The Great Wall and Beijing

Posted on 7th September 20188th September 2018 by Andy

Arriving early in Beijing, we navigated the station to find a decent bathroom in order to have a quick wash and freshen up after the night train before we met our new guide, Suzy. A few minutes walk outside the station, past all the new army recruits, we boarded a private bus that took us to the hostel where we were able to drop our bags off and re-pack. We weren’t able to check into the hostel as we weren’t staying the night because later that day we were heading off for a night of camping next to an unrestored section of The Great Wall of China.

The bus picked us up and we drove for about an hour or so outside of Beijing and stopped at a local farm for lunch where we stocked up on cold beer, drinks and collected our camping equipment, ready for the small, hour-long hike. It was quite gentle compared to the Moon Palace or the Dharma cave hikes. I was expecting it to be much harder going, but the long grasses and tree branches made it necessary to wear long trousers. It felt strange wearing long trousers again; the last time I wore them was in the Sahara Desert. About half way up a clearing revealed the view over what we had just trekked through.

I couldn’t believe how lush and green it was or how many mountains I could see or how high they were. The path was quite steep in places and I know we were carrying a daypack and lightweight camping equipment, but it certainly makes you think how hard it must have been several thousand years ago when they were building the wall, having to carry all the stones up this path.

It wasn’t long before we reached the top, a little terraced clearing next to the wall, very similar to the terraces on The Inca Trail. The wall itself at this point really didn’t look all that spectacular, quite a let down if am being honest. It was still about eight foot tall and made of big blocks, some cracked and crumbling, others intact. But then you look to the left and look to the right and it stretches as far as the eye can see, over the top of the mountains and beyond, with little turrets and gatehouses along the way.

The first thing we did, was set up the tents and then search for firewood in the woods which have now taken over most of the land by the wall.

We had to do this before it go too dark. Once that was done, there was time to go and explore the wall itself. Scrambled up to the nearest gatehouse which had several arches and no roof. The wind was surprisingly fierce up here and there was little shelter from the wind even in the gatehouses. At one point I was nearly blown off the wall and lost in the trees, but fortunately was able to maintain hold. The sun was getting low in the sky now, so decided to stay on the wall and watch it set and the colours changing across the hills and in the sky. It was something else and an experience not to be missed.

The fire was roaring by now and the beers flowing but by 20:30 the temperature had dropped dramatically and it’s such a long time since I felt cold like that, I had forgotten what it was like. Everyone decided to turn in for an early night and seek shelter in the tents as there was an early start planned again, this time to watch the sun rise at 05:30. It was a pretty restless night in a flapping tent which was more of a festival, ‘Argos special’, rather than a Northface expedition tent, but it did the job. I would hate to have been in that if it were raining. After little sleep, we woke up in time to see the sun peek above the mountains and feel the warmth hit us.

By 06:30, the camp was packed up and we began trekking down back to the farm to drop off the camping equipment and get the bus back to the hostel in Beijing.

As it’s still early, we’re unable to check into the hostel, so before we get there, we stop off and visit the Olympic Park and the ‘birds nest stadium’. Sadly we weren’t able to get inside the stadium but the grounds are pretty impressive.

Back to the hostel for a shower and change then it’s off to see Tiananmen Square, made famous by the student protests in 1989 when the government decided to send in the military tanks to remove the protesters. However most Chinese citizens know this area as the seat of Chinese government, nothing much about the 1989 protests. Unfortunately due to a trade conference today, security was extra tight and we weren’t able to access the square itself. Opposite though, was the Forbidden City which shows the portrait of Chairman Mao.

There are 4 gates to go through before you get to the palace. It’s the largest palatial complex in the world and has seen 24 Chinese Emperors. It is so vast and has so many rooms, that if a child were born and spent one night in each room, by the time it had slept in each room once, it would be 27 years old.

Clearly we didn’t have enough time to explore the whole thing but the buildings were well preserved and the gardens in Jingshan Park are so manicured. It was a great opportunity to climb to the top for a birds eye view over the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square.

In the evening Suzy took us to a local restaurant for Beijing duck, like crispy duck pancakes we’re used to in Chinese restaurants back home. It felt really special as we had a private room to ourselves and it only cost 65 Yuans (about £6).

