Paomo and friends

(written on 12/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Who said Xi'an was a small town? It's a city and like everything in China, bigger than it first appears. I get a free pick up off the night train to the hostel which is a relief as I would have got lost.

Today seems to be the day for meeting people. By 10am, I've shared the pick up with a couple from Spain, talked to a French man then an American in the hostel reception. Both later turn out to be in the same dorm. This is the worst bit about travelling cheaply: having to share with some very random people including men (sorry!). Of course it can be the best bit too as I've already met some great people. After a quick clean up, I bump into French guy on the net and we go out to explore. Man, that guy could talk. I'm exhausted after a few hours but I've managed to get to the post office to post back 2kg worth of stuff I realise I'm not going to need. I'm looking forward to my rucksack being lighter when I travel on my next night train tomorrow.

American guy had lunch at subway so he comes up for some stick. And the three of us decide to go for beers and a local dish tonight, called Paomo. We get caught up in the bar chatting to two American sisters who spend the whole time moaning that China is dirty and smelly. They've never been to Asia before or actually outside of America. I doubt they've ever been to anywhere outside their home town. My American friend tries to talk to them but eventually we give up, they are trying to book the earliest flight out of China they can get.

We escape having had a few beers and eventually find some Paomo. It's delicious, why don't we do this in the UK? It's like a lamb stew with bread cubes that have soaked up all the tasty juices. Yum. We end up getting ripped off as a plate of random spicy rice turns up which they charge us an astronomical amount for. We argue with the lady who looks like she;'s going to punch me and eventually we settle the bill when a couple of large guys come out to see what the commotion is about. It's not a good end to the night. Our American friend feels slightly responsible as he was able to chat with the waiter as he lived in Japan for a few years. French man and I shrug it off but it leaves a bitter taste to our Paomo.

Censorship, Tourism and Trains

(written on 11/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Packed and off to left luggage so I can dump off stuff before heading to Forbidden City. I did Tiananmen Square yesterday, which felt austere, censored and brought back memories of seeing tanks roll into the square flattening protesting Pro-democracy university students. It's so odd to think that the majority of Chinese people will be unaware of this due to the censorship by the Chinese government.

Although the whole of this blog was written earlier in the form of journals I couldn't upload any of it until I was out of China due to The Great Fire Wall which is software installed on every computer in China. (I am uploading this in September now I am back.) When talking to people, you get the weird sense that politically they are just completely unaware. It's scary and just all wrong, wrong, wrong.

The Forbidden City that I am at today is packed. I've chosen a weekend so it's rammed with Chinese tourists. All clicking away. There was rumours they'd installed a Starbucks here which is not here thankfully. You can see from the pic above the beautiful architecture. What I've been unable to show is, again as it's in China, the magnitude of the place. Palace upon regal chambers upon meeting rooms - in fact 980 buildings - it just goes on and on around a 720,000 square metre site. The only thing that makes it less enjoyable is the heat and it's the smoggiest day since I've been here. Even this doesn't take away from the fact everything is mind blowing.

It leaves me feeling China and America are more similar than we think but more observations on that later...so to the train. I get cracking on my marvellous book on Chinese economics, Will Hutton's The Writing's on the Wall. It's a perfect read as it's giving me great insight as I travel about observing China. Meanwhile the other four people, all men, seem determined to stare at me for the whole journey. Luckily I've got the middle bunk so I can flake out. I'm not in the mood to strike up conversation and actually one looks like he'd run a mile if a did. A woman? Travelling on her own? Who is also a Westerner? I had a gut feeling I should just smile a lot and relax for the journey. Enjoyable all the same, just wish I wasn't stared at but hey, I'm starting to get used to it.

Train ticket fun

(written on 10/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

An easy day for sightseeing after yesterday's trek up The Wall. Before I leave the hostel I try and book the train I want to Xi'an, home of the Terracotta Warriors. I'm told the train is full but I could try and get to the station. I've decided not to stay much longer in Beijing as I've come from London and it just all feels too hectic when I want to feel like I'm getting away from that. Getting on the Metro has been a pain, it seems to take forever! Even getting to the train station takes ages. And there's no Metro station near...it doesn't make sense to me.

After a 30 minute walk in heat after six Metro stops I approach Beijing West station. Nothing has prepared me for it's utter vastness. It takes 15 minutes just to find the ticket hall. People are everywhere and so are their elbows. I'm armed with my printed out web guide from the brilliant http://www.seat61.com/ which tells me there should be a English speaking ticket booth in the ticket hall. I don't which one of the 40 booths is going to be it. As people stare, I'm one of the few Westerners trying to buy my own ticket, I wonder up and down. After two turns walking up and down looking at the booths, an LED display flashes up that it's the English speaking booth. Relief as I join the long queue at booth 16. This quickly turns into surprise as a fight breaks out in queue 17 and a policeman comes over to sit on the ledge of the booth to bark down his megaphone at the waiting queue of distressed angry people. Talk about entertainment.

I notice that people are incredibly impatient and I may only get one chance at ordering a ticket before being jostled out of the way. Finally I get to the front, thrust my choice of times I have copied down from the web and get ready to use my guidebook if necessary for language translations. No need, in efficient English I'm told I can book the earlier night train to Xi'an and there is a ticket available for a middle booth in a 6 bunk compartment in a hard sleeper carriage. Perfect. I get my ticket and clutch it to me as I elbow my way past the waiting queue who are mostly tutting and shouting at each other.

