Datong - Pingyao - Xian

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Its been a while since I've been able to get a decent computer with a working internet connection. At the time of my last post I was in Datong about 10 days ago. Since then, I've been through Datong, Pingyao, Xian and Shanghai. Right now I am in Hangzhou, about an hour south of Shanghai by the fast train.

I'll start where I left off before - Datong. Datong is a dirty industrial and mining city about 6 hours northwest of Beijing by train. When I bought my ticket, the only tickets available were for sleepers on the daytime train. I had hoped to avoid day trains and buses as much as possible so that I would lose as little time as possible on the road or rails. That is not always possible, especially at the end of a holiday. I arrived in Datong late in the afternoon. After passing through all the cab drivers and hotel touts I caught the bus to the only hostel I was able to find in town. I didn't have a reservation, but I was confident they would have rooms available. I was not sure which stop to get off, but a man standing next to me helped me out. In the center of Datong stand some fairly impressive city walls, which I did not expect. The hostel was on a nice shopping street, which contrasted sharply with the rest of the city. This street had a nice feel to it, while all around it there were dirty buildings, some in the process of either falling apart or being demolished. I was right in my assumption and the hostel had beds available in the dorms, which I took. It was a fairly small place, unlike the rest of the hostels I have stayed in. Unfortunately the staff didn't speak English, but some of the other guests helped. I was able to arrange to share a cab with a few other people the next morning to go to the hanging monastery a couple hours away. I went to eat at a pretty fancy looking restaurant. They had some cheap dishes, which I choose from, as well as the more expensive ones. I had a plate of lamb dumplings that were good and a bowl of knife-cut noodles.

The following morning we had scheduled the cab pickup at around 7:00, so I got up early to get ready. By the time we left, got gas and picked up the 4th person, we were on the road out of Datong around 8:00. The drive was about 2 hours through the city, mountains, a farming valley, and back into mountains. Datong has a surprising amount of new construction - mostly high-rise apartment buildings. I have seen a lot of new buildings going up all over China. The edge of the city was strange. It was so abrupt that it surprised me. We drove past new apartments under construction, then the 8-lane road had literally nothing around it for a while and then we were out of the city. Soon we were driving through some nice mountains. Besides the constant stream of trucks, the view was quite nice most of the way. By the time we got into the second set of mountains we were pretty much there. Sitting above the bottom of a dried up valley on the cliff face was the 1500 year old monastery. After paying the admission fee, we were walking across the riverbed up underneath it. The monastery is not built into the wall, but on the face of it supported by little more than the rock underneath and a few dozen wood pillars. We climbed up the stairs to it and we soon were climbing through it. The halls were open and very narrow, with short railing the only thing keeping you from falling over the edge. There were 3 main buildings, each with 2-3 levels. On each of these levels was a small room with Buddhist, Confucian or Taoist statues or images. A few places you could climb between the rock wall and the building so you could see how it was built. After climbing through the narrow stairs and passages for maybe an hour, we went back to the car. I thought we would be heading back to Datong, but instead we kept going about 5-10 minutes farther to Mt. Heng, one of the 5 holy mountains in China. My plan that day was to do the monastery in the morning and then get back in the early afternoon to do the Yungang Grottoes, on the opposite side of town. With the mountain, it was doubtful that I would have much time at the grottoes, if any, before they closed. The mountain itself was nice though. We took a chairlift up about halfway up to where some temples were. There were many temples around a valley, where we were. We took our time walking through a few of them, all very beautiful, both themselves and their location. We were getting pretty high up on the mountain, so the rest of my group wanted to go to the summit. I was doubtful that we would get back in time if we climbed to the top, but we did anyways. It took a lot longer than expected and I only went about halfway up since I didn't feel like walking up all the stairs. When they returned from the top, we walked down fairly quickly to the parking lot.

