China Part 2

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So they let us back in...

After cramming in and out of jeeps and getting pushed through lines at the border, we crossed back into China at the city of Erlian. No problem getting a bus to Hohhot where we had hoped to get a train ticket for that night to our first official stop back in China - Pingyao.

Two days and 16 hours on a hard seat on a packed train later, we arrived in the old city of Pingyao. We got in super early and had not really slept, so when a tout with a vehicle offered us a free ride to a guest house we took the offer. Well there were lots of tourists there, but we got a super cheap room - right next to the toilets, yeah right next to them so close to them that we learned our fellow travelers toilet habits - oh well it was cheap.

So Pingyao, the most amazing thing was the city wall and somehow in China the wall has managed to remain virtually unrestored for the last 1000 years. Stunning to see. We spent a lot of time wandering around the side alleys and along the wall. We tried our best to steer clear of the hoardes of tourists and enjoy the history and beauty of the architecture, not to mention the fabulous local food. Shanxi (the province) has some amazing specialties - all noodles and all spicy and all with lots of vinegar. Downside to Pingyao was that hands down we experienced the worst air pollution we have ever seen. Absolutely disgusting. Ten minutes outside and you are covered in a layer of black grime, don't bother trying to breath. Well we discovered where it all came from; on a side trip out to an underground "castle" (really just a series of underground tunnels beneath a completely unrestored ancient city) - we must have passed 10 or more nuclear and coal producing plants. The color of the smoke being emmitted from the chambers was a color of yellow I have never seen. Truly disgusting.

Next stop Xi'an. We arrived and got oriented and spent a couple of days exploring the city. Not my favorite city, but not too bad. I would have to say my favorite part was the Muslim Quarter, so alive and so different from the rest of China. We ate some tasty food and explored as much as we could in our time in Xi'an. We also made the obligatory trip to see he Terracotta Warriors. Huge complex, tons of tourists, but worth the hassle. Also we managed to get student tickets by saying "student," smiling and flashing our CA driver's licenses. Great trick! The warriors were very interesting, but in my opinion seeing the areas that were still being excavated littered with tools and archeological paraphenalia was really neat.

After Xi'an we had 2 days of travel. First a 9 hour train, then after relaxing in Lanzhou for 2 hours, a 30 hour train ride to our current location or Urumqi.

All I can say about Urumqi is that I am glad we like this place. We have been here about 6 days and if all goes as planned we will leave tomorrow night. On a side note - we spent our first night sleeping on the ground in the parking lot of the train station. Urumqi is special for many reasons. See China is 98% Han Chinese so that leaves 2% for other ethnic groups, all of which are considered minorities. Well a lot of those minorities live in Xinjiang and the capital Urumqi to be specific. It is a real treat to see all of these ethnic groups together in one city. There are also a ton of parks and all are full of people walking, exercising, dancing, playing musical instuments and practicing Tai Chi.

We have been wandering the streets and alley ways aimlessly and have spent many hours reading books in the parks. We also had a great opportunity present itslef to us in Urumqi. For our first 3 nights we did what I would call a Modern China Homestay. We stayed with a family in their apartment in the center of Urumqi. We ate breakfast and dinner with them and on our last night they treated us to the best fish hot pot ever, followed by Chinese poker and a stroll in the local park. If possible I would love to return to Urumqi and explore the surrounding areas as well - but not this trip.

Today we are heading to the Kazakh consulate and if all goes well we wiill be leaving with a double entry Kazakh visa and then will board a train tonight for the town of Yining in China from where we can hopefully get a bus to Almaty in Kazakhstan.

That's it.

Happy birthday Nevenka and Ray!

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Comments

[Dad]

Bad air
Sorry the air is so bad in China. We are in fresh air New England right now. Showing your pictures to my sister. Very cool.. Take care..

[Jamie Grove]

"Student"
I did the same thing at the Terra Cotta Warriors - flashed my Hong Kong Library card, smiled, and said "Student!" I agree about the pollution in China - I was there in the summer as well and the pollution in Beijing and Xi'an was the worst I've ever seen in my life. I am really enjoying reading this blog! Safe travels!!

[RalphBlue]

Sounds like a great adventure!
I love the fact that you are brave enough to be able to cross borders!