 2700 years ago) was about 10 minutes.
The Yide Hotel, situated in a quiet alley within the walled town, is a beautifully renovated courtyard house built in 1736 by a wealthy merchant. Despite its age, our room had all the amenities required, with a private bathroom, air-conditioning and a large kang-style bed that is heated in winter. We were very pleased with the room and service (and the price!). Julie, the main front desk person, was especially helpful, even walking with us to find an ATM machine that would work for us. There was an onsite restaurant that was very good and we ate there for most of our meals.
After settling in, we went for walk along the nearby pedestrian-only street, lined with shops, to get a feel for the old town. We found the ticket booth in the center of town that sells a 2 day pass, which would allow us to visit the museums and go up the town wall. We stopped at one small cafe for a beer. We asked for cold beer and the proprietor came back with a frozen beer! Of course as soon as he opened it, it exploded so he ran back and brought us warm beer and proceeded to mix the two to make it “just right”! It was hilarious to watch him as he tried to mix the bottles and beer spilling over the table and onto the street. To make up for it all, he also brought us some free nuts and a taste of some kind of Chinese liquer, which was, to say the least, “unique” in taste.
We walked some more along the main streets but mostly it was shops although we did find a museum and decided to check it out. Pingyao had been a major banking town so several of its museums have to do with city banking and administration. The Ri Sheng Chang museum was decorated in the Ming and Qing styles, very opulent for a bank, and was quite interesting.
As it was getting dark, we made our way back to hotel, ate at the hotel restaurant (braised Pingyao beef, broccoli and rice-- good but not very spicy), and retired for the night.
Day 9 Pingyao/Xian
We had booked a flight from Taiyuan to Xian that evening so wanted to spend more time exploring Pingyao. We arranged through the hotel for a driver to take us to the airport, stopping at a family mansion on the way. We were scheduled to leave by 2pm so after packing and breakfast, we left our luggage in the reception room and went back out to explore Pingyao. We found a few more interesting museums and a Taoist temple.
At the Temple, as we were peering into the main Buddha temple area, a monk came out and beckoned us inside. In hindsight we should have declined to enter, but curiosity got the better of me. One monk took me to a table, another came and directed DH to another table on the other side. Both proceeded to do a prayer ritual by Taoist monks for good luck. After chanting and many forehead taps he handed me a paper with some characters on it, made me sign my names on a list and pointed to the RMB100 “donations” that previous people had made. Well, I had no RMB on me so quickly and apologetically extracted myself from the temple and waited for my husband outside, who unfortunately had been persuaded to pay a 200RMB donation! Oh well...we have never experienced a Taoist ritual prayer before and good luck is always a good thing to have!
We walked towards and found access to the town wall. It was a bit confusing at first as some accesses to the top were UP only and some were DOWN only. A guard came out at one point and shooed us away as we tried to go UP a DOWN access! Eventually we figured it out and walked a short way along the wall for some views of old and new towns. Back at the hotel restaurant we had a quick lunch (cashew chicken, peppered crispy beans and noodles—very good, esp. the beans) and met with our driver.
We drove first to Quiao family mansion, about one hour away. It was a bit of a tourist trap with huge crowds and some interesting rooms but nothing new. Then another hour and a half and we were at the airport by 5:15 for a 7pm flight, Our flight went off early, was uneventful and we arrived in Xian at 8pm. We found and caught the airport shuttle just outside of arrival entrance and arrived at the center of walled city in front of the Melody Hotel by 9:40. We knew our hotel, The Citadines, was close by but were unsure which direction to head. We wandered a bit but eventually found the hotel a few blocks away off the main street.
The Citadines Apartment Hotel was perfect for us. It had a kitchenette, a very comfy bed, and air-conditioning. There was always someone at the front desk ready to help and price was also great. It was late when we arrived so we were done for the night!
Day 8 Datong/Pingyao
Angela at the B&B in Beijing also assisted us in purchasing tickets for the day train from Datong to Pingyao. She was able to secure some lower bunk hard sleepers, (although we didn’t plan to sleep we figured it would be more comfortable for us as the trip was 7 hours and it was still very cheap). That morning we were up early and took a taxi to the train station. There were hordes of people streaming into the station and we merged with the crowds, found our waiting room with the hundreds of people also waiting and after about 15 minutes followed the throng to board the train. In our “hard sleeper” car, some locals had already claimed the lower berth and had settled in. Well, as we had paid extra for the lower bunks, we made it clear through gestures that they needed to vacate the lower bunks. At first they looked at us blankly then ignored us, but after more “forceful” gestures and voices they got up, moved their luggage and went to the aisle seats outside the room, while 2 of them climbed up to the top bunks. We supposed that locals will claim the lower bunks until those that actually paid for them show up.