When we did make it back to Datong it was nearly 4:00, and the Grottoes closed at 5:30. I grabbed a quick bite at KFC, since it was the closest thing, and went to find the bus. I had to take two buses to get to the grottoes, and after getting a little lost at the transfer point, ended up at the grottoes just after 5. Since they were so expensive, I decided not to bother and just went back to the hostel. I was disappointed, but had a good time during the rest of the day so it wan't too bad. I found a supermarket with the help of my companions for the day so I could stock up for the upcoming midnight train to Pingyao. I still had quite a few hours to kill, and I didn't want to use up my books so I wandered around for a little bit and killed some time in the hostel. When it was getting close to time to leave, I split a cab with one of the girls from that day who was also leaving on the train, although she had a seat and was getting off before me. I had a bottom bunk in the hard sleeper compartment, but despite the name was actually reasonably comfortable. I read for a little bit and then was asleep soon after.

The train arrived in Pingyao around 7:00 in the morning and my hostel sent a driver to pick me up, along with two other girls on the same train. While we were driving to the hostel in the tuk-tuk, the three of us chatted. The two girls had just come from the trans-siberian railroad through Mongolia and had met in Ulaan Baatar. After checking in at the hostel, I decided to see the town. Pingyao is a city with a beautiful ancient town inside the city walls. There are about 2 dozen small museums in the ancient town. One ticket (75RMB with a student discount) gets you into all of them. The ancient city is a really nice place to wander around, even though it was raining a little when I was there. There are a lot of stray dogs around, although they seemed pretty tame. A couple of older puppies were hanging around the hostel. I wandered around most of the museums on the main streets. Some were more interesting than others, but all were quite beautiful locations. Most of the buildings seemed to consist of a complex with several courtyards and buildings. There were lots of guesthouses and teahouses which all followed the same configuration. In the olden days, Pingyao was the banking capital of China, with some of the first and most important banks in the country, and in the world. Naturally, several of the museums were of ancient banks. The others included armed escort services, temples, houses, a martial arts place, a governmental complex and others. I was finished with those in the early afternoon. I decided to get some food, but i was getting thoroughly soaked from being in the rain all day so I just went back to the hostel and ordered food there. It seemed like almost all the restaurants were attached to a guesthouse anyways. I put on some dry clothes and ate a plate of deepfried dumplings that didn't seem heated all the way through, but were still tasty. I was content to sit around the hostel the rest of the day and get to know the two girls I had met earlier that day, Nina and Emilie, as well as Simon, a Chinese guest who was in their same room. Once the rain let up the four of us went out on a walk around and in search of food. We ended up at a little restaurant and ordered a variety of dishes - dumplings, cat's ear shaped noodles, a rice noodle dish, some vegetable dish and fried rice. It was all quite good. After dinner it was dark, so we walked to the south gate, the nearest part of the wall. The walls are lit up at night, so it is quite beautiful. After taking our time walking, we ended back at the hostel for the night. I think we were all exhausted from the day and train ride so we went to bed fairly early.