Next morning had a quick explore in the historic district of Nanluo which was just one stop on the metro (3 Yuans / 30p) has narrow streets, lots of shops selling handicrafts as well as having a few bars and cafes. Again, it was enjoyable to wonder around at leisure, unhindered. Afterwards and 5 stops on the metro, only 5 Yuans, visited the Temple of Heaven, the largest complex of Heaven worship in the world and where ancient sacrifices were made to ensure a bountiful harvest.

Now catching another night train to Hangzhou and then heading to Moganshan mountain, famed for its bamboo forests.

Cycling, Warriors and Kung Fu

Posted on 6th September 20188th September 2018 by Andy

I caught another bullet train to Xi’an, this time it only took 4 hours so not too bad. On all the trains and metros in China, bags have to be scanned like at the airport and usually any flammable deodorant or anti-bug sprays are confiscated. Here I lost my Jungle Formula deet spray but I wan’t overly fussed as have not really needed it yet, but will need to get some more before I head to India in a couple of weeks.

Here I got to cycle on top of the 13 km long city walls which date back to the Ming Dynasty in 14th Century. The wall is about 10 m wide and is the start of the Silk Route. In places the wall had been repaired so it was smooth, flat cycling, but in other places it was quite bumpy.

I started cycling at about 17.30 from the East Gate and cycled in an anti clockwise direction. It took about an hour and half to reach the South Gate which has one of the best views over Xi’an at sunset. Even though it was busy, it wasn’t overly crowded.

After the sun had set, the group headed to the Muslim quarter and wondered through the markets, that were very similar in style to the medinas in Morocco but without the smell or harassment from the stall holders. It was a pleasure to walk through at leisure and browse. Once through the market we went to a restaurant for a group meal which was really nice. However having had a large breakfast at the hostel and a big lunch earlier in the day, I really wasn’t that hungry which was a great shame as the food was absolutely fantastic. On the way back to the hostel, we stopped by the bell tower which is in a roundabout all lit up beautifully, certainly more impressive than the Arc de Triumph.

Next morning was a massive China highlight, visiting the Terracotta Warriors. A bonus was meeting Yang Xi An, the farmer who discovered them back in 1974 when he was digging a well. Our guide told us that the farmer actually found them originally in 1968 but being superstitious, buried them once again before notifying officials.

There are large 3 pits you can walk around and a museum, but perhaps the most impressive is Pit 1. The warriors are representing the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Each warrior has individual features, colours, clothes, weapons etc., and no two are the same. It’s estimated there are more than 7000 warriors here, but most remain buried still. The pits are about 7 m deep and the warriors are approx. 8 ft tall. Similar to the pandas, people are jostling for position to take photos but it’s difficult to get close due to the barriers in place.

We leave Xi’an the next day by public bus and head to Shaolin, famed for Kung Fu, and get to visit the Shaolin Temple. The journey felt really long, with locals noisily playing on their phones and trying to capture photos of us. It was a relief to finally arrive. The temple itself was a little disappointing, maybe I had built up a different mental picture through the movies, but still enjoyable. The first evening by the hostel, there was a show put on by the ‘Kung Fu Kids’, local children aged from 3 – 17 who practice Kung fu 6 hours per day and then English, Maths and Science.

It was very impressive and hurt just watching it. At the Shaolin Temple there was another more professional show put on and the auditorium felt like it was a hidden thing, as if we shouldn’t have been there. But highly impressive and with audience participation, much to the amusement of everyone.

Following the show, we hiked up to the Dharma Cave, about 2 miles from the temple, but this is the small cave where the creator of Kung Fu stayed for 9 years before being allowed into the temple. Saw plenty of golden orb spiders on the way up and the view from the top would have been really impressive but it was little cloudy, but that didn’t prevent the heat.

It was back to the hostel after a long, hot day for a shower and change of clothes before heading to the train station to board the night sleeper train to Beijing. The cost of the ticket was about 164 Yuans, that’s about £15-£18 and you get a flat bed. The journey wasn’t too bad and arrived in Beijing at about 06.20hrs…

Pandas !