It was rather cold in the train, but generally quiet as we travelled through a rather bleak landscape with many smoke-spewing factory towers and abandoned and derelict buildings lining the tracks. A person selling a boxed lunch came by after a few hours and as we hadn’t thought to bring a lunch, purchased one each. It was actually a hot chicken stirfry and surprisingly quite good. After 7 hours (about 3:30pm), we arrived in Pingyao where a driver from our hotel – the Yide Hotel-- was holding a sign with our name. The drive to the old walled town (built 2700 years ago) was about 10 minutes.
The Yide Hotel, situated in a quiet alley within the walled town, is a beautifully renovated courtyard house built in 1736 by a wealthy merchant. Despite its age, our room had all the amenities required, with a private bathroom, air-conditioning and a large kang-style bed that is heated in winter. We were very pleased with the room and service (and the price!). Julie, the main front desk person, was especially helpful, even walking with us to find an ATM machine that would work for us. There was an onsite restaurant that was very good and we ate there for most of our meals.
After settling in, we went for walk along the nearby pedestrian-only street, lined with shops, to get a feel for the old town. We found the ticket booth in the center of town that sells a 2 day pass, which would allow us to visit the museums and go up the town wall. We stopped at one small cafe for a beer. We asked for cold beer and the proprietor came back with a frozen beer! Of course as soon as he opened it, it exploded so he ran back and brought us warm beer and proceeded to mix the two to make it “just right”! It was hilarious to watch him as he tried to mix the bottles and beer spilling over the table and onto the street. To make up for it all, he also brought us some free nuts and a taste of some kind of Chinese liquer, which was, to say the least, “unique” in taste.
We walked some more along the main streets but mostly it was shops although we did find a museum and decided to check it out. Pingyao had been a major banking town so several of its museums have to do with city banking and administration. The Ri Sheng Chang museum was decorated in the Ming and Qing styles, very opulent for a bank, and was quite interesting.
As it was getting dark, we made our way back to hotel, ate at the hotel restaurant (braised Pingyao beef, broccoli and rice-- good but not very spicy), and retired for the night.
Day 9 Pingyao/Xian
We had booked a flight from Taiyuan to Xian that evening so wanted to spend more time exploring Pingyao. We arranged through the hotel for a driver to take us to the airport, stopping at a family mansion on the way. We were scheduled to leave by 2pm so after packing and breakfast, we left our luggage in the reception room and went back out to explore Pingyao. We found a few more interesting museums and a Taoist temple.
At the Temple, as we were peering into the main Buddha temple area, a monk came out and beckoned us inside. In hindsight we should have declined to enter, but curiosity got the better of me. One monk took me to a table, another came and directed DH to another table on the other side. Both proceeded to do a prayer ritual by Taoist monks for good luck. After chanting and many forehead taps he handed me a paper with some characters on it, made me sign my names on a list and pointed to the RMB100 “donations” that previous people had made. Well, I had no RMB on me so quickly and apologetically extracted myself from the temple and waited for my husband outside, who unfortunately had been persuaded to pay a 200RMB donation! Oh well...we have never experienced a Taoist ritual prayer before and good luck is always a good thing to have!
We walked towards and found access to the town wall. It was a bit confusing at first as some accesses to the top were UP only and some were DOWN only. A guard came out at one point and shooed us away as we tried to go UP a DOWN access! Eventually we figured it out and walked a short way along the wall for some views of old and new towns. Back at the hotel restaurant we had a quick lunch (cashew chicken, peppered crispy beans and noodles—very good, esp. the beans) and met with our driver.
We drove first to Quiao family mansion, about one hour away. It was a bit of a tourist trap with huge crowds and some interesting rooms but nothing new. Then another hour and a half and we were at the airport by 5:15 for a 7pm flight, Our flight went off early, was uneventful and we arrived in Xian at 8pm. We found and caught the airport shuttle just outside of arrival entrance and arrived at the center of walled city in front of the Melody Hotel by 9:40. We knew our hotel, The Citadines, was close by but were unsure which direction to head. We wandered a bit but eventually found the hotel a few blocks away off the main street.