The next day I was planning on going to the Qiao family compound, the estate of a wealthy family for several generations during the Qing dynasty. One of the films I watched in a film class in college, Raise the Red Lantern was filmed here, so that is what interested me in this particular place. There are several other family estates near Pingyao, even larger than Qiao's, but the Qiao compound was supposedly one of the best. Emilie and Nina were also interested in going so we decided to do it later in the afternoon so the taxi could take us there and then take Nina to the airport. We had a lazy morning, finally getting out around noon, when the 4 of us went to get brunch at the same place we ate before. Of all things, we got some banana pancakes/crepes and some fried springrolls. The owner of the restaurant helped us to arrange a car with his friend to take us where we wanted. The plan was for us to go to the Qiao compound, Emilie and I would walk back and take a bus back to Pingyao and Nina would go to the airport. It didn't quite work out like that though, which I will explain shortly. After lunch, we had a few hours until the time we scheduled the cab, so we split up and wandered around on our own. I went to check out some of the backstreets and walk a little on the wall before searching out an ATM. I had a bit of trouble finding one, so I had to walk all over town. We met back up at the arranged time to get the car. It was starting to drizzle a little at this point after being nice all morning. We arrived at the estate without any trouble and bought our tickets. The Qiao compound was very beautiful. There is a main hall, off of which are 6 main courtyards, with dozens of smaller ones. Each part of the complex seemed to be slightly different - different details in the wood and stone, slightly different doors, windows, etc. It was an incredible place - so much detail and decoration everywhere. All of the wood beams and stone pillars had carvings of some sort. There were red lanterns hanging in most of the courtyards. Several of the rooms had furnishings and pieces of art and ceramics. There were lots of signs telling us that spanning was not allowed. We were trying to figure out what exactly they ment. There were a few tour groups, but the place wasn't crowded. When we left it was still light, but because of the rain, it was getting dark quickly. Or original plan wouldn't have worked very well, since by the time we were back on the main road in the car it was dark. We drove to the airport in Taiyuan, the next city north. The drive seemed to take forever. When we dropped Nina off, there was some miscommunication with the driver who seemed to think that we were all going to the airport. He called up someone, who we later learned he was going to drive back to Pingyao from the airport. Things worked out though, since the guy he called spoke english, and we were able to get the driver to take us back too, for an extra 100yuan. We had a while to wait, so we got some dinner at a place where we were parked outside the airport. I had a beef and noodle dish that was actually pretty good. We eventually made it back to Pingyao sometime around 10:00 and paid off the driver. It was still wet out so we went back and to bed.

My plan was to go to Xian the next day. Emilie also had the same plan. We arranged a bus with the hostel, who provided a driver to take us to the bus stop. The bus was at 10:50, so we had some time for a walk in the morning to get some food. We had some fried dumplings and a plate of fried noodles, as well as a few snacks for the bus. I wasn't quite sure what I had bought for my snack. I later found out it was something similar to cornbread, with whatever grain they used. I was expecting something sweet, but it was still fine. We were on the road by 11 for Xian. We did the bus since it was easier to get a seat than the train and it took less time. It was actually quite comfortable. There was some nice scenery to look at outside too. I had part of a book to keep me occupied for some of the ride but I finished that about halfway through. Some weird show was playing on the tv screens, but it was difficult to follow. Despite the lack of entertainment, the rest of the drive didn't seem to take too long.

We were dropped off somewhere in Xian in the late afternoon. I wasn't sure where we were. We asked around and found a city bus that would take us to the train station. At the train station, we bought our onward tickets. I was heading to Shanghai and bought a hard sleeper. They only had a couple sleeper tickets left, so I was lucky to get one. Train travel in China is not as difficult as I had read. Every station so far has had an English speaking counter and tickets can be bought for pretty much any route at any station. I am still buying tickets one at a time, so I have more flexibility, but there is the option to buy a bunch in advance. The train station is located right outside the city walls. Our hostel was located at the opposite side of the walls, so we hopped on a bus that took us right there. The walled part of the city is not large, bigger than Pingyao's, but it only takes 15 minutes or so to get across by bus. The hostel was another very nice place. Still larger than I would like, but quiet enough, outside of the bar at least. When we checked in they gave us a coupon for a free beer each night we stayed in the Terracotta warrior themed bar in the basement. It was starting to get dark, but still too early to have the beer. Perfect time for food though. About 5 minutes away are the bell and drum towers, and a couple minutes more is the Muslim quarter. In the Muslim quarter are several streets filled with various food vendors, small restaurants, touristy shops and others. We wandered around a bit to get an idea of what was available. Lots of lamb, pomegranates, various rice and red bean cakes, dried fruit, etc. Our first stop was at a skewer place with a variety of meats ready to be grilled. We got a couple cheap (5yuan) lamb skewers that were incredible. They were so good that we would come back for more. I saw a lot of people eating a skewer with some spiral thing on it. I decided to try one since it was cheap. I'm still not quite sure what it is - I think it was some kind of dough, like for noodles, that is cut in a spiral and then grilled and coated with spices. It was spicy, but not my favorite. After a bit more wandering we bought a small container of a fried, egg-roll like wrap open at the ends. Also good and cheap. We ended with a sweet, steamed rice cake dipped in a kind of jelly and some flavorings. Walking back, the bell and drum towers were lit up beautifully and the main street was still quite busy. Along the main street from our hostel to the towers are a variety of shopping centers and brand name stores. Despite having only those shopping options, it still had a good, vibrant feel to it. By the time we got back, we could get our free beer (only available at certain times), so we checked out the bar. Surely enough, the bar had a variety of terracotta warrior statues and various related artwork. Despite (or perhaps because of) the theme, the bar could just as easily have been in some western city. After finishing our drinks, we decided that the next morning we would take the bus to the terracotta warriors and went off to bed.

