I have a few moments free this morning, so thought I would try to continue my posts on my not so recent trip to The Middle Kingdom. The second city visited was X'ian, southwest of Beijing, and a trip I was really looking forward to. The beginning of the adventure was not that auspicious, as we arrived at the Beijing airport in the middle of a snow storm. Two hours early for our flight, we were told by a very helpful agent that our flight might not leave due to the snow, but she could get us on the plane leaving in about 10 minutes, if we hurried.
Our luggage was taken from us and we literally ran through the airport, accompanied by two uniformed security guards, through security and to the gate. Onto the plane, pulled away from the gate, and then sat on the taxiway for 5 hours due to a shortage of de-icing facilities. Not happy! At any rate, we arrived in X'ian in late afternoon and were met by persistant rain. We checked into our hotel in the 'old city', and prepared to take in the sites the next day.
Our first side trip was to the Ming Dynasty tombs, which they wouldn't let tourists into, but the little museum and the local entertainers were both fun and informative. The weather had improved, now it was just misting as opposed to raining, so we spent the better part of the morning here.
Then it was back to X'ian for an afternoon of sightseeing. The city is one of the oldest in China, and was the site of the Qin Dynasty, the first Emperors of a unified China. It remained the centre of Chinese political and cultural life up until the time of the construction of the Forbidden City in what is now Beijing. In 1370 AD a new wall was constructed around the main city, and remains to this day. Obviously repaired and reinforced, we circumnavigated the top of the wall (about 12 km) and were able to see much of the ancient city. Although the ancient city has now been replaced by a very modern metropolis.
This is the entrance to the South Gate. From here we were able to get to the top of the wall, and begin our rather chilly and wet trip. We saw both the new and the old from the wall, a pub, an outdoor market (protected from the rain by tarps), the old buildings and the new.
This a photo of the outdoor market. These can be found almost everywhere in China, and are quite fascinating places to visit, if you can stand the crowds. Many times I had to step aside and find a little space to call my own, just to get my breath back. Whatever one is used to, I guess.
This of course is the pub, which unfortunately did not stock my brand of ale, but it sufficed!
Then off again around the wall. We did discover the X'ian Railway Station. Not a fun thing to find, as M. Cortes informed me that she had no interest in flying to Shanghai, not after our last experience from Beijing. We were going to go by overnight train! God Bless - I cannot even describe this experience. I suspect I am not one of those travelers who wants to immerse himself in local culture. I much prefer my human comforts. Anyway, by train we went. But Shanghai is another story. We still have to visit the Terracotta Warriors just outside X'ian. That is for another day.
9 comments:
is, it's a country I would like to see, and esp with someone who knows when, where, what and when ....
Next time we are on the course, you must tell me more....
Looks like you got some great Canadian weather while you were there ...
How did you find the food etc ??... tell me more !
Good stuff again!
It all looks amazing - I think I would have gone for the immersion in their culture though just for the hell off it then home for my comforts... yes - do tell us about the food?
Moon, you definitely would be better off traveling with someone who speaks the language. Very little English is spoken outside the major hotels, and even then, it is very limited. I had the benefit of traveling with Julia, which made everything quite smooth, other than the weather of course, but we were there in December, so what could we expect?
Kate, the food was varied. You could go to a restaurant and get much the same Chinese that you can in North America or Europe. You can go the to food courts in the malls and get the local fast foods, which are usually soups, dumplings and noodle dishes. Meats are by and large pork and chicken, with a lot of fish as well.
When we were in Beijing, just down the street from our hotel, there was a famous sidewalk market that opened around 6pm and when to midnight. Here you could get snake, scorpions, bugs of all size, shape and crispiness. They had little furry things I did not even want to be introduced to. Turtles as well, the little guys. And just about anything you could cook on a stick.
I actually liked going down the side streets and the alleyways where the locals had their little eateries. You only had about 3 or 4 tables, and I just pointed at what I wanted and stood for service. They cooked right out in front of the restaurant, by the street, I guess to encourage people to come in.
Beef, which is my fave, was in short supply and was not that good, although I did have a decent steak in Hong Kong. In short, food was plentiful, fresh, and filling.
It's the best way to eat, be brave, wander around and watch the food being cooked, fresh, cheap, and always tastes good.. for me, one of the wonders of travel is to see and taste the food...... except Molsen Beer of course !!!!!
The dog in Sulawesi was a bit spicy, according to Mr. DBM. I was avoiding meat, since I was too afraid of it being dog or perhaps rat, another local delicacy. There are just some things that I refuse to eat. Take guinea pigs. I am sorry, but I don't care if they are considered a staple of the Peruvian diet, I refuse to eat a pet!
I could not agree with you more DBM. I am very particular about what I pop into my mouth, and do try to restrict things to herbivores with cloven hooves. Did have dog once, on Chuuk, am convinced the burger was dog, felt like crap for days. The male dogs were very shy and skittish (the locals did not eat female dogs, as they were needed for breeding - must protect the food supply!). Ugh!
I like to try new things - although I draw the line at raw fish!!! I remember eating horsemeat in Germany in the 70's - loving it at the time and then having a fit when I found out what it was.
I think the sights, sounds, smells and food of different places stay in the memory the longest - in mine anyway!!!
Wow - loving your blog. I have never been to China and if I had a dream choice of one place I'd go, it would be there. Certainly it would help to know the language, or to travel with someone who knew it. One day, I will get there. Mean while your blog is filling me in well. Thank you so much for sharing.
I'll be back for more!
http://spacialpeepol.blogspot.com/
Kate, funny how our minds and learned prejudices can trump our sense of taste. What wondrous delicacies could we sample if only we could eat with our eyes closed?
Sistertex, thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoy the next few posts on China. It is a marvelous country, with a new surprise around every corner.
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