The lights came on and we were woken sometime before 5. The train attendant and then Lillian did the rounds of making sure that everyone was up and getting ready to depart. With pain in our eyes, we clambered down and heaved our packs on. It was still dark as we left the station.
Meeting at an Intrepid flag out the front, a local contact lead the march to the bus. Walking through the cool pre-dawn, we passed street sweepers and store-owners preparing for their day. Though the streets were almost deserted, there were still these gentle signs of life. The bus took us on a very convoluted route that lead across express ways and through the great arches of the city wall, barely noticed by its passengers through their exhausted haze.
Reaching the hotel, Lillian informed us that our rooms were not ready. Check-out was at midday and it would not be till late morning before any rooms would be available for us. Dumping our gear in the one room that was free for us, a handful stayed behind to snooze or shower while the rest of us followed Lillian's lead to a MacDonalds breakfast.
As we walked into the city, a handful of features were pointed out to us. A 24 hour restaurant that had reasonable prices and a good reputation, the vague direction to the shopping district, so on. The MacDonalds was painfully cheerful, the 10 or 12 of us glaring darkly at the bright décor as we munched our hotcakes and McMuffins. After being fed, coffee'd and tired of being stared at by the locals, most of us ventured outside in the growing grey light. Locals had begun to congregate, greeting the friends that they were waiting for or hoping onto busses as they pulled in. A great truck pulled past with a water cannon, locals diving out of the way as the aquatic weapon fired on each of the trees and shrubberies in turn, rationing out sustenance for the day. While waiting out the front for Lillian to make something happen, we discovered that we'd merely replaced the loud décor for loud theme music underpinning importance of the restaurant advertisements to the deserted street. With each painfully cheerful tone, a little piece in each of us died...
Finally, everyone had finished their greasy breakfast and the smokers had consumed as many nicotine-beverages (as they now called them) as their lungs could cope with. Lillian disappeared for half an hour to fetch the snoozing girls, returning to take us on the orientation tour.
Guiding us from the MacDonalds and the Bell Tower in the very centre of the city, we made our way to the South Gate and veered off into the Academic or University district. A great many of the stores displayed sales of brushes, inks and paper. There were more than a few vendors that had signs of selling jade or carved name-stamps. The string work and hanging ornaments were of impressive quality and the feel of the place was a certain level of refinement and restraint that the Silk Road had been lacking. A very small handful of stalls had been populated with vendors and wares, more store-owners were watching the westerners stumble past as they smoked or finished breakfast. Turning up another street, we were shown the different restaurants and eateries, the super-market and how to purchase food from the street vendors.
The vibrancy and life of Xi'an was painfully apparent to our sleep-deprived senses. The colours and smells, even in the early dawn was striking. Here, away from the main street, the locals lived and operated their little businesses. Passing little restaurants that were not much more than a hole in a window and a set of crowded collapsible chairs and tables, the citizens of this city had filled the seats and were being fed. Side alleys boasted the trappings of a particular speciality be it food, tea or trinkets. Signs in Chinese and English advertised “CHEAP TEA” “FAMOUS JADE” “YOUR NAME – ENGLISH CHINESE”. On the street, the smog above compressed down the flavours and fragrances, be it perfume or a narrow column of air from the open sewer grate. My only one dislike of the metropolis was the unmistakable and utterly undisguised scent of the public conveniences.
Again passing the hotel, the group continued on as a whole, we made our way back past the Bell-Tower and navigated the crowds in the underpass. Coming out the other side, past the post-office and across the street, Lillian seated us outside a closed restaurant for a little rest. Her phone rang while she was telling us about the great reputation of this particular eatery and the dumplings it was famous for, another two rooms were free for anyone who was desperate for a shower and sleep. Charlotte and one of the other girls volunteered and made a hasty departure for sanitation and snoozing.
