We left for Xi’an on Friday, and arrived in the early afternoon. Northern China is quite cold. I’ve never been one to have much trouble with the cold, but with the wind and humidity it really cuts through you. My dad had arranged for us to stay at a Hostel in town, and they had supplied a driver and guide to take us to Qin Terra-Cota fiqures about 30 minutes outside the city, and 90 minutes from the airport. I will let the pictures speak for themselves, and more can be seen on my photobucket. The entire complex is ENORMOUS.
Pit 1
Pit 2
Pit 3
After visiting the museum on site, we made our way back to Xi’an proper for a quick tour through the city.
The city walls
Operating a cell-phone and rickshaw simultaneously is legal in the PRC
The City Center
The big cities here are far different than LA or SF as the culture is obviously different. It’s as if you’re not in your own skin. It’s the sense of not belonging I suppose. I’m obviously not a “big city” type of person, but I don’t have the same feeling back in the states. I suppose it’s just the feeling of being a foreigner, but I don’t feel this way in Hangzhou. I’m rambling now.
On to Beijing! The only thing we didn’t see that we had planned on was the Olympic Complex, but we ran out of time on our last day. After we located our Hotel, we dropped some of our gear and headed back to Tian’anmen Square and The Forbidden City.
Next, we headed across the street to The Forbidden City.
For the following day, we arranged through our hotel for a driver to the take us to the great wall. We wanted to be sure to NOT go to Badaling, as it’s just far too touristy, and the wall is completely restored. Both my dad and I wanted a more authentic experience, so we chose Mutianyu, one of the more remote sites. Realize, that there still is no destination in China that is not geared up for tourists, and we found 10 minutes into our drive that the hotel arrangement included an english speaking guide, and several unplanned stops. There is a great sense of putting the “group” first in China, with less focus on the individual. That, we discovered, was why our fare to the wall and back was only 200 yuan each. We were taking to a cloisonné factory, jade factory, tea house, and herbal store/massage parlor (I got a much needed back massage for $20 yuan, which is about $3.50) as well as Mutianyu and the Ming Tombs. I will spare you the photos from the side treks as there are but a few from the Jade and cloisonne factories. They’re on my photobucket album.
The Ming Tombs:
good luck turtle
And off to the Great wall! If I didn’t mention it before, everything in China is almost a tourist trap where you are persuaded into buying trinkets or shirts. The beauty of it is that you are expected to haggle, and even if you don’t want to buy something, the seller often refuses to not sell. By this concept, on my way out I ended up getting a new North Face 2-in-1 jacket for 135 Yuan, which equates to roughly $25. The seller started at 480 yuan, and I wasn’t interested in buying it, and was going to walk away, but he kept coming down and down until I low-balled him at 100, and he countered with 150. The Jacket is probably a few seasons out of date, but is all gore-tex and never worn! Anyways, on to the pictures...
A cable car is the quickest way to the top, and unfortunately we only had two hours to spend on the wall itself so we took it.
A good hike ahead of us
Waiting for Dad, whose heart is in amazing condition these days considering the prognosis in June!
A far off watch tower from which to spot Mangols. I can see where the wall would make an opposing force want to quit before they started.
As far as we were allowed to go.
Back down the hill. I gave Dad a head start so I could jog down it.
A nice side view of one the armaments
Colonel Klink
Back down, and back to Beijing
We spent our last day in Beijing at the Summer Palace. You could easily spend an entire day there, but we were limited to a few hours because of transportation time on the metro and an early afternoon flight back to Hangzhou. That day was especially cold, hovering around -7 or -8 degrees celsius which left the lake with a thick coat of ice on it.
Seventeen Arch Bridge
Posing on the bridge with Longevity Hill and The Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha in the distance.
Where do you summer?
We explored south lake Island for a bit, and then trekked back towards the North, and Longevity Hill.
Down the long corridor. It spans more than 700m, and each arch and beam have unique murals on them.
Looking up.
Approaching the hill. We decided to head around and flank it from the west.
An outside view of the Long Corridor.
The Marble Boat
And now up Longevity Hill, to the back of the tower.
Here, you can see Dad’s rear
and now a more picturesque vista: the tower’s rear
The Temple of the Sea of Wisdom, adjacent to the tower.
The Tower itself. Unfortunately, like many of the religious or more sacred points in Beijing, photography is not allowed inside.
A view down the hill
A view from the top offers Beijing skyline and a good view of a man walking on the lake!
The face of the tower
An adjacent structre
This is one of the corridors leading back down. One of my favorite shots.
Back at the bottom of the hill, looking up.
We then made our way back to the Metro and found we didn’t have enough time to realistically see the bird’s nest and make our flight, so we transferred straight to the airport express.
Later we would find that our flight had been cancelled and we were moved to an hour later flight, giving us the time we would have needed. That’s all and good because the next time I visit Beijing, I’ll spend probably nearly a full day at the palace and there are still a wealth of other sites to visit.
Sunset in Beijing.
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