CHINA - Yangshao

Yangshao is in the south of China and is set against a backdrop of beautiful karst hills. The Li River passes nearby meandering through and around the Mountains and caves which at some point the water helped to create. We were particularly in that our trip leader was from Yangshao and could therefore give us an excellent incite to the place as well as feeding us in her excellent cafe in the centre, Lucy's Place. Yangshao is completely geered up to tourists, infact so much so that almost every shop must be either a tourist shop, bar or restaurant.

While in Yangshao there was much i wanted to see, unfortunately we could not fit everything in but i know that it is a place that i would like to return to. One day the whole group went on a bike ride around the area taking in the excellent weather, halfway we climbed Moon Mountain and had some food which some of the group had prepared during a cooking lesson, luckily i had not died of food poisoning and was able to cycle back.

We also took a boat trip down the Li River in order to watch the sunset, it was beautifully quiet and still. Most evenings we ate in Lucy's place and one night i was able to help in the kitchen for a short time where i think Karl and i prevented Lucy from chopping off her fingers off. Another evening we made dumplings which made for a tasty supper. Still with lots to see we had to leave the next day, never mind, will have to see the rest next time.

Onward to Hong Kong!

CHINA - Chongqing, The Yangzi River and the Three Gorges Dam

Chongqing is one of China's provincial level municipalities. The area is home to over 31 million people. It is an area which relies entirely on the River and what the land around it can offer. The city of Chongqing is a lively place, giving me the impression that it is like a small version of what i thought Hong Kong would be like. We only had a night there so we had to use our time wisely. Karl and I and one of our group Ivor ate some food from a stall down an alley, the owner did not speak a word of English so we wondered around his outdoor street kitchen pointing to stuff we fancied eating, the result was excellent. The Chinese eating there seemed to find the whole thing very amusing, as did we, especially when we were brought out about 5 dishes all coming to a total of less than 2 pounds each including a large beer. We then proceeded to a spot our guide picked out, a Karaoke bar, it was more like a club with performers of all kind on stage at differet times, dancers actors and a very strange comedian, unfortunately many of the jokes were lost on us as our Chinese is a little rusty.

The next day we redied ourselves for the journey ahead, the controvertial of late, Yangzi River through the Three Gorges to the Dam. We boarded our boat and were staying very close to the front. We spent the first evening seeing how many of us we could fit in mine and Karls room, at one point i think there were all 13 of our group. We spent the evening having a few drinks. Some of us woke early the next day in order to see boat pass through the first of the gorges Qutang Gorge. It traveresed the once narrow gorge just as the sun was rising. After an interesting breakfast on board we continued with life on the boat, reading a little and taking in the vistas. During the day we also took an extra trip down one of the lesser gorges where we saw muchsteeper cliff faces with extraordinary things like hanging coffins. These are coffins which have been lowered form the top of a cliff into position in a very small cave, so small that they are sometimes visible. Later we changed onto an even smaller boat a Sampan and, escorted by a crazy singing local man we travelled further. So we then got off the Sampan, got ont he Lesser Gorges tour boat, got off the Lesser Gorges tour boat and got on our main boat and we could set off again down the Yangzi. We entered the second of the Gorges Wu Gorge, it was much larger in scale both in length and height. After dinner that evening i learnt, from our local guide George, how to play Chinese Chess. My uncle John did once teach me but i had completely forgotten the rules. Next morning we were up early once more to see the start of the final gorge Xiling Gorge by far the longest. I have never seen a more obvious place showing the worlds crust thrusting from beneath us particularly on one corner where a mountain literally looks like it is slipping into the water.Later that day we arrived at The Three Gorges Dam. For those who do not know much about this notorious project let me inform you a little. It is the largest dam in the world at over 2000 m in length. It turns part of the Yangzi River, 660km, into a resevoir and the energy produced by allowing this water to pass through generators in the dam will be enough to supply half of China's electricity. This is a really bold step in combating climate change, which also allows the river to be easier to navigate and future flooding can be controlled however the negative implications are huge. By doing this the Chinese government had to relocate almost 2 million people, some of these people had no choice in where they would go. The water level will have risen 175m when finished which means there is not only an aesthetic different but also a long term ecological one. The dam is not due to be completed until 2011 which mean we were not allowed to see as much of it as we had hoped. Whether the project was necessary or not is a very interesting argument which i can see both sides of, however the fact remains that the project is incredible in many ways.