Venturing on, we passed into the Muslim quarter. The street market was mostly assembled and staffed, we first wandered the street on both sides, making faces at the various cuisines. Lillian then took us to a near by historical residence were we had a tour and then a very hard-sell of the various types of tea, under the disguise of a traditional tea ceremony. The group drank the teas that had been paid for in the entrance fee but purchased a pitiful amount of their over-priced products. Refreshed despite the capitalist intents, we continued on through the markets as the frenzied activity of the vendors increased. Taking a side road, we went through stalls of fake glasses, watches and bags. Bargaining until the sellers smiles turned to frowns and they glared at us as we changed small notes for goods, it was definite that we would be returning here several times for the cheap merchandise.
The morning stretched on, Adam had purchased a polo-shirt for a price that almost reduced the sales-girl to tears. I picked up the singly most creepy sunglasses I could find. Perfect circles on light frames, I selected them according to how uncomfortable the look of me wearing them made Andy and got them for about $3AUD. Dom got an Automatic winding Genuine Fake Rolex at the impressive price of 180Yuan, down from 800.
Finally we tired of the “Welcome, come in, you want bag, watch, t-shirt” “good-price, me sell you, friend” any time we even glanced at a stall. Leaving the markets, we made our way back to the hotel and finally checked in. Dom and I shared a room just down the hall from Adam and Andy. Packing was undone and showers were had. We agreed to meet again for lunch after a short break.
The afternoon was filled by more browsing at the markets in the Muslim quarter. Perusing stalls of nick-nacks that had no necessary purpose, a lot of us stocked up on gifts for when we got home or simply haggled to see how low we could get the price on an item that we were only vaguely interested in buying. Hanging back from the group after a while, I ventured out on my own and explored the more deep and convoluted streets. I didn't really have much of an interest in buying anything and made a point of moving on as soon as the stall owner appeared and began the hard-sell. I did find a little bag that might suit my laptop and save me carrying my day-pack everywhere. There were a pair of Aviator sunglasses that I might also buy, if I could find a cheap pair that didn't make my eyes sore. Wandering was the only purpose of the afternoon.
Finally tiring and desiring a toilet that didn't smell of death, I made my way back through the impressively dense crowd. The national holiday would start tomorrow and this was only a precursor... the next few days would be interesting.
I was starting to feel pretty ordinary. Thankfully the smog appeared to have cloaked the mystical powers of my belt, hopefully the intestinal maelstrom would pass before clear-sky could break through and be controlled by my Nasty-Butt.
Returning to the hotel brought on instant relief. It was fairly late in the afternoon and there was meant to be a group dinner tonight. I settled in for a nap, I would make a decision on dinner closer to the time. Dom appeared a couple of hours later in a similar state. Several hours after the group must have made their way to dinner, I woke up again and entertained myself with some issues of Transmetropolitan before drifting off to sleep for the rest of the night.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
300908 – Great Wall to Beijing
My knee had ached a bit throughout the night, but I managed to sleep in until Adam started banging on the door.
“Guys! We leave in 20 minutes!”
Dom and I executed a rapid exit and managed to be in the first group to check-out. Breakfast had been skipped but I managed to snack on an apple and banana left over from yesterday. Snoozing for much of the journey, the trip back to Beijing was mostly unremarkable.
We no longer had any rooms at the original accommodation, so were dropped in the car-park of a nearby hotel/tourism complex and told to meet back here at 3pm. We four boys went hunting for lunch, deciding that Mr Lee's would suffice for today.
Walking up the street and past our previous hotel, we turned the corner and went into the local restaurant chain. Bundled upstairs, there was no attempt to find us an English speaking waitress or even a menu. Working from memory, we felt brave enough to order from the card provided and were delivered cuisine exactly opposite to what we had been anticipating.
Namely, our cups of Coke had be substituted with a type of chilled barley tea that most of the guys couldn't choke down. Dom ordered a picture of a chicken dish with seasoning that came out chilled. None of us were brave enough to even try it. We were provided with one serve of noodles too many, so Dom still had something to eat, but none of what we received was anywhere near as nice as it had been the day before.
Giving up on the meal and warning the group of girls that ha decided to follow us, we retreated to the MacDonalds next door. We were all feeling poorly and didn't want to risk getting sick. I was still feeling pretty average but hopeful that I'd feel better with a couple of days of safe food and sleep.
