Blogs from Yan'an, Shaanxi, China, Asia

Getting to Hukou Waterfall was quite a journey from Xi’an. However, upon arriving at the majestic, yellow falls, I was amazed to see just how special they were. Fed by the Yellow River, the water is actually yellow in color. If I’m not wrong, this might be the world’s only ‘yellow’ waterfall. The scale of the falls is amazing as well. The mist created by the falls actually produces a rainbow effect over the falls which makes it amazing to behold. Since Hukou Waterfall is quite far from Shaanxi’s major cities like Xi’an, there are relatively few tourists which is a plus I my book!... read more

Hi All, It's great to be out on the road again. After a 30 hour train journey and a very good night's sleep I was good to go. Yan'an is a remote city in North Western China which marked the end of the Long March, a strategic retreat in which the Chinese communists we're escaping persecution from the ruling Kuomintang, KMT. Here in Northern Sha'anxi and Gansu the communists set up a soviet and tried to negotiate with the KMT to present a united front and fight the Japanese, who had by now had set up the puppet Manchukuo government in North Eastern China. Having just read Edgar Snow's book 'Red Star Over China' I was particularly looking forward to coming here. There is a huge museum in the city which is full of old photos ... read more

I believe I have never waked up so early in my birthday day. I started at 6 am, packing and doing check up from my hostel in X´ ian. After I squeezed the front desk person with my needs of writing so many things on direction in paper in Chinese in order to survived get to Yan´ an and once there be able to visit the places I wanted to see . She put my big bad in storage for 2 days and I left to the train station, light for the first time with a small tiny backpack. In the way I passed again in front of the main big square of Xian, in front of the communist administration offices, and I witnessed hundred of men and women doing body exercises to start their ... read more

So I got a night train from Xi'an to Yan'an. It takes about 7 hours, on the train, but I didn't have a return ticket because it was full on the way back to Xi'an for the next night. I went to the train station at about 10.30pm, and was feeling the effects of last nights free drinks. Xi'an station was disgusting, with fruit and vegetable peelings and sunflower seeds everywhere all over the floor, which didn't help with the hangover. The fruit had started to putrify in the heat, so instead of sweeping it up, the cleaner was having to spread sand all over the floor to dry it first, and then sweep up the gunky sand/fruit mix. Which she seemed unwilling to strain herself and actually do. Lazy bitch. A pervy guy got up ... read more

Another attempt to earn some desperately needed summer cash. When we returned from Hunan province, missing horribly the ambrosial succour that is William's company, David said that he had another opportunity for us. A week later, after Cecelia spending much time on the phone, and us being completely uninvolved in any of the plans, found us waiting to be picked up outside the school gate, for some demo classes around Shaanxi province. "They'll be there between 12 and 2," sez Cec. 2.45, a big, black, shiny Nissan pulled up. The two bossmen, who we later dubbed Elvis and Costello, bounced out, gestured, and we sped off into the countryside. The total sum of English known by the two is "OK", and "Cheers", which doesn't lead to very in-depth conversations, but useful for doing the only thing ... read more