Mission accomplished, I am pathetically happy I've managed to get my ticket for my first journey on a Chinese train. Now I just have to find it and get on it tomorrow night...

Birthday on The Great Wall

(written on 09/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Up at 5am I head off to the sister hostel for the mini bus. Trying to get some shut-eye on the bus isn't an option as I have met the lovely Sophie and Charlotte, both travelling independently so we share stories (well they share theirs. I don't have any yet). There is also the small matter of Beijing at the loose outside my minivan window begging me to sit up and take notice.

Our guide tells us we have a few options for today. Walk some of the start of our section at Jinshanling, get the bus to Simitai and do the same, walk most of it but use two well-known short cuts or walk the whole 10k section. We, of course, opt to do the whole shebang.

There's also an option to get the cable car up to the wall but we decide to go hardcore. We've walked up a steep slope then steeper steps when a group of three women who've been walking alongside since we started 30 minutes or so ago tell us we're nearly at the wall. It's at least 38 degrees and I've started to wonder if I'll make it in this heat. Sweaty is not the right word to describe it.

By watchtower seven, each involving a steep climb up, we realise the lovely women are hawkers trying to be our guides for cash. Being careful to decline their offers away from other hawkers so they do not lose face we let them down firmly and give them a small tip. We hope we've cottoned on early enough so the Mongolian women can try and make some more money. We found out they walk two hours each way to get to the wall just to sell souvenirs and be guides. That doesn't even include the hours it takes to navigate this 10k section. They do this every day and when they are done it's off home to do a bit of light farming. Amazing.

Watchtower ten and Charlotte cracks open a birthday beer. Brilliant idea. I'd have loved to have a beer at each of the 30 watchtowers. In this heat though that would have been utter madness. Each watchtower provides shade and all the walkers use them for shade and water stops. Despite the heat, you can't help but marvel at the ancient feat it must have been to get this beast constructed. It's amazing to be here and the views are stunning: fields of lush green endless countryside spread out on each side of the surrounding mountains and the wall itself is seemingly endless. Each path leads steeply up to a watchtower at the top of peak then back down and as described to us like it goes up and down a dragon's back.

Second beer at watchtower 20. Only ten to go and my legs have started to shake on each ascent. It's certainly one way to get fitter. More unbelievable views as we navigate each stretch and we've started to lose count by now. I'm pretty sure we haven't gone to far, then we see other people up ahead heading down a path into what must be Simitai. We cross a bridge then it's up even more steep steps. By now I have full on jelly leg syndrome, so much so that I'm not sure I can do a zip wire down across the river. That's until I remember it involves sitting down and hanging on. Brilliant! And what an amazing end to the trek across this section of wall. A great choice as I've heard from others that Badaling is really touristy and Mutianyu doesn't sound as good as this section.

Beers over lunch and congratulations all round. What a birthday! It's a quick beer after a clean up for me tonight. Ker-nackered.

Beijing Chaos

(written on 08/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Manage to get the Airport bus and I'm the only Westerner on it. Proceed to get stared at by 30 people for the next 50 minutes. Keep checking to make sure stray items of underwear aren't on show or there isn't any food particles on my face.

Get chucked off at last stop armed only with the knowledge I need to get the number 6 bus. See bus, run and get on. Had the foresight to get change and ticket conductor on bus mimes '1' at me. That, I can understand. I pay, wait for required 6 stops, get off and can't find hostel or anything on the map. Get bus back to town, give up and try to get a taxi. Three hailed taxis later and all have refused to take me as they don't understand the English guidebook address. The third one I refuse to get out of until I call the hostel, hand phone to driver. Then I'm on the way. Proceed to have conversation with driver in the international language of football. Driver then gets lost which makes me feel better.

Finally get to hostel and they tell me I'm in the sister hostel 5 minutes down the road. I get told to hop in this trolley on the back of a bike and get cycled down the road (like blue metal thing on bike in pic above).

By the time I get sorted it's late. I don't fancy any more drama so it's food, beer and bed in the safe confines of the hostel. All my dorm mates have gone out on the razz. Well the three of them have an average age of 20 and they're not up at 5am to do the Great Wall of China tomorrow!

Airport

Get to airport with decidedly heavy rucksack. Tearful last minute conversation with friend and I'm off.

On the approach to Beijing, medical airport officials get on with Men in Black type devices. Wonder if they are going to erase all memory of my homeland but they are taking temperatures to check for Swine Flu.

Another temperature check at passport control sees a small family pulled to one side. Rumours at hostel later say whoever gets pulled is quarantined for 7 days in a hotel and not allowed to see the outside world. Happy to be through and into Beijing for the first step of my adventure.

More packing...

Rucksack has been packed 4 times. I've emptied it, stared at the contents on the bed, removed two things at a time and then repacked it all. I'm sure there's a better way. I've already decided that I'll be posting back the guidebooks when I'm done as I have 3 for the trip round and they're too heavy! Tried to take some cheap clothes too so I can get rid of them if I don't need/they get ruined by weird washing powders/I get bored of them etc...

Thanks to Clare and Matt for taking care of the Mazda. I shall miss her but she'll be replaced by a bicycle in Beijing so I'll be whizzing around still. And thanks for all the last minute texts and FB messages :o)

Right...off to pick up my currency en route to the lovely Heathrow. Luckily I'm not going from terminal 5 today. There is a god.

See you on the other side...xxx