Following Adams suggestion and the reported success of Greg and Alice, we set out for the Silk Road markets. A couple of metro stops delivered us at our assumed destination. Two small subterranean streets with vendors on both sides trying to sell us all manners of cheap touristy junk left us a little unimpressed. I was still certain that we weren't actually there yet and convinced the others to at least try and find the street-level. Following a corridor, past a beggar and up some stairs we found a supermarket that was noted for later. We would need to buy supplies for the train.
Suddenly, we were surrounded by an ocean of shoes.
WOW.. lots of them.. even more girls trying to sell each of us a dozen different types of footware.
We had arrived.
The next hour was spent on 3 of the 5 floors of the Silk Road building. There was an entire floor dedicated to shoes, another to bags and a third for clothes. We didn't go to the top two floors for fear of time or ambush. Making our way through the markets was a tag-team effort of avoiding the vendors, making and breaking eye-contact long enough to be evasive, telling the seller blocking your path that the guy BEHIND you needs said shoes... We managed to avoid buying anything. Most of the stalls were simply variations of each other.
Retreating to the lower levels, we stocked up on drinks and snacks for the train. Departing with a little time to spare, we caught the metro back to the centre of Beijing and stocked up on MacDonalds. I was starting to feel VERY ordinary and kept repeating to myself that “the safe food will make you feel better in an hour or two.. it always does..”
Munching my burger through the nausea and pedestrians, we walked the major road back to where the bus would be waiting. Passing through the deserted underpasses and along the side-walks, we made good time. Sitting in the shade by the massive hotel, we waited under the glare of two security guards until Lillian appeared. Suitcase in hand and bus not far behind, we were ready to leave Beijing. It had been a great start to the trip and I would happily come back here for a couple of weeks again in the future.
By 3pm, the entire group was on the bus and we were pulling out of the carpark. The traffic had started to thicken and congeal, but we got to the train station with a good hour to spare. Getting dropped on the opposite side of the road, we had to walk about 500 metres along footpath and across overpasses to get to the entrance. Barricades had been positioned to narrow the flow of people two about 4 people wide. Only two double doors out of the massive articulated window were open to receive passengers and pass them through the two metal detectors and X-Ray machines. We regrouped directly inside the building and moved through what I would have described as a major Airport Terminal to our waiting lounge. The next hour was filled with hunting down snacks, bottled water and toilets as we waited for our train.
When our time had been called, we humped our packs and lined up to get our tickets clipped. Smiling back at the other western tourists, we made our way through the network of corridors and down onto the platform. Passing dozens of carriages, we walked the stretching distance of the train to our carriage. The platform seemed to go on forever, but finally we were there.
Negotiating the interior of the the car, it was hard to remember that most of our travelling companions would be new to the concept of railway transport. Biting my tongue with patience, I finally tossed my hand luggage onto the top bunk and heaved my main pack onto my head before navigating it onto the wide ledge running just below the roof.
When in a multi-person compartment, you never want to be on the bottom bunk. Used as seating during the day, you can only sleep when no-one else wants to sit up. In Russia and Mongolia, I'd always opted for the top bunk. This seemed to keep everyone happy as I slept the most and they all liked having the bottom bunk. Whereas Russian trains had two levels, Chinese trains have three. By being on any bunk about seating-level means you can seek out privacy whenever you see fit. You can choose when you want to sleep versus having your waking hours dictated to you.
We had finally settled in and the train had departed. Our gear had been stowed and some snacks had appeared. It was Charlotte's birthday today and appropriate drinks appeared in short order. I felt a little sorry for her, the new group had not had the chance to really bond well yet and she certainly was having an average time compared to if it was at the end of the trip. Some drinks were laid on, but in a week or two there would have been a cake and probably gifts. Just bad luck and worse timing. Still, drinks were plentiful and stretched into the night. She seemed to have a good time.