After we went, by bus, to Yichang where we stayed the night before heading to Guilin by train and then on to Yangshao.

CHINA - Mt Emei

From Chengdu we headed east towards one of the 5 sacred Chinese Buddhist Mountains Mt Emei. On the way we stopped in Le Shan to see one fo the biggest buddhas in the world, it was built at the confluence of three rivers where many fishermen had previously perished, it was constructed to safeguard the people using the water and since then it has done the job, with a little help of some river management.

At the monestary we would stay one night and then take a 3 hour trek, avoiding very naughty monkeys to the top of another area of the mountain where we would stay in another monestary.

The bathroom facilities can only be described as basic, but the toilets had a fantastic view over the dense treed canoply. After we had recovered from the climb and spent the evening the having a meal at what must be one of the most off the beaten track cafes, halfway up a flight of 1200 steps, The Hard Wok Cafe..

We headed back down the following day and spent another night in the first monestary.

We also visited the top of the mountain, over 3000 meters up, the views are supposed to be extraordinary however the cloud had other ideas and we only saw a lot of cloud.
The spectacular Buddhist buildings at the top, and another encouner with very tame monkeys made the trip worth while. In the distance above the cloud we also saw one of China's highest mountains at around 7800 meters.

The next day we would head to Chongqing for an unexpected overnight stop before boarding a boat down the Yangzi.

CHINA - Chengdu

Chengdu on the surface did not seem as though it would be the most enthralling of places, afterall we would be comparing it to Beijing and Xi'an however we were pleasently suprised by some aspects. Karl and I took a walk around the town, which is quite busy and walked through narrow streets with trader and down large streets with high rise surrounding them. The highlight of the town had to be the park. Never before have i seen a park more well used packed with some many local people there to get exercise and enjoyment. It made me think, why cant parks be used to that extent in Britain? There were people playing badmington, skating, playing chequers, chess and chinese chess, all three of which seem to be as much a spectator sport as something to take part in. We also saw women dancing, and singing, sometimes painfully, some doing exercise regimes in a group, lots of people were on the lake in rowing boats, there were permenent fairground rides which the kids were loving and wherever we walked people seemed to be having a good time. Later we went down a famous shopping street which seems to be geered up to tourism.

The next day we got on a bus to the Panda breeding centre just outside the city. When we got there we were ushered inside by our local guide who took us straight to some of the Giant Pandas, luckily we had arrived at breakfast time! On the menu bamboo shoots, just for a change. They seemed very happy munching away and they were just as cute and adorable as you would expect if only they were less choosy with their food perhaps they would not need saving from extinction! They are almost as choosy with their food as Karl is!!! The best way to eat as many bamboo shoots as possible seems to be to sit on a pile of them, that way you can turn in every direction and grap a handful! It was unbelievable to see how they grab the shoots, they have thumbs which work in a similar way to humans, so they take loads in between their fingers and thumb and bite into them much in the same way a child might eat something.

It was very difficult to look at the pandas without thinking back to the 80's 90's Kikkat advert. Man in panda suit on roller skates, check it out on youtube if you can't remember.

Anyways, after seeing several in different enclosures we went to see the babies, and it became clearer why they were endangered. Toy manufacturers worldwide have been stealing them from the wild in order to sell them as cuddly toys!!! (I'd like to take this opportunity to apologise to toy manufacturers worldwide, for this blatant lie, but it seemed funny at the time!) It has been a very successful year for the breeding centre as there were 14 very small pandas be cared for as if they were baby humans. They were brilliant to watch and i could have stayed watching all day however we had to go. We saw the Red Pandas (not really pandas but they have similar characteristics, apparently.) After looking around the museum we got back on the bus and head back to the city.

That eveing we went to a local tea house and watched some girls perform the traditional tea ceremony, quite a spectacle. It entails them pouring the tea from a kettle with a very long spout into the cups in all manner of special moves all of which are performed to music. This made me think how funny it would be if any time a builder needed a cup of tea in Britain he had to go through all that pallava. Anyway enough of that, next stop is Mount Emei and Le Shan.