Apparently I set my clock an hour early, but I woke up with enough time anyways. We made our way to the train station to get on a bus that went to the terracotta warriors park area. It took about an hour at a cost of 7yuan. When we arrived, we had to walk quite a ways to get to the ticket office, and then even farther to get to the entrance. The entire walk from the ticket office to the entrance is lined with buildings full of shops and carts all selling the same stuff - mostly jewelry and terracotta warrior replicas of all sizes. Since it was still early, only a few of the many shops were set up for business. Eventually we made it to the gates, where we showed our tickets (and my student id again). About 100m farther was another gate, where they checked our tickets again. It seemed entirely unnecessary. Once we were through the second gate, we were in a large plaza with several buildings. We went in what appeared to be the main one, which enclosed pit 1. The terracotta army is in 3 pits, with pit 1 being the largest and most excavated. As soon as you walk in, you are in a huge enclosed space with the whole pit below you. About the first third (maybe a little more) was completely excavated and filled with the statues standing in rows. Each row was 4-5 statues wide, separated from the next by an earth and brick wall. These walls were used to support the woven roof covered with dirt. The sight was incredible. The area right at the front was very crowded, but as soon as you walked around, it became less crowded and much easier to take some photos. After admiring the statues, we started walking around the pit. In the middle there were some partially excavated areas, with what appeared to be a staged excavation, so we could see how it was done as well as some still partially buried figures. At the back, there were a few rows of statues and a few horses put up for display on the unexcavated part of the site. All of the statues on display, both there and up front were mostly in one piece. There were quite a few missing heads or hands, or with some small holes though.

Once finished with pit 1, we moved on to pits 2 and 3. These pits are much smaller than pit 1. Pit 2 is mostly unexcavated it seems. In the building of pit 2 several of the figures are displayed in glass cases. There were a variety of different figures - an archer, a horseman and horse, a soldier, general, etc. They were just as impressive viewed close. The figures are incredibly detailed, with realistic faces, armor, clothing, shoes, everything. There were also some of the weapons found on display as well. Pit 2 is supposed to hold most of the support units for the army it seems - archers, chariots and other soldiers, while the first pit holds the bulk of the soldiers and some chariots. Pit 3 is small, only holding a couple dozen figures. It seems that pit 3 serves as the command center for the army. You could pay to have you picture taken with some replica statues or have your face put onto a photo of a terracotta soldier. I think that someone should offer to put your likeness on a miniature statue using a 3D printer. I'm sure that will be an option soon enough.