For the beginning of the train journey and the rest of the daylight hours, I took the opportunity to sit in the little seat at the window and try and *see* this country. What I saw astonished me.
The smog and haze of Beijing had been significant, looking at nearby buildings gave a white haze that made you want to blink, as though your glasses were fogged or smeared. At times, visibility would have been about 2 kilometres or maybe a little better. Now that we were out of the city, it really hit me.
Directly overhead, you could just make out some blue of the sky. The distance was concealed behind the white and grey screen of smog and the sun was an angry orange and red ball, fighting with the pollution but still safe to look directly at. It was currently 4pm. As the afternoon and the train drew on, the sun dropped a little and dimmed to the brightness of the moon at midday. Eventually, by a little after 5, it had been completely swallowed by the smog. The sky was just a glare of grey and white light.
Escaping through the endless outskirts of the megatropolis, we passed the rapid staccato of various industrial districts divided by low-lying housing and tall residential blocks. The continual march of industrialisation was almost angry. Its fingers, straining and crooked, tearing out into the countryside as fields and little corpses of trees met an abrupt, concrete interface. Like water to sand, the high-density blocks and industrialised zones punctured the farmland.
Our train pounding on, as though it were a river, dragging this development into the outskirts and then the surrounding rural regions. Great torrents of vehicles, fences and construction pouring into the region, splashing out and running together into to pools of activity. This onslaught of progress and industry tore through the hillsides with such velocity, its entourage of smog being dragged along like a vapour trail.
Such is the cost of our world.
Such is the cost of Industry and Progress.
This was our choice.
Finally, the sky grew dark. Escaping the bitter atmosphere, the sun would appear in the morning with new strength. Such was its courage to do battle with the sweat of Global Economics.
The night drew on and more drinks appeared. Charlotte was suitably made a fuss of and was particularly drunk by the time I quietly put the bottle of vodka I got for my birthday back into my main pack. It was about an hour after I went to bed that she realised it had disappeared, complaining that she wanted more to drink. Though it was a fun night, a couple of the girls bared teeth and drew claws, I made myself scarce as soon as the pleasantness started to drop from the conversation.
Just before sleep, I peeked out the window and shone my new laser into the sky. For its entire length, it was a brilliant green beam. There was still so much smog and pollution in the air that you couldn't just see it, you could almost cut it.
“Guys! We leave in 20 minutes!”
Dom and I executed a rapid exit and managed to be in the first group to check-out. Breakfast had been skipped but I managed to snack on an apple and banana left over from yesterday. Snoozing for much of the journey, the trip back to Beijing was mostly unremarkable.
We no longer had any rooms at the original accommodation, so were dropped in the car-park of a nearby hotel/tourism complex and told to meet back here at 3pm. We four boys went hunting for lunch, deciding that Mr Lee's would suffice for today.
Walking up the street and past our previous hotel, we turned the corner and went into the local restaurant chain. Bundled upstairs, there was no attempt to find us an English speaking waitress or even a menu. Working from memory, we felt brave enough to order from the card provided and were delivered cuisine exactly opposite to what we had been anticipating.
Namely, our cups of Coke had be substituted with a type of chilled barley tea that most of the guys couldn't choke down. Dom ordered a picture of a chicken dish with seasoning that came out chilled. None of us were brave enough to even try it. We were provided with one serve of noodles too many, so Dom still had something to eat, but none of what we received was anywhere near as nice as it had been the day before.
Giving up on the meal and warning the group of girls that ha decided to follow us, we retreated to the MacDonalds next door. We were all feeling poorly and didn't want to risk getting sick. I was still feeling pretty average but hopeful that I'd feel better with a couple of days of safe food and sleep.
Following Adams suggestion and the reported success of Greg and Alice, we set out for the Silk Road markets. A couple of metro stops delivered us at our assumed destination. Two small subterranean streets with vendors on both sides trying to sell us all manners of cheap touristy junk left us a little unimpressed. I was still certain that we weren't actually there yet and convinced the others to at least try and find the street-level. Following a corridor, past a beggar and up some stairs we found a supermarket that was noted for later. We would need to buy supplies for the train.
