China 2013 Day 7

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Our 2nd and last day in Xian. Breakfast at hotel. Check out and load our luggage onto the bus. On the way by 9:30. Our first destination of the day is the Xian city wall, one of the few ancient city walls still in existence in China. Built in 1370 during the Ming dynasty, the 12 m walls are surrounded by a dry moat and form a rectangle around the old part of the city 14 km long.

Our hotel is outside the wall, so we approach the east gate from the enemy side. Our bus is even lured into the redoubt between the outer and inner gates, where in ancient times we would have had nowhere to go and been mowed down by arrows–but today it is a parking lot for tour buses. We mount to the top of the wall and stroll along it. It is as wide as a major highway. Bicycles and electric vehicles share the way with pedestrians. Identical watchtowers punctuate the wall at regular intervals, each with its own rampart. Looking outward through the crenelated wall, we can see people strolling along pathways between the wall and the protecting moat, as well as tai chi practitioners and even a small brass band reheasing. Beyond are the skyscrapers of modern Xian. Looking inward to the enclosed city over the parapet, it is evident that effort has been made to limit the height of buildings so as to preserve the grandeur of the wall.

Our next stop is a museum devoted to Chinese art of the area. Our very articulate and well-dressed lady host gives us some interesting background information on artistic techniques used by local artists. We then are armed with traditional black paint, brushes and rice paper, and given a calligraphy lesson. We learn the six basic strokes that compose all Chinese characters and practise making the characters for man and woman. I like the fact that the woman is depicted kneeling to show obedience to her husband. And finally, of course, we have another opportunity to contribute to the Chinese economy by purchasing art produced by local students. They are so beautiful that we are compelled to make several purchases. All for a good case, right?

Lunch is next. This restaurant is known for its noodles. The women are fascinated by the handsome young man making noodles from scratch by swinging and slapping long rolls of dough, which gradually separate into strands under the punishment. I imagine the gluten is the key to this technique. The noodle dish I sample is terrific: spicy hot broth with many interesting favours melded together. The noodles are complemented by a nice buffet.

Our final stop of the day is Xian's so-called Muslim market, which is a long pedestrian mall crowded on both sides by hundreds of shops of various sizes offering almost every kind of item you can imagine, from cheap junk to very nice handicrafts. Packed with people, with motor scooters honking and whizzing through the crowds, and music and voices blaring from every store. Lots of fascinating and aromatic food as well. Beggars abound, some with horrific afflictions. It reminds us a bit of the markets in Thailand. I don't think the purveyors are mostly Muslim, however. We purchase a few small trinkets but of course avoid the food, as good as it smells. (One of number succumbs to temptation and pays the price the next day.)

From there we drive directly to the airport for our flight to Guilin. We have supper in one the airport restaurants, the standard rice and stuff that we know so well. The usual hurry up and wait as we clear security and board the plane, a smaller Airbus.

On arrival at Guilin, as we are getting ready to deplane, a young man starts taking photographs of me. When I get closer and he sees my t-shirt, which reads "I climbed the Great Wall," he gets quite excited and starts chattering away and snapping shots with abandon. I'm a bit baffled by his attentions, but I play along and mug a bit for the camera, which just excites him more. I can only presume that I am the tallest Caucasian he has ever seen. And it's true that my head brushes the ceiling in this smaller aircraft. We see him later when we are headed for baggage collection, and he grins happily and shoots more photos.

Once we have collected our bags, we meet our local guide, Tracy, a pretty bubbly girl. Then onto the bus. We are headed for Yongshuo, about an hour north of Guilin. By now it's after 10 pm and misty, but as we travel along the highway, we can still see massive shadowy shapes looming on either side in the darkness, standing on guard like sentinels. These, we will find out tomorrow, are the area's famous karst limestone mountains.

When we finally reach Yongshuo at 11:40 pm, we are surprised to see the town still lively. We pass by West St., which has a night market open to midnight and arrive at our hotel. "Five-star" it may be, but it is fairly spartan, and our room is very warm. I manage to get the AC nominally working and we collapse into our extremely hard bed and are asleep in minutes.

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Comments

[Janeen]

China
We are all reading your blog and enjoying it so much. Your experiences and descriptions make us feel like we are right there with you. It has been a great discussion at the pool. Say hi to the girls. I can not wait to see your photos and hear all of your experiences. I hope everyone is keeping well. Thanks once again for taking us along...Janeen.