The Citadines Apartment Hotel was perfect for us. It had a kitchenette, a very comfy bed, and air-conditioning. There was always someone at the front desk ready to help and price was also great. It was late when we arrived so we were done for the night!
Nov 6th, 2010, 08:22 PM
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Day 10 Xian
We decided to start our exploration of Xian by checking out the museum, which we heard was excellent. We were up at 7:30 and had breakfast in hotel restaurant (you get one free breakfast per room, then have to pay for the second—which is weird since the room is obviously for 2 people). We flagged a taxi to the Shanxi history museum and arrived to a HUGE lineup at ticket booth. It took 40 minutes to reach the front and then we found out we needed our VISA numbers and signatures to gain entrance to the museum (it is free).
We had read a bit on forums that there was a bit of a controversy about whether you should carry your visa around with you at all times, but the hotel had a safe and we had decided to store our visas there while we were in Xian. We had not so far ever been asked to show them and it was one more thing to worry about as we went about our day’s activities. And this was the ONLY time we ever needed them on the whole trip except checking in at hotels and at the airport. Oh well, we cheated a bit as I tried to remember our visa numbers. I wrote some numbers down (which actually were close but not totally correct but they never asked to see our visas) and we headed for the entrance. We were turned away at the security gate as we found out we had to check our bags in a building across from ticket booth. Finally inside the museum, we were quite impressed as the displays were well done. We spent a few hours, then walked to Great Goose Pagoda, about 1 km away from the museum .
The north entrance to the Pagoda was through a big Square with row upon row of fountains spouting in sequence. We could see the pagoda in the hazy distance. As it was lunch time we looked around and spied a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. This is one place we NEVER eat at home, but hunger was pressing and there was nothing else in sight so we thought we’d try it to see how KFC food is represented in China. It was quite “bleh” (regular and “chinese spice” chicken) and we decided not to fall so low again in our food requirements while in China. As we sat at a bench near the fountains and ate a woman came up and asked DH for a picture of him standing next to her family (he was sporting a Tilley hat and had grown a “sort of” beard by now!). Then a few minutes later another family wanted me to hold their baby (who had on those "split" pants that are worn during potty training and screamed the whole time I was holding him) while they too took a picture. This is the only time we were treated as a novelty and asked to pose for pictures (although we certainly had our share of stares in many places).
After eating and a few pictures of the fountain display, we walked to Pagoda grounds, explored a bit, and climbed to top of the pagoda for a great view of the city. Afterwards, we got a taxi to the hotel and had a rest. Revitalized, we realized how close we were to the Muslin Quarter, so we headed across the main street via an underground passage and found the winding narrow passageways of kiosks, which were mostly under cover. We eventually came upon the Mosque temple, paid and explored for a short time. The temple grounds were undergoing renovations and much of the temple seemed neglected, but it was very peaceful inside.
We then continued out and along a food street. Our goal was to find a recommended dumpling restaurant somewhere nearby called "De Fa Chang". After some wandering and retracing steps we finally found it on an upper floor near the Bell (or Drum? can’t remember) Tower square. After getting a table, food carts begin to come around with side dishes and you simply point to what you want, as well as order from the main menu of dumplings and other meat dishes (we had pork and prawn dumplings). It was a cheap and good meal. Satiated we walked back to hotel for the night, enjoying the lights of the Towers brilliant against the dark sky.
We decided to start our exploration of Xian by checking out the museum, which we heard was excellent. We were up at 7:30 and had breakfast in hotel restaurant (you get one free breakfast per room, then have to pay for the second—which is weird since the room is obviously for 2 people). We flagged a taxi to the Shanxi history museum and arrived to a HUGE lineup at ticket booth. It took 40 minutes to reach the front and then we found out we needed our VISA numbers and signatures to gain entrance to the museum (it is free).
We had read a bit on forums that there was a bit of a controversy about whether you should carry your visa around with you at all times, but the hotel had a safe and we had decided to store our visas there while we were in Xian. We had not so far ever been asked to show them and it was one more thing to worry about as we went about our day’s activities. And this was the ONLY time we ever needed them on the whole trip except checking in at hotels and at the airport. Oh well, we cheated a bit as I tried to remember our visa numbers. I wrote some numbers down (which actually were close but not totally correct but they never asked to see our visas) and we headed for the entrance. We were turned away at the security gate as we found out we had to check our bags in a building across from ticket booth. Finally inside the museum, we were quite impressed as the displays were well done. We spent a few hours, then walked to Great Goose Pagoda, about 1 km away from the museum .
