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Published: February 24th 2013
I appologize for the length of time between posts. It makes me sad to think back on my travels since I am not traveling right now. I am sure that is obvious that I am not still in China. Although I did stay a year in Australia, I shudder to think of the cost for a year visa in China for Americans. Right now I am in Austin, Texas working to finance more travel. The boring day to day drugery of work can be very disheartning to me. I miss the excitement of constantly seeing new things and places. But money makes travel possible.
To continue my story of traveling through China... I took the overnight train from Chengdu to Xian. It was very cheap because it was a hard seat. This entailed sitting up all night without even an arm rest to lean on. Lots of intrepid locals were sleeping in the aisles or under the seat benches. I managed a few hours of sleep by holding my day pack in my lap and laying my head on it. I offer thanks to the inherited ability of mine to shut out distractions and sleep anywhere. (Thanks Dad!)
We
arrived in Xian around 8 in the morning and the directions to the hostel indicated it was less than a mile from the station which I could walk but I didn't want to. The other posiblity is to take the local bus. The directions said I was looking for bus number 603 which I spotted waiting across the street. I rushed on so I wouldn't miss it. I thought the fare was 2 yuan, but I didn't have it ready since I rushed to catch the bus. People were lining up behind me, so I was hurrying. The bus driver waved me on. I thought maybe it was free fare or something, especailly since the bus started moving after the line was gone. We made 2 stops when the driver started yelling in chinese. I couldn't undertand what was going on but everyone started staring at me. Finally, after about 5 minutes, someone translated for me. I was supposed to pay the fare. Luckily mine was the next stop so I got away from the staring people. Another fun adventure in traveling in a country where you don't speak the language.
The highlights of Xian are the city night
market, the Ming dynasty walls, and of course the Terracotta warriors. In addition the hostel I was at offered free dumpling making class. I also got a chance to see the fountain light show at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The fountain show is free and the most impressive one I have ever seen.
The Xian city walls are 12 meters tall, 12-14 meters wide at the top and 15-18 meters thick at the bottom. It covers 8.5 miles in length with a deep moat surrounding it. There is a rampart every 120 meters and there are 98 ramparts on the wall. Construction on the walls was started in the Tang Dynasty and extended and renovated during the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD). Of course you can see the walls for free from the ground but if you want to climb to the top (And who wouldn't want to?) there is a fee of 40 yuan. For an extra fee you can rent a bicycle and ride all the way around the top of the wall. It only takes about 4 hours to bicycle. I have more time than money so I just decided to walk. I started in the
Kneeling Archer
The only statue found intactmiddle of the north wall and walked all the way to the middle of the south wall. It took about 6 hours. I listened to my ipod and admired the view. It was supprisingly deserted for a tourist attraction. I had become accostomed to fighting my way through the crowds in China, but on top of the ming walls in Xian it is very peaceful.
The best part of Xian is the terracotta warriors. It is possible to see it on your own by taking a series of buses and taxis. But I was content to book a day tour with my hostel. The guide was very helpful. She gives these hostel tours every day of the week, so you know she gets tired of saying the same things over and over, but she managed to be enthusiastic about it. The terracotta warriors are amazing to look at and marvel at the time and effort of so many people making them with their individual faces and also the archeologists who have to put them all back together. I would like to travel back there in twenty years and see the progress they have made on it. The insane genius
behind the terracotta warriors is buried nearby in a tomb. You can see the hill but visitors are forbidden due to massive mecury levels surrounding the tomb.
After Xian I planned to travel on to Beijing, but my hostel was not very helpful. Even though they claimed to help with ticket bookings they wouldn't help me book train tickets but directed me to the train station, where I can assure you they do not speak english and I do not speak chinese. Eventually I booked a hard sleeper ticket which cost three times what a hard seat ticket cost. But you can sleep, so I guess it pays for itself.
Fun Facts about the Terracotta Warriors:
Discovered in 1974 and first opened to the public in 1979
Built by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China
Covers at least 16,300 square meters
Took 11 years to constuct
Construction believed to have started in 246 BC
Involved around 700,000 workers
The statues were originally painted with bright colors that have since faded away
The statues each have unique facial features and there uniform details reflect their army rank
There are approximately 8,000 warrior statues and about 700 hundred horses.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Thanks for continuing to blog your trip...
no matter how far behind you are. There are a couple of things you can do between trips that I find helpful in making the time fly. One, you can participate in the TB forums if there is an insight you can offer a new traveler, and you should have many insights as a single girl traveling to some difficult countries. Most importantly for me, is to plan my next trip. I plan a Plan A itinerary that I know will change, but that helps me picture each step of the way and determine the rough budget. It helps to research on TB to see pictures and what others experienced; but don't repeat their trips...just learn their lessons and avoid the places that are hyped, and don't live up to expectations. My son and I are meeting in Beijing on 22 March so I look forward to learning lessons from your time in Beijing. Then we are taking the train across China from Beijing to Xian and following the Silk Road. We fly from Urumqi to Tashkent to visit Samarkand and Bukhara, and then fly to Riga to visit the Baltics and Finland before flying home. I've pictured every hour of every day...like taking the trip twice! So where do you want to go next?