Anywho, here's what went down on the second half of the trip...
Xi'an
- Arrived early in the morning and were lucky enough to get straight into our hotel rooms for much needed showers after the overnight train. My room over-looked a school yard so I also got to watch the kids do their opening exercises before heading out for the day which was pretty neat.
- Day 2 (I'll get to Day 1 in a minute) was the Terracotta Warriors. It's impressive, and worth a visit if you are here, but to be honest it's not worth the long trip to Xi'an just for that. Fortunately there's a lot of other things around here as well. Unfortunately none of it was on our itinerary.
- Traffic here was craaaazy. Of all the places I've been in the world, this was the only one that ever had me clenching my butt cheeks. The sole rule of the road that I could determine was simply "most aggressive driver wins" which inevitably leads to a perennial game of chicken, pedestrians included. I almost got hit by a bus before I figured that out.
Hua Shan
- This was Day 1 in Xi'an. While others had a free day to explore the ancient capital at their leisure, I had arranged a private driver to take me out here for the day. 1 other person from the group (Lucy from Britain) decided to come along so I had some much welcome company for the adventure. Of course, I didn't tell her about any of my mountain mis-haps until we were almost there...
- Hua Shan is one of the 5 sacred Daoist mountains and known for being the most dangerous. Hence my interest in it. I mostly just wanted to do the climb and particularly the famous plank road (which I did, pics to come), but the scenery far exceeded my expectations. Stark white cliffs that plummet hundreds of straight vertical feet, often blanketed by thick trees rooted in un-possible slopes, mostly dark green but beginning to change to fall colors. I took more pictures here than any other day of the trip, and it'd be hard to say whether this or Yangshou was my favorite. Will definitely post pics of this!
Beijing
- another overnight train, this time instead of arriving to a room and shower, we struck straight out for perhaps the longest and most exhausting day of the trip. Temple of Heaven, Tianemen Square, Forbidden City, and the Legends of Kung Fu show.
- I really enjoyed Temple of Heaven, particularly the park as we went in the morning and got to watch locals dancing, playing cards and badminton, and doing Tai Chi, which we even enjoined for a few minutes.
- Tianemen Square was mostly non-descript. Highlight was when someone in our group (no, not me) asked about the "incident". Our guide's eyes widened and she emphatically said "we do not discuss that, especially here. Look at all the soldiers around us". I'm embarrassed to say I don't really know much about it, so I'll have to do some reading when I get back.
- Forbidden City was long and repetitious. It was long and repetitious. Highlight was actually the bus ride back. After waiting almost half an hour, the bus we needed arrived fully loaded, and the next didn't come for another half-an-hour, which was also fully loaded by then. It was anatomically impossible to get even 2 more bodies on, but we had to make it happen, so we defied the laws of physics and somehow squeezed 9 in. I almost didn't make it, but several locals must have thought this solitary red head wouldn't survive long if separated from his pack and literally helped push me in and close the doors. I'd never really experienced the crowded transits of Asia before - I can honestly say I now have.
- Kung Fu show was also good, on par with the acrobat show. The set was full of visual delights and they did some neat tricks with the spot lights that made it look just like a movie at some points.
The Great Wall
- Day 2 in Beijing was a day trip to The Wall. Not much I more I can really say about it. It's really long and repititious. But likely slots in at number 3 on my favorites from this trip.
We finished off the trip with a delicious farewell dinner of Peking Duck. I can also now add to the list of foods I've tried both lotus roots and sweet olives. Recommended. Most of us said our good-byes shortly after, although this morning I rejoined a couple of the solo-traveling girls who were staying 2 extra days for a very brief visit to the hutongs (old city neighbourhoods) before I bid them audieu and fled to the airport.
Thus endeth another sojourn to a far off land for me. I think I've now spent as much time in Asia as I have in Europe, which is pretty fly for a white guy. I've learned a lot about the culture and history of a civilization I previously knew little about. Some of it I liked. Some of it... well, the smoking, scamming, and horking in particular I could do without. And I'm looking forward to getting back to the wide open spaces of Canada... I'll never complain about crowds again.
That's all for this trip. Up next? Turkey, Croatia, Costa Rica and Brazil are all pretty high on the list. Western Europe and several pockets of North America still need to be checked off at some point too. But to be honest, a relaxing beach vacation is sounding really, really good right now.
Till then,
Greg Ash be
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