Stop #21 Beijing

The end of our trip! We are excited to be going back and are quite worn out, but we're also keen to see some of the really good sights here.

We had heard so many things about Beijing, both good and bad, so we really didn’t know what to expect. As it turned out, the city seemed surprisingly like the rest of China, although more developed. They had a nice subway system (we benefited from the infrastructure built for the olympics), and some lovely little neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, the amazing hostel that we tried to check in was all booked up (the first time all trip we had been turned away!), but we ended up a nice hostel in the embassy district. We did a lot of shopping while in Beijing, including the purchase of a whole suitcase to carry back all our loot and gifts.

We also had a fabulous meal of Peking duck. It was a lean version, with only half the fat, and it was by far our best meal in China. The chef first brought out the duck (cooked, but not carved) for us to 'approve'. We said it looked pretty good and gave him the nod. The duck was served with an assortment of sides: thin pancakes, plum sauce, green onions, fresh garlic, ginger, white surgar and some other things we couldn't identify. The skin was amazing. We had heard from Geneva to dip it in the white sugar--it melts in your mouth and is just delicious. After the duck, they brought out a plate of elaborately sliced fresh fruits, sitting atop dry ice (?!), and little glass cups of chilled persimmon pudding sitting in water along with floating red rose petals. We tried a berry which we hadn't had before.

And like most other places, the tea we had with the meal was really excellent. I got the impression that Chinese think of the tea like we think of wine, and I can tell you there is definitely a difference between good and bad teas. There are tea shops everywhere where you can do tea tastings, and we got some bags to bring back home. Most teas are served as loose leaves straight in a pot that you share with several people. I have become something of a tea fiend, so I really enjoyed trying out all the different types.

On our first full day in Beijing, we visited was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The square is a large open concrete courtyard that is packed with tourist groups. It had a communist feel for sure, but it was a beautiful day (courtesy of the rain the night before) and it didn’t feel that imposing. We then went through the Gate of Heavenly Peace to the Forbidden City. This gate is where the famous portrait of Chairman Mao overlooks the square. After our obligatory photo shots, we went into the Forbidden City, which is an expansive palace for the former emperors and empresses. It is now all open to the public, and you can look into the buildings (if you can see past the crowds and finger/face prints on the plexiglass) to see the thrones and decorations. Throughout the city, there were neat sculptures of mythological creatures, like dragon/turtles and lions. The architecture was impressive if a bit monotonous. There was next to no green space. It is all paved and so doesn’t feel very welcoming or comfortable for a palace. I guess it also gets stifling hot in the summer as well, which is why the emporers spent the summers at the equally elaborate Summer Palace a few miles away. One thing we really enjoyed was the Clock Museum, where they house these crazily intricate clocks that the Chinese royalty had received as gifts from visiting dignitaries. Most were from France and England.

Chairman Mao's mausoleum is that large building behind me. We walked through to see his embalmed body, along with thousands of other reverent Chinese.

Chairman Mao's portrait at the Gate of Heavenly Peace.


A turtle dragon, I think.

Inside the Forbidden City

The Temple of Heaven

Kersti reconstructs the Temple of Heaven out of hot chili basil French Fries, yum!


The next day we visited the Summer Palace, where the Chinese royalty used to stay as a break from the heat. Kersti couldn't understand how they used this as a break from the heat of the Forbiddin City, since they used just the same amount of stone in the summer place. Hmm..

Anyway, there is a huge manmade lake in the middle, and it is much more green and relaxing than the Forbidden City. There were groups of Chinese men and women doing their morning exercises in the park grounds (to the jolly tunes of 'Jingle Bells', in fact), and we got some nice exercise walking around the lake. We also saw the famous Marble Boat, a huge boat made completely out of marble. Supposedly the Empress Dowager Cixi decided that she wanted to build up the Chinese Navy, so built a costly marble boat that was unsinkable, and of course also doesn’t float. I don’t think the Chinese Navy was especially feared during this time period.

The Chinese Royal Navy, look out!

We also went to see a Chinese Acrobat show. We didn't know what to expect, but we were wowed. I thought Kersti was just going to have a heart attack just watching them. Our favourite was the hamster wheel, where they ran around, and outside, two gigantic and suspended wheels that rotated 20 feet off the ground. Oh yeah, and of course they jope roped while doing this and even BLIND-FOLDED themselves. The contortionists were crazy too, although hard to watch at times. During another act, they fit 14 girls onto one bicycle. In america, there would have been intrusive signs warning patrons: "DO NOT try this at home".

Here I am practicing some tricks from the acrobatic show. Somehow the fellow tourists didn't seem very impressed.

We saved the best for last, and hiked 10km along the Great Wall. Again, my brother David had recommended we avoid the touristed Wall parts and hike from Jinshanling to Simatai along the wall, and man was he right. The hike really was amazing. It wasn’t very crowded at all, and while I knew the Wall itself would be cool, I had no idea that the surrounding scenery would be so spectacular. The entire time we were winding through these hills, with just one amazing photo spot after another. Parts of the Wall in this area had been rebuilt, while others were in their original condition, giving a nice mix. It was a challenging hike though, as it is very hilly the whole way through.

Defending the wall from invading Mongols (with my walking stick).

Some short sections were mostly rubble, so we had to hike around.

Kersti peering out of one of the many watchtowers.

Kersti celebrating the end of the 6,000 steps we had done on this trip.

The view back along the wall.