Suddenly, we were surrounded by an ocean of shoes.
WOW.. lots of them.. even more girls trying to sell each of us a dozen different types of footware.
We had arrived.
The next hour was spent on 3 of the 5 floors of the Silk Road building. There was an entire floor dedicated to shoes, another to bags and a third for clothes. We didn't go to the top two floors for fear of time or ambush. Making our way through the markets was a tag-team effort of avoiding the vendors, making and breaking eye-contact long enough to be evasive, telling the seller blocking your path that the guy BEHIND you needs said shoes... We managed to avoid buying anything. Most of the stalls were simply variations of each other.
Retreating to the lower levels, we stocked up on drinks and snacks for the train. Departing with a little time to spare, we caught the metro back to the centre of Beijing and stocked up on MacDonalds. I was starting to feel VERY ordinary and kept repeating to myself that “the safe food will make you feel better in an hour or two.. it always does..”
Munching my burger through the nausea and pedestrians, we walked the major road back to where the bus would be waiting. Passing through the deserted underpasses and along the side-walks, we made good time. Sitting in the shade by the massive hotel, we waited under the glare of two security guards until Lillian appeared. Suitcase in hand and bus not far behind, we were ready to leave Beijing. It had been a great start to the trip and I would happily come back here for a couple of weeks again in the future.
By 3pm, the entire group was on the bus and we were pulling out of the carpark. The traffic had started to thicken and congeal, but we got to the train station with a good hour to spare. Getting dropped on the opposite side of the road, we had to walk about 500 metres along footpath and across overpasses to get to the entrance. Barricades had been positioned to narrow the flow of people two about 4 people wide. Only two double doors out of the massive articulated window were open to receive passengers and pass them through the two metal detectors and X-Ray machines. We regrouped directly inside the building and moved through what I would have described as a major Airport Terminal to our waiting lounge. The next hour was filled with hunting down snacks, bottled water and toilets as we waited for our train.
When our time had been called, we humped our packs and lined up to get our tickets clipped. Smiling back at the other western tourists, we made our way through the network of corridors and down onto the platform. Passing dozens of carriages, we walked the stretching distance of the train to our carriage. The platform seemed to go on forever, but finally we were there.
Negotiating the interior of the the car, it was hard to remember that most of our travelling companions would be new to the concept of railway transport. Biting my tongue with patience, I finally tossed my hand luggage onto the top bunk and heaved my main pack onto my head before navigating it onto the wide ledge running just below the roof.
When in a multi-person compartment, you never want to be on the bottom bunk. Used as seating during the day, you can only sleep when no-one else wants to sit up. In Russia and Mongolia, I'd always opted for the top bunk. This seemed to keep everyone happy as I slept the most and they all liked having the bottom bunk. Whereas Russian trains had two levels, Chinese trains have three. By being on any bunk about seating-level means you can seek out privacy whenever you see fit. You can choose when you want to sleep versus having your waking hours dictated to you.
We had finally settled in and the train had departed. Our gear had been stowed and some snacks had appeared. It was Charlotte's birthday today and appropriate drinks appeared in short order. I felt a little sorry for her, the new group had not had the chance to really bond well yet and she certainly was having an average time compared to if it was at the end of the trip. Some drinks were laid on, but in a week or two there would have been a cake and probably gifts. Just bad luck and worse timing. Still, drinks were plentiful and stretched into the night. She seemed to have a good time.
For the beginning of the train journey and the rest of the daylight hours, I took the opportunity to sit in the little seat at the window and try and *see* this country. What I saw astonished me.
The smog and haze of Beijing had been significant, looking at nearby buildings gave a white haze that made you want to blink, as though your glasses were fogged or smeared. At times, visibility would have been about 2 kilometres or maybe a little better. Now that we were out of the city, it really hit me.
