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Published: August 9th 2007
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40 winks.
This is on the main street in Xian at 7 am. The coolest thing for me about China so far is the odd street scenes that are thrown up everyday. /Steven/
We arrived at 6.30 this morning on our sleeper train from Beijing. Whilst Lelde went with the few other travellers to our hostel, I endeavoured to get our onward train tickets to Lanzhou, Gansu provence( from where we will get a daytime bus, all being well, to Xiahe- one of the most important sites for Tibetan buddhists outside Tibet). fearing the worst- probably a total lack of comprehension or no tickets- I approached the ticket window, luckily the lady understood the words I read from the guide book and a few English words too, so I have scored two onward sleeper tickets!
The first thing we did was to go down to the Muslim area of X'ian to check it out. we passed the Brell tower, just outside our hostel where music commenced and the ringing of one the towers' enormous bells. There is a sizeable Muslim minority in X'ian, being that this was the beginning of the Silk route and so was influenced by travellers from the West. We saw many men wearing white skull caps and women wearing head scarves. This area was a miriad of small lanes and full of life even at 7.30 in the
morning.
I am hesitant to go to the terracotta warriors, partly because of the extra cost of an excursion and partly that this is perhaps a passe thing to see. Maybe this is conforming by not conforming, but I'm also sure that all the pictures that we've seen of the terracotta warriors do them more than enough justice. There's always imagination, which is probably where the scope of Imperial China's ambitions and creations really lye.
More importantly, our onward journey is secured. We aim to travel through areas ouside the major cities- Gansu to Sichuan, to Yunnan and beyond.
X'ian seems more relaxed than Beijing- in every transaction, will still expect an incredibly hard sell and mandatory foreigner price addjustments, but these things are not forthcoming here- a refreshing break, but we were just starting to sharpen our hard bargain skills!😊
We went to see an active Taoist Temple- the Temple of the Eight Immortals, and the distances proved a bit much, maybe due to our resent Great wall hike, so we're going to try and get bikes later or, at last resort, take the bus to see the Big Goose Pagoda and hopefully the musical Leldes' last entry mentioned
how tiring travel can be- true but then, when you have time to reflect you realise how blessed you are to be in a wonderfully different and, at times, astounding place so far from home. For me, China's entertainment value is in the everyday scenes to be found at every turn and also the lifestyle of the locals. I constantly have the feeling that I want to photograph people and hope to get more trigger happy with the camera. One picture I did get was of two boys asleep on a bench at 7 am, looking perfectly at rest.
We will load pictures later.
P.S. Michael- if ur out there E-mail me, Ta!
/Lelde/
Tatad, Shiana! Lielpilseta ka jau lielpilseta ar tradicionaliem Kjinieshu kulturas un dzivesstila elementiem. Bet cilveki sheit shkjiet tadi relaksetaki - tik ljoti neuzbazhas ar saviem piedavajumiem un preci, kas ir ljoti labi. Kaut gan es jau esmu ietrenejusies, lieki nekam acis virsu "nemest", jo savadak ir diezgan gruti tik valja... 😊 St.citu, nezinu vai jau mineju, bet Pekina divas reizes pie manis pienaca barinjsh ar kjinieshu meitukiem un velejas ar mani nofotograveties!!!! Ka tada slaveniba, ne? Es jau butu ari autografus izdalijusi, ja butu prasijushas,
ka neka neesmu no augstpratigo gala.
Shiana izbbraucam ari ar sabiedrisko autobusi ne reizi vien. Vinjiem biljetes ka tadas nepastav, tikai iemet 1 Juanu (0.13 $) kastite pie shofera. Brauc vinji diezgan patraki un pipina uz nebedi, galvenokart, lai bridinatu par savu tuvoshanos, bet es ne reizi nejutos apdraudeta.
Vislabakas atminjas shaja pilseta man saistas ar musu brokastoshanu nakamaja diena - mes atradam mazu mazu estuviti - viss rakstits kjiniski, ipashnieki blakus sezh un taisa dapmlinus. Mes ar vinjiem "runajamies" un vinji macija mus pareizi est - shausmigi milji cilveki un, galvenais (kas ir netipiski) paprasija ljoti maz naudinjas!!!!!