When we finished the Wall hike, we still had to get down to the boat to take us back. We were pretty tired, so when we found out that there was a zipline down that trimmed 30 minutes off, we jumped on it. Plus, it was one mode of transportation we had yet to try on this trip. This was Kersti making small talk before the jump, avoiding any discussion of their safety record. It was cutting off 30 minutes of walking--and downhill at that!

What the picture doesn't show was the water was a brilliant green--it was quite a treat to fly above it.

There she goes!

And goes...

And this was basically how our trip ended, now back to America!

Stop #20 Xian

To view all 98 pictures from Xian, see: http://picasaweb.google.com/kersti.miller/200905Xian?authkey=Gv1sRgCL2t0KX6jLLr0AE&feat=directlink

We spent a busy five days in Xian, visiting several sites that are located outside of the city. The city centre is surrounded by a rebuilt city wall, and we initially stayed at a hostel right next to the gate/entrance at the southern end of the wall. It was quite noisy, so later in the stay we upgraded to a nicer place as we needed a break.

Our first day we partnered up with another backpacking couple and went to see the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. These aren’t as well known as the Terracotta Warriors, but in many ways are more enjoyable. They have several excavated pits full of miniature terracotta works, including chariots, soldiers and livestock. The emperor’s tomb is surrounded by these pits full of what he expected to need in the afterlife, and he must have been a big eater because they had hundreds of sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, horses, chickens, etc. Inside the main building that is constructed over the pits, you walk on fibreglass directly over the pits!

The next day we went to the Shaanxi History Museum. We showed up at 2:00, only to see a line stretching around the block. We found out that they give out free tickets at 2pm each day... thus we waited and then toured with hundreds of others! The artwork was incredible, especially considering that much of it was from thousands of years ago. It really brought home how far advanced ancient Chinese civilisations were. My favourite piece was an upside down teapot which doesn't spill the water when put right side up (despite the hole in the bottom). We bought a cheap replica, so prepare yourselves to be wowed at our next party.

Our third day we took a group tour out to the area's most famous site--the Terracotta Warriors. They are housed in a huge covered hanger, and the warriors are extremely lifelike. Every face is unique, and there are infantry, archers, cavalry, etc. all ready to defend the emporer. He wanted to make sure he had a big army for the afterlife, but shortly after his burial the tomb was ransacked by a rival general and some of the warriors were party destroyed. The archeaologists have found that soon after they expose a new warrior to light, that the numerous paints that colour the soldiers wears away. So until they find a way to preserve the paint colour, they are resisting any further excavation. So only a small fraction of the total site has been unearthed.

It is very impressive in scale, but also disturbing that so much effort was originally put into it. We have heard bits and pieces from other sources about the treatment of the artisans who worked on it (many of them joined the emporer), but there was very little info at the museum. We did learn that 700,000 men worked on the tomb.

Surveying my clay army

The terracotta warriors up close (at the Shaanxi History Museum)


The two most ferocious terracotta warriors we came across...

The next day I (Bill) went to hike Hua Shan, a famous Taoist mountain outside of the city, while Kersti had a nice relaxing day at our new hotel. My brother David had highly recommended the hike, and it was quite the harrowing experience with some amazing scenery. The mountains are narrow ridges, many of which have trails along the narrow ledges. There were a lot of people hiking it, but it was a big enough area that it was still easy to get away.

The Chinese hikers all hung ribbons and padlocks along the hike.

There was one especially hairy part, where you hook into a rope and basically climb along the cliff face. Taking pictures from such a spot was a challenge, but a couple below may give the idea. I’m not really scared of heights, but I was bleeping scared doing this part…

Taking a picture doing this part was a challenge.

The last day we took a bike ride atop the city wall. It was our first time on a tandem bicycle. We think the next time will be easier since on this bicycle, the seats were much too short. Apparently they are not willing to provide bicycles sized for people of our stature. It made it a bit tiring, having our knees bent the entire time!

We also had a fabulous Chinese lunch in Xian, although the experience was a little unusual. We went to a place recommended by the Lonely Plant, and when we arrived the place was quite crowded. However, they immediately lead us upstairs into a private room. At first I was worried we would be handed a different (pricier) menu, but it appeared to be standard. The odd thing was, the private room also came with a very diligent waitress. She stood attentively while we ordered and ate, never leaving our side. She waited 1 nanosecond before refilling our cups of chamomile flower tea. Her presence made us feel uncomfortable at first. But once we started trying to talk to her with the help of our phrasebook, things improved slightly! The waitress was really friendly, and she even asked to read through our Mandarin phrasebook. I think she got a little confused though, because right as we were leaving, she asked “How may I help you?”, even though we were clearly on our way out. We couldn't for the life of us determine a possible reason why we would need her help. So, Bill just replied “Thank you” and she seemed to think that made sense.

Anyway, we ate delicious barbequed pork buns.... of the self assembly variety. So you grab the very tender pork, and layer it in one of those white buns with plum sauce, scallions and cilantro. Delicious. We also had fried taro rolls covered in sesame seeds and a fried scallion pancake. It was a ridiculous amount of food. Chinese pork buns rule!

Our friendly server and Pork Buns!!

Some Chinese drinkers invited us to join in their revelery. They were very generous and kept insisting on buying us beer. We played a dice game with them and Bill was once again complimented on being 'so handsome'. I can't take him anywhere in China without the girls wanting to express their adoration for him!

China. There are 2 of these plants next to each other -- this was the view from the Qin tomb.