Directly overhead, you could just make out some blue of the sky. The distance was concealed behind the white and grey screen of smog and the sun was an angry orange and red ball, fighting with the pollution but still safe to look directly at. It was currently 4pm. As the afternoon and the train drew on, the sun dropped a little and dimmed to the brightness of the moon at midday. Eventually, by a little after 5, it had been completely swallowed by the smog. The sky was just a glare of grey and white light.
Escaping through the endless outskirts of the megatropolis, we passed the rapid staccato of various industrial districts divided by low-lying housing and tall residential blocks. The continual march of industrialisation was almost angry. Its fingers, straining and crooked, tearing out into the countryside as fields and little corpses of trees met an abrupt, concrete interface. Like water to sand, the high-density blocks and industrialised zones punctured the farmland.
Our train pounding on, as though it were a river, dragging this development into the outskirts and then the surrounding rural regions. Great torrents of vehicles, fences and construction pouring into the region, splashing out and running together into to pools of activity. This onslaught of progress and industry tore through the hillsides with such velocity, its entourage of smog being dragged along like a vapour trail.
Such is the cost of our world.
Such is the cost of Industry and Progress.
This was our choice.
Finally, the sky grew dark. Escaping the bitter atmosphere, the sun would appear in the morning with new strength. Such was its courage to do battle with the sweat of Global Economics.
The night drew on and more drinks appeared. Charlotte was suitably made a fuss of and was particularly drunk by the time I quietly put the bottle of vodka I got for my birthday back into my main pack. It was about an hour after I went to bed that she realised it had disappeared, complaining that she wanted more to drink. Though it was a fun night, a couple of the girls bared teeth and drew claws, I made myself scarce as soon as the pleasantness started to drop from the conversation.
Just before sleep, I peeked out the window and shone my new laser into the sky. For its entire length, it was a brilliant green beam. There was still so much smog and pollution in the air that you couldn't just see it, you could almost cut it.
290908 – Beijing to Great Wall
**SUMMARY** PLACEHOLDER
Packing and prepare to leave
Breakfast at Maccas and supermarket
Walk to bus
Trip out to Great wall
Great Wall – walk and cable-car
Bus to hostel
drink and snooze
drinks with the others
dinner
Chill out and early night
Packing and prepare to leave
Breakfast at Maccas and supermarket
Walk to bus
Trip out to Great wall
Great Wall – walk and cable-car
Bus to hostel
drink and snooze
drinks with the others
dinner
Chill out and early night
280908 – Beijing
**SUMMARY** PLACEHOLDER
Lama Temple
Winter Palace
Kung Fu show
Finishing Dinner with the other group
Lama Temple
Winter Palace
Kung Fu show
Finishing Dinner with the other group
270908 – Beijing
**SUMMARY** PLACEHOLDER
Change rooms
Forbidden city
Mr Lee's for lunch
Changing money
Night Market for Dinner - Snake
Change rooms
Forbidden city
Mr Lee's for lunch
Changing money
Night Market for Dinner - Snake
260908 – Beijing
**SUMMARY** PLACEHOLDER
Arrive and head to hostel about 330
Maccas
shower & refresh
New group meeting
Leaving Dinner/Welcome dinner
Last night
Arrive and head to hostel about 330
Maccas
shower & refresh
New group meeting
Leaving Dinner/Welcome dinner
Last night
250908 – Mongolia, Ulaan Batar to Train. Birthday
**SUMMARY** PLACEHOLDER
Clubbing, drinks
Alcohol hunting and going to Temor's
Chilling out at Temor's
Back to hotel and packing,
Getting ready and getting Andy up.
Breakfast and preparing to depart,
Denesh's drama
Boarding train and settling in for the day.
Mongolian plane's and scenery,
Birthday Cake, song and card.
Border crossing.
Changing gauge on the trains.
Sleep
Clubbing, drinks
Alcohol hunting and going to Temor's
Chilling out at Temor's
Back to hotel and packing,
Getting ready and getting Andy up.
Breakfast and preparing to depart,
Denesh's drama
Boarding train and settling in for the day.
Mongolian plane's and scenery,
Birthday Cake, song and card.
Border crossing.
Changing gauge on the trains.
Sleep
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