CHINA - Xi'an

Xi'an was once the capital of China and hence boasts an interesting past. Upon arrival we went to the hotel and a brilliant breakfast at the local hostel. We were then shown around the centre. The main shopping street and adjoining alleys were brilliant places full of traders and there interesting stalls. You can barter the price of anything, for example Karl bartered down the price of Tigerbalm by 10pence!!! lol. We then hired bicycles and cycled around the city walls which was further than we thought. It was about 9 miles around along seemingly endless walled vistas. It was excellent to get some exercise after being stuck on a train for the best part of a day.

Diner consisted of a local speciality, Hot Pot, which comprised various meat and vegetable items which you boiled in a very spicy hot pot sauce.

Next day was the trip to the Teracotta Warriors. They were built as part of a huge mausoleum for the first Emporer of a united China Qing. He seemes to have been quite a paranoid chap having also ordered the construction of the Great Wall. His original intention was that a whole army would be killed and buried with him to look after him in the after life but instead it was suggested that copies of each person could be manufactured out of clay. Cunning! What is on display now is supposedly a very small fraction of the entire archealogical site much of which has yet to have been dug up. The rumour goes that there is a 30m high building under a nearby hill housing the emporers body surrounded by a moat of mercury fed by thre rivers of mercury resembling China's great rivers. However because of all the mercury it would be very dangerous to unearth it without inventing a safe way to do it! It has to truly be the most amazing and exciting archealogical site in the world. Qing was however a very unpopular man as he ordered the murder of every person who helped construct it and the warriors themselves in order to preserve the secret of his tombs location. This is why it was discovered by accident by a farmer digging a well. Anyway enough of the background stuff, it is an awesome thing to see, something which fills you with excitment at the prospect of what else has yet to be unearthed!

The next train jouney would take us to Chengdu primarily to go and see the panda sanctuary!

CHINA - Beijing

We got up early, after the interesting border crossing the night before, in order to catch a glimpse of the spectacular scenery leading up to Beijing. Not all of it was as spectacular as we had expected although we did catch sight of the Great Wall of China along one stretch. The train meandered through the mountains before heading over flatter land towards Beijing. We arrived early afternoon.

We left Beijing main train station into a huge crowd of people. We noticed a girl wearing a hoody with the name of the hostel we had booked on it, we told her we had a booking and she said she would take us there. She was obviously drumming up more business as more and more people arrived. We piled into a mini bus and the 3 or 4 Chinese girls crammed into what space they could. They were very friendly and smiley, the best welcome to a city so far, a definite good start for Beijing. After travelling down the main roads we got to some very narrow streets, "The Hutongs." Our hostel is on one of these streets and it is a fantastic place, always bustling inside and out. Loads of cabels cross overhead of these narrow streets and traders encroach on them. It is definitely the best hostel we have been to so far.

After chucking our stuff in our room we ventured out into the mad surroundings. It is a fantastic area, just south of Tiaanmen Square, everywhere we go people shout hello and try to beckon you into their shops. Not got too annoying yet, they say hello we say hello back!

We spent the first few days here doing a few obvious things.

The Summer Palace took up most of our first day. It is a huge park with fantastic architectural wonders. While here i was asked to pose for a photo with a lady for some reason, as was Karl and Clem, bizarre.

We spent a large proportion of a day at the Olympic park. We went into the birds nest stadium and watercube, both of which are truly spectacular, however the stadium is a little disappointing, all that effort to make the outside spectacular and none of it is evident from the inside. It just looks like any other stadium internally.

We also visited the Lama Temple an extensive temple complex culminating in a 20m high Buddha statue which is entirely carved from one tree trunk.

Another day was at the Temple of Heaven. A series of architectural marvels including a sacrificial circular alter, the echo wall and main temple itself. Circular in form to echo the sky with blue tiles to represent the heavens.

We spent a couple of lazy days looking around the Hutongs which are awesome, i love the whole barterring thing.
Before starting our China tour we had a day trip to the "nearby" city of Datong, 7 hours away by train. While there we took in the sights of the Yungang Caves and Hanging Temple both of which were remarkable.

