Day 4/5 - Midnight train to Xian

      

      The view from our hotel room 

      on the 11th floor!

      (Orient Hotel, Xian)

      Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian

      View from the grounds of 

      the Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Well not quite the midnight train but later in the evening we loaded up and headed off for the next stage of our China experience - the overnight train to Xian from Beijing.  We had the luxury of traveling first class in the 'soft seat' carriages - four people to a cubicle and not so soft really.  It was an experience though and we duly arrived on the next leg of our journey in a new city, eager to get to our hotel for a shower, then off out to see the sites.

We arrived in Xian about 8.30am in a city quite different from Beijing but equally remarkable.  Over three centuries old, Xian is one of the oldest cities in China.  After a brief stop at our hotel (Orient Hotel Xian) we went out for some lunch and then paid a visit to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda which was absolutely stunning.  It was fantastic to be able to walk around after the uncomfortable night's slumber (if you could call it that) on the train.

As we wandered around we became increasingly aware of some familiar sounding accents.  Being the nosy type that I am, we got chatting with them only to discover they were on holiday from Ecclefechan.  Small world eh?  Fancy traveling all that way only to meet people that live just down the road (relatively speaking)!

Our evening meal tonight was to be a rather special affair.  We went to one of those theatre-cum-restaurant places - and very grand it was too.  Unfortunately the food, whilst well cooked, was not quite to my taste.  I've come to the conclusion that dumplings are not my favourite food, especially when I don't know whether they're going to be savoury or sweet.  The show was excellent though - colourful and dramatic and a night I'll remember for a long time to come. 

Tomorrow is one of the big days for us - we visit the site of the famous Terracotta Warriors!

It's all go here.  Catch y'all later.

Day 4 continued...

This afternoon was spent at the Temple of Heaven.  We'd quite a walk through the grounds to get to the actual temple but it was well worth it.  Local people were relaxing all around, playing cards, draughts and chinese checkers.  There were folk playing music on traditional instruments, and groups singing, there were some folk sitting knitting and chatting, and some doing their exercises.

We leave Beijing tonight on the overnight train to Xian.  

Next stop - the Terracotta Warriors!

Day 4 - How many bicycles in Beijing?

... 9 million you say?  Well, consider this, at the last count the population of Beijing was just over 16 million and most people own at least one bicycle (or so we were told).  Still reckoning on 9 million?

Today we visited one of Beijing's famous Hutong districts.  A hutong is small street of courtyard style homes, each courtyard shared by several families.  

For those how may be interested, the only water supply to the courtyards is through a stand pipe and so there are no toilet facilities in the home.  These are found in shared public facilities doted around the district.

We were greeted very warmly by a courtyard resident who explained what life was like in the hutong.  Travel by rickshaw was an experience that will be difficult to forget...

Day 3 - A summer surprise

The Summer Palace was today's treat.  Set in sprawling grounds (719 acres) on the edge of Lake Kunming, the palace was the imperial retreat during the Qing Dynasty from the hot summers in the Forbidden City.

Most memorable for me was the walk along the Long Corridor, a covered walkway whose beams are decorated with over 14,000 scenic paintings. 

The sun shone beautifully for us as we strolled along the corridor, soaking up the atmosphere which although busy was strangely calming.

At the end of the Long Corridor our chariot awaited us... well, not exactly a chariot, more a dragon on water - the boat which was to take us all on a short cruise across Lake Kunming before lunch.

Day 2 - The Great Wall

Mao Zedong once said that "you are not a hero until you have climbed the Great Wall."  Well today, we became "hero's" and climbed that most famous wall at the Juying Pass AND have a certificate to prove it to those who know us and probably doubt that we did actually climb the Wall.  It is a truly amazing feat of engineering.

On the way back we stopped at a Jade factory and saw how some of the sculptures were made. And after a brief stop outside the Birds Nest Stadium made famous by the 2008 Olympics for which is was built we headed back to our hotel for a short rest before heading out to the theatre to watch a Chinese Acrobatic Show.  A busy day but I rather suspect it's one we won't be forgetting in a hurry.

Day 1 - Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

Okay, so it's maybe going to take a while to get the sleep thing sorted out.  I woke at midnight convinced that it must be morning only to discover I'd been asleep for just a couple of hours.  The beds are comfortable though which was a bit of a surprise as I'd read somewhere that they'd be a bit hard.

This morning we got on the bus and headed for Tiananmen Square.  The sun shone gloriously for us as we soaked up the atmosphere round about us.  Outside Chairman Mao's Mausoleum were long queues of people waiting to go in.  We didn't as time was of a premium and we'd a busy schedule arranged for the morning.

One thing I have noticed is how clean the city is.  It is a busy, bustling city with over 16 million of a population and there isn't a scrap of litter to be seen anywhere!

After a wander round Tiananmen Square and a group photo taken with a suitable touristy backdrop we entered the famous Forbidden City.  I've come to the conclusion that people writing for travel guides must get privileged access when there's no one else around because it was positively heaving with visitors when we were there although not very many western faces could be spotted.

The Forbidden City was the sacred centre of the empire for some 500 years and was home to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.  Rectangular in shape, the city is surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall and is said to house 9,999 buildings over an area of 74 hectares... according to our intinerary that is.

First Impressions

After months of preparation we have finally arrived in China via

the newly constructed terminal building at Beijing airport.  Actually, apart from the folk who arrived on our flight, there didn't seem to be anyone else around and we had to take a shuttle train to the main terminal where our baggage was awaiting collection.

We soon discovered where all the people were - on the roads making their way home from work, but although we reached our hotel, the Grand View Garden Hotel (see picture) tired and weary we were still excited about what lay ahead for us and were eager to meet the people who would be our travelling companions for the next 27 days.  The hotel is really very impressive with a large foyer with a variety of comfortable looking chairs.  Our room is spacious and clean and will be home for the next few days.  We went out for dinner to a local restaurant and sampled our first banquet style meal.  So far so good, but after 24 hours travelling a good night's sleep is all I really want at the moment.  Tomorrow the adventure really begins...