Isteniba, visi citi celjotaji, kurus mes satikam Mongolija teica, ka kjinieshi ir visnotalj neviesmiligi un nepretimnakoshi. Mums ir pilnigi preteja pieredze, tiesham nav par ko sudzeties!
Vakar vakara, kad devamies uz vilciena sataciju, lai no Shianas ar naktsvilcienu dotos uz citu vietu, man viienu bridi uznaca tada ka panika!!- iedomajies, mes sezham stacija un gaidam, kad atvers vartus uz musu vilcienu neviena saprotama varda vai texta, tad vel man piesezhas blakus viens vietejais un megjina bez atljaujas bildet. Mani tas viss ta kaut ka izveda, domaju, ko es te daru , da naf*** man to visu vajag. Bet tad kaut ka
es nomierinajos un mainiju attieksmi - skatijos uz tiem kjinietishiem un iedomajos, ka vislabak vinjus uztevert ka tadu dzivniecinju sugu - vinji ir dazhadi, bet labi un tas nekas, ka es nesaprotu, ko vinji saka vai kapec vinji kaut ko dara. Galvenais ir iztureties labi un ievrot visas pieklajibas normas. Ka neka kakjus un sunjus es ari nesaprotu, bet tapec es to neuztveru ka problemu 😊) Nu varbut kaut ka murgaini man sabnaca izskaidrot, bet, galvenais, ka metode strada - vismaz prieksh manis!!! 😊)
Kjina principa ir tik dadzada un kontrastaina, pagaidam gan es tikai varu izteikt savu viedokli par Pekinu un Shianu... Ari tur koloritisma netrukst - ir gan plashas ielas ar augstam celtnem, gan ari mazas shauras ielinjas - hutoni, kas visnotalj ir interesantaka un raibaka pilsetas dalja!!! Un droshvien jau paris dienas ir par maz, lai izkostu un uztvertu visu esenci, bet , es daudz labpratak vairak uzskavetos mazak apdzivotas Kjinas daljas un tuvak pie dabas. Sakot, ka shaja valsti nekad nevar redzet zilas debesis - tas gan
In the Muslim Quarter
In the Muslim Quarter
ir specifiska klimata, gan liela piesarnjojuma rezultats - un ta ari ir - skaidru debesjumu sheit vel neesmu piedzivojusi😊
Shodien (17.06.07)
jau esam Sahava - neliela pilsetinja, kur ir vesela chup ar budistu (tibetieshu) mukiem, bet par to nakamaja sadalja. Vel tikai gribu minet, ka vakar pirmo reizi braucu ar vilcienu, kur var gulet 3-jas kartas, proti 6 cilveki kupeja. Mes guulejam pasha augsha, vilcieni diezgan jauki un tiri. (kjinieshim ir tradicija, tendence visu mest uz ielas, gridas un tad kads nak un to visu saslauka...) un, protams mes vienigie arzemnieki...😊 Tapat es tiku neplanojot valja no savam saulesbrilem, proti, aizgaju vilciena uz toleti, pieliecos, lai uzrotitu bikshu galu un aidaaa...., Mumi, Tavas saules brilles, poda cauruma ieksha (vinjiem podu nav tikai caurumi) un ara no vilciena!!! Parak daudz gan es saulesbrilles nenesaju, bet ir brizhi, kad nu baigi noder. Bet nu ko nu vairs, cerams, ka kads kjinietitis atradis un nbus priecigs!
St.citu mes visi brinamies, ka Kjina uznjems Olimpieshus, jo angliski cilveki neruna, viss ir tada panolaista stavokli...😊)
Oki doki!, tad jau atkal uzrakstishu citu dienu. St.c itu, ja ir kadi jautajumi, vai gribas ko precizet, uzrakstiet komentara un tad es megjinashu atbildet!😉
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lorraine
non-member comment
still really enjoying hearing what you're up to... i want to come too!