Upon returning to Beijing we stepped into Tiananmen Square for the first time. What a huge space, 800m long by 500m wide, the largest square in the world! The final day before the tour we hired bicycles. A must for anyone visiting. A great way to explore the city but also a real eye-opener, fun and hairaising, at one point we crossed what must be the widest road i have ever seen, 6 lanes each way + a 4 lane cycle path! So roughly 16 lanes in total! We cycled to Jingshan Park which is a man-made hill park directly North of the Forbidden City positioned according to Fung Shui and made of the waste earth from the Forbidden City Moat.

From the top you get one of the best views of Beijing, 360 degrees. We then ventured into Beihai Park right nextdoor. After crossing the 16 lane road, we cycled down Tiananmen Square and found the hotel we would stay in the following night when starting the tour.

I can't believe i almost forgot to mention going to see the CCTV Building, still in construction, (OMA).

Also we saw the National Centre for Performing Arts.

During our time around that area we samped some excellent food, most famously Beijing Duck where nothing is wasted. First of all the skin and meat is served with the pancakes psring onions and cucumber all topped with sauce, just when you are starting to get full they bring all the bones which have been sauteed in flour and psices to nibble on and then finally a stock soup made from the bones, excellent! Another night we ate in a grotty cafe restaurant in our Hutong. Rubbish everywhere some cockroaches on the wall, but the food was excellent and the fried rice is yet to be beaten, the best rice i have ever had!

We said a sorry fairwell to the excellent Leo Hostel after lunch on the 23rd November and headed towards Harmony Hotel. Once there we checked in and met the group of people we would spend the next 3 weeks with. Our tour leader Lucy (Chinese), Jakob and Katryn (Norweigen), Ivor (British), Aoifer and Eamon (Irish), Tara and Justine (Irish and American), Madonna and Katelin (Australian). First impressions were excellent, a nice bunch of people. We had a meal together and got chatting.

Next day we had a trip organised to a section of the Great Wall of China, Jinshang Lin to Simatei about 11km. It is an excellent stretch, far enough not to have less tourists and it is one of the sections which is more orignal than other parts. The walk was hard going, steps up and down following the contours of the landscape. One section of 103 steps was particularly difficult having more in common with a ladder than stairs. The views were however spectacular and well worth the effort!

That evening we went to an Acrobatics show, brilliant.

Next day, Karl and I woke up early to visit Mao in his Mausoleum. Then upon returning we went to the Urban Planning Museum (more interesting than it sounds) and went to a very interesting area called 798 Art District in the Far NorthEast of the City. The area is made up of old industrial buildings transformed into Artisit studios. The array of artwork was vast. We had a drink with the group that evening which was another excellent way to get to know them a bit more.

Final day in Beijing was busy. First we had a tour of the Forbidden City which was interesting followed by a visit to a charity organisation called Huiling in the Hutongs north of the forbidden city. Our tour operator Intrepid tries to offer support to them by bringing foreigners to visit. They teach people with learning difficulties practical ways to subsidise their living. They made us a gorgeous pancake roll and dumpling lunch. This followed by a request for someone to play the part of Father Christmas in a performance they were about to put on. Father Christmas was traditional represented as the Emporer and should have a dark beard. Everyone turned and looked at me! So i got whisked outside and dressed in the finest Emporers outfit and helped hugely in the performance. This was followed by much music and dancing by everyone! no one escaped. Karl the donkey and Clem the old lady. We then had a Chinese Calligraphy class taught by a very strict student! All in all a fantastic experience!

That evening we boarded the Hardsleeper train to Xi'an, most famous for it's Terracotta Warrors. More to come!

MONGOLIA - Ulaanbaatar

The train to Mongolia took us through some remarkable scenery, roaming hills accentuated by the occasional mountain.

For a while the route followed a river in which were thousands of floating "ice lily pads." Around corners ice was forming changing the shape of the river.

We had heard rumours about the Russian/Mongolia border control but nothing really prepared us for the rediculousness of the whole situation. We got to the border station and remained there for 4.5 hours, starting with 10 carriages which, in that time turned into 1, ours, with 4 people on! After toing and froing we eventually got away from the station in one carriage now full! We went through no mans land and got to the other side. We would remain there for 3 hours! All in all a large proportion of the 1.5 day journey was spent doing nothing at a station, red tape is rediculous!