The north entrance to the Pagoda was through a big Square with row upon row of fountains spouting in sequence. We could see the pagoda in the hazy distance. As it was lunch time we looked around and spied a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. This is one place we NEVER eat at home, but hunger was pressing and there was nothing else in sight so we thought we’d try it to see how KFC food is represented in China. It was quite “bleh” (regular and “chinese spice” chicken) and we decided not to fall so low again in our food requirements while in China. As we sat at a bench near the fountains and ate a woman came up and asked DH for a picture of him standing next to her family (he was sporting a Tilley hat and had grown a “sort of” beard by now!). Then a few minutes later another family wanted me to hold their baby (who had on those "split" pants that are worn during potty training and screamed the whole time I was holding him) while they too took a picture. This is the only time we were treated as a novelty and asked to pose for pictures (although we certainly had our share of stares in many places).
After eating and a few pictures of the fountain display, we walked to Pagoda grounds, explored a bit, and climbed to top of the pagoda for a great view of the city. Afterwards, we got a taxi to the hotel and had a rest. Revitalized, we realized how close we were to the Muslin Quarter, so we headed across the main street via an underground passage and found the winding narrow passageways of kiosks, which were mostly under cover. We eventually came upon the Mosque temple, paid and explored for a short time. The temple grounds were undergoing renovations and much of the temple seemed neglected, but it was very peaceful inside.
We then continued out and along a food street. Our goal was to find a recommended dumpling restaurant somewhere nearby called "De Fa Chang". After some wandering and retracing steps we finally found it on an upper floor near the Bell (or Drum? can’t remember) Tower square. After getting a table, food carts begin to come around with side dishes and you simply point to what you want, as well as order from the main menu of dumplings and other meat dishes (we had pork and prawn dumplings). It was a cheap and good meal. Satiated we walked back to hotel for the night, enjoying the lights of the Towers brilliant against the dark sky.
Nov 7th, 2010, 09:04 AM
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Day 11 Xian
Today was a visit to the Terracotta Warriors museum. We managed to get a taxi from the main road near our hotel to the train station (actually we caught it going in the wrong direction so it took a bit longer.)There was the usual chaos at the train station and we were unsure of where we were supposed to go to catch the local bus, but our guidebook said go to the southeast corner for the bus so we headed in that direction. We luckily met another couple doing the same thing and together we found bus #306, which according to my research, took us to the TW. It turned out the couple were from an area very close to home where we used to live so we had a great chat on the bus! Once the bus was full it left quickly (cost 7RMB per person!). The trip took just over an hour with the bus stopping at a hot springs resort and a university. Once at the TW museum we purchased entrance tickets and checked our daypacks (no real need to except it allowed us to go in a faster, smaller line to bypass security scans etc.)
The museum is made up of 4 buildings and the only one really worth visiting is the biggest-- #1, although #3 had some great displays of single warriors encased in glass, so you could, if you managed to avoid the crowds, get a close up picture. We spent some time walking the whole way around #1 for picture ops, and despite the crowds, managed to see enough. We had rented the English audio guide and it was somewhat informative, although it was generally hard to hear because of the crowd noise.
We were done by 1:00 and headed back to get the same bus. On the way we saw a "Subway" restaurant… YEAH… familiar good food! Finding the bus was easy and we got back to train station by about 2:30. We figured we had enough time to bicycle the wall around the town, so got in taxi lineup then directed the driver to take us to the youth hostel near the South Gate where we knew there was access to wall and bike rentals.
The Youth Hostel staff directed us to cross the street to get up the wall—easier said than done as the cars were spinning furiously around a traffic circle, stopping for no one. We waited a long time to “meld” with a small crowd and made it across safely. Bike rental Y40 for 100 min. There were few people on the wall and fewer still who were riding so it felt as if we had the wall to ourselves. It was a glorious ride, not too hot and quite surreal, taking just short of 2 hours. It gave us a different perspective of the city. At one point we passed a long line of strange shapes that looked like large decorations that may have been used in a parade and currently were being stored. There were people, animals, trees and castles lining the side of the wall on both sides for about ½ kilometer. It all added a bizarre touch to the ride. The ride around the wall was definitely a highlight of our trip!
