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Published: January 3rd 2006
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THE TERRACOTTA WARRIORS (10+)
"living" up to expectation, thousand of "dead" solders
I would like to invite you to read selected chapters from my travel updates.
Un-chronologically, I’ll present you with an undate from my last 10 months in Asia. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Thailand (again) and Myanmar.
Up to this point some 35 whimsical chapters out of countless miles of backpacking in Asia.
Hope you like.
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CHINESE TOURIST TRAPS -
As good tourists Chloe and I felt obligated, during our time in China, to visit the inevitable tourist destinations - with mixed results. Back to The world wide known Travelin Z complex point system.
THE TERRACOTTA WARRIORS (10+)
I remember, acutely, the pictures I saw in the mid 70's of these excavations. One of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20Th century, uncovered in 1974.
In reality, the roofed excavation we visited in Xi'an, is as stunning as the terracotta warriors and the terracotta horses themselves. This is a first class tourist attraction and one of the only places I had ever seen that manages to absorb thousands of daily tourists- pleasantly. A strong 10+.
TIENANMEN SQUARE (8+)
Wow, it is big. Like most projects
in China. (I'll avoid getting into the "incidents" of 1976 and 1989 that made this square so infamous.)
Few places in the world can claim the "Square" title.
Ghirardelli Square - Chocolate
Time Square - Falling Apple
Trafalgar Square - Nice tall phallic statue, cheap souvenirs, and named as Waterloo station- just to piss off the French.
But Tiananmen Square - This is magnitude. This anchoring a place on the world map and in Guinness book of records. Very impressive indeed. I would have given it a 10+ but I was sort of looking forwards to a military parade with tanks and long ballistic missiles and none was scheduled for the summer tourist season.- so I have to deduct 2.
MAO ZEDONG MEMORIAL HALL (5)
I know I mentioned before our failed attempt in securing a place in the working-ants-like line around Mao's Mausoleum.
Some important notes on my mind -
*The red carpet wasn't ready for us.
*Do they use red carpet in red China?
*Does Mao have Kryptonite in his crystal enclosure?
Disappointing 3. I have to add 2 points for the ceremonious heroic propaganda statues outside. So a 5 total.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY
THE FORBIDDEN CITY (2+)
an ancient decaf latte, please, with skim milk (2+)
Well this is where I take my "nice guy" gloves off!
This is a fraud. It is a publicity stunt. The only reason people flock to this camouflaged trap is the carefully chosen name - "forbidden". Since Eve's failure to resist the Forbidden Fruit, we are suckers for "forbidden" things. I bet I can market dental floss made of barb wire with a name like the "Forbidden Floss" - Recommended by resent flunkies from dental school in the Cayman Islands.
Back to the point.
Just about one gazillion tourists wandering confusingly through the repetitive extensive grounds of over 720,000 square meters. 800 buildings with, supposedly, 9,999 rooms. Only a handful of these rooms can be seen through Plexi glass shields, if one can brave elbowing his way through thick layer of very pushy Chinese.
Points of interest-
Thousands of eunuchs served in the Forbidden City during its hay days. They carried their testicles in a small pouches on their belts so they can be berried "whole" when the time comes. Pun intended. Oh well.
One very very bad point - Starbucks, the horrific world massacres of the drink called coffee, has a small outlet inside the walls of the
THE GREAT WALL (10)
even I can be speachless Forbidden City. So much for "the people" power over tradition and historical monuments. I sure hope they checked history books regarding the proximity of their outlet to the eunuch’s place of augmentation.
Disjointedly 2+.
THE GREAT WALL (10)
I mentioned our trip to the Great Wall two travel updates ago (see Travelin Z #16). A second strong 10. I'll deduct the "+" cause the weather was not good for pictures. So there.
SMOKY FACTORIES(7)
Most travel brochures you'll be able to amass from your travel agent will not have this on the front page, but I find it fascinating. In many Serene vistas in China we saw awe-inspiring factories blowing smoke endlessly and shamelessly into the air. The size of these smokestacks and the factories is gigantic. Hadn't it been for the small environment detail, I would have given it a strong 10.
MERCHANDISING REVOLUTIONARY SUPER HEROS
This is close to my heart.
How come so much merchandising is produced and paddled from dead Communist leaders and very little from the Capitalist counterparts?
Ho Chi Minh t-shirts, watches, shorts, plates, mugs, posters to Mao's statues, ashtrays, lighters, you name it. You see
the Che Guevara T-shirts and the Fidel's souvenir stamps all over the place. Gorbachev dolls etc.
But were can you find a JF Kennedy tank top? A Charl De Gaul nose hair trimmers or copies of GW IQ test printed on a cup?
KEY UNSOLVED MYSTERY
After about 3 month in "Communist" countries - Cambodia, Vietnam and China, I have no clue what so ever as, to what is so Communist about them. The pinnacle was the Lamborghini dealership in Beijing. ( See first picture in my Chinese sign mystery album)
Hope all is well with you all,
still on the road
Zeev
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Shell
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Oh my God!!
Is there no escaping Starbucks?!! I myself, am a nortorious coffee addict, but that's straight up daunting.