We woke early in the morning to arrive in at Ulaanbaatar station, it was very cold, but when we got there there was no one waiting for us! After a couple of hours another train arrived and we found our guide along with 2 couples, Eric and Kathryn from Melbourne and Graham and Sue from England. We had breakfast with our guide in a brilliant local eatery and were then shown around the city including Buddhist temple, and "Eyes Wisdom" Buddha Statue. Naki, our guide, took us for lunch at a local restaurant cafe, the food was very nice and then proceeded to tell us how he wanted to sing for us! Ominous. We got taken into a side room where he proceeded to select "let it be," Beatles. I can tell you now, that i don't think any of us thought we would be sitting in a room with a Mongolian guy singing Let it be to us, but its a true story. After a couple of more traditional songs we left in the mini bus towards our Ger camp in the Mongolian Countryside.!

The little minibus took us for a bout 45 mins down some very bumping roads after exiting the craziness of the city, suddenly we veered off the road onto mud, was this intentional? Of course it was, we started travelling over icy hills, past Nomad Ger camps and while heading down hill we caught glimpse of our camp in the distance, beautiful.

We got out of the mini bus, it was bloody cold! We got shown our Ger inside it was beautiful, not what we had expected. All the wood had be decorated with traditional patterns and the stove in the middle made the whole space very very warm, almost too much so! Later we had a gorgeous diner as a group and had a quick walk in the below freezing landscape. The stars were out in force, only obscured by the brightness of the moon which kept the whole landscape light enough to walk around without a torch. We slept well that night.

Next morning after a typically gorgeous Mongolian breakfast we went Mongolian horseback riding! A friendly Nomad brought some very calm horses and took us into the landscape. After half an hour or so i lost all feeling in my feet despite the two pairs of warm winter socks! Later i tried my very cold hand at Mongolia Archery.

Final full day we went to see a local Nomad who kindly invited us into his Ger, gave us tea and anything else he had to eat, traditional cakes, sweets etc. They are such generous people. After dinner that evening we had a couple for beers. Then the beers ran out, only one thing for it, onto the Mongolian Vodka. I brought my Ipod into the Ger, which had a stereo, and put some Beatles on for Naki. After 4 bottles of vodka between the 6 of us, air guitar to Led Zepplin and more we were a little merry, some of us more than others! Not to mention any names but Clem and Katheryn were wasted! lol. Night in a Ger lasted until about 1.30 or 2.


The next day we got on the mini bus back to Ulaanbaatar, a little later than planned. Naki looked like he had enjoyed himself the night before! We made a few unscheduled stops on the way back for Clem, but eventually got to our hotel. Looking around Ulaanbaatar for the afternoon it became clear that one day there would be enough, not my favorite place on the trip. That night we met up to have dinner together once more. The food was gorgeous, Uzbek cuisine.

Next morning we all headed to the station and boarded the train that would take us to Beijing. As it turned out almost everyone in our carriage was English speaking, the Western carriage as it became known. We were in the next cabin to Katheryn and Eric who were sharing with an Irish couple, we were sharing with a guy from Hong Kong, elsewhere in the carriage were Americans, Australians, more Irish and more English. The two Mongolian families on board must have felt a little out of place!

The train journey through the rest of Mongolia was very interesting, highlights including Brown Camels in the wild and the sparce undulating landscape of the Gobi desert. After most of the day on the train we arrived at the next border. The usual immigration and customs procedures followed and then the less usual happenings on the Chinese side of the border. We were told that it would take 3 hours on that side which we all groaned at the prospect of, but the time past quickly as we experience the changing of the train wheels first hand. Carriages get pushed into a train shed where huge jacks lift up individual carriages and new wheels are put in position. This was interesting at first but took a long time, luckily we were entertained by a Chinese Policeman who decided the best way to keep warm was by practicing his martial arts and Michael Jackson moves. The whole western carriage witnessed the highlight, the moonwalk back to his position! Legend! Karl got some of it on video.