When we finished with the pits, we walked to the museum, which housed a few exhibits. There was some clay figures from other excavations, a pair of bronze chariots and an exhibit about the museum and park area. After finishing with the museum, we went back through the souvenir area. This time, everyone was open and ready. I decided that I wanted a set of mini terracotta warriors. I knew that I would have to bargain hard to get a good price. After inquiring at a few places, I was able to get a set for 14 yuan, a decent price I think. I gave him 15 for it and he didn't want to give me change, so he first offered me an unfinished half of a pomegranate he was eating, but I declined that and he gave me an extra figure instead. Probably made a profit on that too. The bus ride back was the same, easy enough. By the time we made it back it was mid-afternoon. We walked around a couple of streets near the hostel. They seemed to be an art and calligraphy area. There was a variety of shops with prints and paintings, as well as several stalls selling brushes and other calligraphy necessities. We were getting hungry so it was time for more food! We went back to the Muslim Quarter, since that seemed to be the best place to eat. We had a kind of Chinese roast beef sandwich. It was a roast, very tender beef inside of a sort of hard bun cut in half. It was so delicious. That was enough to hold me over until dinner, which was not far off. We walked through a narrow side street that was filled with tourist goods, silk goods and various clothes. We had a good time inspecting some of the almost certainly fake brands - most of them were North Face jackets and such. Back at the hostel, we rested for a while, found a nearby supermarket to stock up on some snacks for the next day, had our free beer and soon we were getting hungry again. This time we went out a bit later than before - closer to 10. When we got to the Muslim quarter (again!), it seemed a bit quieter than before and some of the vendors (mostly shops) were starting to pack up while we walked around. We had a similar meal to the night before - lamb sticks, rice cakes and whatever else looked good. On our way back we planned out the next day - we would try to seek out the bird and flower market and just wander around a bit before checkout at noon, and then just relax in the hostel until our trains. We saw at least half a dozen guys with telescopes set up on the way back - it was a nice clear night with a big moon and Jupiter (i think) nearby. These weren't small telescopes, really big ones actually. They were charging a fee to look through so we didn't stop at any.

I woke up feeling a bit sick, nothing too bad, just a bit of a stomachache. Probably from something I ate the last night - I don't think the lamb was completely cooked through. I didn't really feel too bad though after a little bit. I had an omlette at the hostel because I was really hungry, and then we went in search of the bird market. I don't think we were successful, since we never saw any birds or flowers. The market is supposedly not far from the Muslim quarter, so we may have just been walking around an extension of that. There was definitely a market there, though, mostly vegetables fruit and everyday stuff. We went straight back so we could check out before noon. I finished packing and we left our bags at the desk and went out for some food at our favorite street. I had another beef sandwich, and not much else so as to not upset my stomach any more. We tried a couple of other things - an apple drink and a rice cake with red bean filling and other stuff on top that weren't really good. The beef was just as good though, so it was fine. Despite the few misses, I think that the food in Xian was some of the best I've ever had. Food in China in general has been very good as well. If they combined the Muslim quarter food with peking duck in one place, I would be set. After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the hostel waiting for the train. My train was first - around 5:30, so I left the hostel around 4:30 - probably too much time, but I wanted to be safe. Emilie was heading off to Beijing a couple hours later so we parted ways. I had a top bunk, with enough room to not be claustrophobic, but not enough to sit up. I stored my bag and pulled out my book, crawled up to the bed and read for a bit. I went to sleep early after a couple hours reading - around 8:30-9. I slept really well though. The entire trip was about 20 hours, so I didn't have to worry about waking up in the early morning to not miss my stop. After waking up after a good 11-12 hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep (I think I woke up a few times briefly at some of the stops), I read for a while and got down from the bunk and sat and watched out the window. A group of teachers was nearby and one of them who spoke English came and talked for a little bit. They had some extra instant noodles, which they shared. Soon enough we were arriving in Shanghai!

I think that I will save Shanghai for my next update, with Hangzhou. Maybe as early as tomorrow, depending on how I feel and how much time I need to kill before my train. Tomorrow I leave Hangzhou and head south to Guilin, where I will probably spend the rest of my time in China - at least in the area near Guilin, which is supposedly incredibly beautiful. Now for some more food!

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