After dropping off the bikes, we walked to a nearby street called "Bar Street”. It was a shady, tree-lined street with a cool quiet atmosphere. We sat and had a beer at an outside table, then it was a short walk back to hotel. After relaxing for an hour, we walked back to the Muslim street market. We were looking for a Muslim restaurant called “Jiasan Guantang Baozi” which supposedly has a “blue arch” over the entrance. Well, they must have removed the arch…but we found it from looking for the street address. It was a busy, noisy restaurant with 4 floors. Every table was full that we could see, so we hung around the entrance on the 3rd floor until someone came by and sat us at table with 2 British women. Just as we settled in, introduced ourselves and had started a beer, we were for whatever reason moved to another table with a young Chinese couple. We ordered dumplings, vegies and noodles and the meal was good. The only negative was that the tables were covered with this plastic sheet that had not really been cleaned properly so things were a bit dirty. Afterward we walked slowly back to hotel through the chaos of the night market street and to bed.
Today was a visit to the Terracotta Warriors museum. We managed to get a taxi from the main road near our hotel to the train station (actually we caught it going in the wrong direction so it took a bit longer.)There was the usual chaos at the train station and we were unsure of where we were supposed to go to catch the local bus, but our guidebook said go to the southeast corner for the bus so we headed in that direction. We luckily met another couple doing the same thing and together we found bus #306, which according to my research, took us to the TW. It turned out the couple were from an area very close to home where we used to live so we had a great chat on the bus! Once the bus was full it left quickly (cost 7RMB per person!). The trip took just over an hour with the bus stopping at a hot springs resort and a university. Once at the TW museum we purchased entrance tickets and checked our daypacks (no real need to except it allowed us to go in a faster, smaller line to bypass security scans etc.)
The museum is made up of 4 buildings and the only one really worth visiting is the biggest-- #1, although #3 had some great displays of single warriors encased in glass, so you could, if you managed to avoid the crowds, get a close up picture. We spent some time walking the whole way around #1 for picture ops, and despite the crowds, managed to see enough. We had rented the English audio guide and it was somewhat informative, although it was generally hard to hear because of the crowd noise.
We were done by 1:00 and headed back to get the same bus. On the way we saw a "Subway" restaurant… YEAH… familiar good food! Finding the bus was easy and we got back to train station by about 2:30. We figured we had enough time to bicycle the wall around the town, so got in taxi lineup then directed the driver to take us to the youth hostel near the South Gate where we knew there was access to wall and bike rentals.
The Youth Hostel staff directed us to cross the street to get up the wall—easier said than done as the cars were spinning furiously around a traffic circle, stopping for no one. We waited a long time to “meld” with a small crowd and made it across safely. Bike rental Y40 for 100 min. There were few people on the wall and fewer still who were riding so it felt as if we had the wall to ourselves. It was a glorious ride, not too hot and quite surreal, taking just short of 2 hours. It gave us a different perspective of the city. At one point we passed a long line of strange shapes that looked like large decorations that may have been used in a parade and currently were being stored. There were people, animals, trees and castles lining the side of the wall on both sides for about ½ kilometer. It all added a bizarre touch to the ride. The ride around the wall was definitely a highlight of our trip!
After dropping off the bikes, we walked to a nearby street called "Bar Street”. It was a shady, tree-lined street with a cool quiet atmosphere. We sat and had a beer at an outside table, then it was a short walk back to hotel. After relaxing for an hour, we walked back to the Muslim street market. We were looking for a Muslim restaurant called “Jiasan Guantang Baozi” which supposedly has a “blue arch” over the entrance. Well, they must have removed the arch…but we found it from looking for the street address. It was a busy, noisy restaurant with 4 floors. Every table was full that we could see, so we hung around the entrance on the 3rd floor until someone came by and sat us at table with 2 British women. Just as we settled in, introduced ourselves and had started a beer, we were for whatever reason moved to another table with a young Chinese couple. We ordered dumplings, vegies and noodles and the meal was good. The only negative was that the tables were covered with this plastic sheet that had not really been cleaned properly so things were a bit dirty. Afterward we walked slowly back to hotel through the chaos of the night market street and to bed.