Posted on 6th September 20188th September 2018 by Andy

Had a free day on Yangshuo, waiting for laundry, before we had to catch the train to Chengdu. I didn’t want to venture out too far, simply to avoid getting hot and sweaty before a train journey, so I stayed reasonably local and wandered about the town. It was a shame to leave Yangshuo as it felt familiar somehow, not dissimilar to Sharm, but – there are other things to see and do in China.

We got to the station after a 90 minute private bus ride and checked in. The tickets are linked to your identification, whether you are a local or a foreigner, and the seat is assigned. It’s similar to booking an airline seat but for some reason, feel like all movements are somehow being monitored. All credit to the Chinese, their rail infrastructure is fantastic. It’s clean, prompt, comfortable, spacious and unlike the trains back home, it even smells clean. Just an observation I hadn’t really noticed before, but there is no graffiti anywhere, hardly any litter, no dog shit or any chewing gum marks on the pavements. Has to be said on the face of it, communism has a lot of plus points. At the station, they prevent passengers accessing the platform until the train is in there, I guess as these are bullet trains that travel in excess of 240 km per hour it may be a safety thing.

After the 7 hr train journey, we arrived in Chengdu and checked in to Mrs Panda’s hostel. I was expecting it to be excessively Panda themed and Chengdu to be quite a rural setting but I was wrong on both counts. Chengdu turns out to be about the 5th or 6th largest city in China; a heaving metropolis but it’s famed for the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and to be honest, it was one of the things I wanted to see in China above anything else. The hostel wasn’t all that but it was clean-ish, served cold beer but had a nice feel to it. The food in Chengdu was a lot cheaper than we had been paying in Yangshuo so now it felt like we were being ripped off previously without knowing. There was a little roadside restaurant next to the hostel that served excellent, tasty Chinese meal with beer for next to nothing, say less than 30 Yuans (£3.40) . I am now becoming quite proficient with chopsticks having lost my Spork in Yangshuo…

Next day it was off to see the pandas 🙂 and lots of anticipation in seeing them. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like pandas, and if they don’t, probably don’t want to know them anyway. Sadly there are only about 1800 pandas left in the world due to poaching, hunting, loss of habitat and them not being able to successfully breed in the wild or even in captivity. This centre has about 180 pandas and has an almost 100% success rate in breeding the pandas. In Chinese, panda means bear (pan) and cat (da) and they had red pandas and giant pandas too. It was much larger than I was expecting and the grounds in between the enclosures were full of thick bamboo, used only as a reserve if the normal supply of bamboo runs out. In the first couple of enclosures there was not much to see, but you definitely knew you could see the pandas in the next one judging by the number of people crowding around, all with their cameras held in the air. I had to jostle for position to try to take photos. Decorum and etiquette go out of the window here as three or four pandas are play fighting with each other and knocking one off a tree stump who rolled around on the ground, making the crowd laugh and go ‘ahhhhh’.

I managed to get a few photos of the pandas without the back of peoples heads in the way and then moved on to the next enclosure for more of the same.

Later on was able to get into the nursery section where the pandas range from 3 weeks to 3 months old. There was one little panda, just 3 weeks old, in an incubator behind a glass screen to keep people away. It was virtually impossible to get a good photo through the glass.

Back at the hostel in Chengdu, we go for a walk around People’s Park which was really picturesque and where lots of older Chinese people come to dance in the evening. It had a bit old a school disco feel to it with some people standing around the edge waiting for a partner to ask them. There were all sorts of music playing form traditional Chinese to a sort of modern ministry of sound. There were also some tea houses here and monuments to fallen soldiers in the wars gone by.

Afterwards, our guide took us to a local restaurant to experience a traditional Szechwan Hot Pot. It was very similar to a fondu in style, with a big square pot of boiling spiced oil in the middle of the table into which various meats, vegetables and tofu were placed. The oil was kept boiling from a burner underneath. Trouble is that with excessively long chop sticks, it was impossible to fish out much to eat before it disintegrated. No wonder the Chinese are so slim.

Next day we visited the Tibetan district which was a really nice area to walk around, plenty of shops selling all sorts and lots of places to eat or drink. The park grounds were incredibly tranquil even though they were full of people. Here we suddenly became acutely aware that we had sort of become a tourist attraction ourselves, with lots of people taking our pictures – some discreetly whilst others were quite blatant and pushing their camera phones into your face.