Heading down South (China)

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Terracotta Army

I am now writing this Blog a couple of weeks after the event, so a few things are going to become a bit vague (if they havn't already!).

Made my way from Beijing to Xian by train (12hrs) to see the famous Terracotta Army with its life sized clay army built to defend the first Chinese Emperor in the Afterlife. Was pretty cool and the man who first discovered the site when he was digging a well on his farm was there (he was about 205 years old which is quite young for a chinese person!!!!).

You can see from the Youth Hostel picture I attached that I stayed in 5 star accomadation in Xian!!

Famous Kung fu temple "Shaloin Si" (Bruce Lee mentions in in some of his films) was within a days travel, but I'll leave that for you more keen martial art fans......


In Xian Youth Hostel booked a 4 day 2,000km boat cruise up the Yangzi river from Yichang to Chongqing (known as the "Three Gorges"). From Xian was another long train journey (14hrs), to get to Yichang. I was met by a chinese person who escorted me to the boat (had about 150 people on it). It took about 20 mins of me wondering around the boat to realise I was the only westerner on the boat, and a further day to realise that no body could speak more than a sentence in English!! That was an experince, and gave me plenty of time to sit back and reflect on life... I was adopted by a Chinese couple who looked at me worrying all the time and took me everywhere and kept giving me food, bless em.


Along the cruise saw same spectacular cliff scenary, and alot of mist. Highligh was the famous boat trackers who pulled are little wooden boat by rope along the Shennong Stream (just off the three Gorges).

All this time I have been heading South in China making my way to Hong Kong (HK), chasing the weather, but think winter is starting to set in in China, though have heard it HK it is about 23c in Dec (nice).

Headed further south as other travellers had said that a cruise down the Li river has scenary just like a Chinese Scroll painting, and was really nice (had the beating of Yangzi for me). Stopped of Guilin for a couple of nights before making the boat/bus trip to the backpacker/ mellow village of Yangshuo (if you want to go to Yangshuo do it quickily, it will not be long before it is transformed to a massive tourist trap).

In Guilin went to the Princes City which was a minature Forbidden City which was actaully built 33 yrs before the proper one in Beijing by the Emperors 2nd Cousin who he sent he to look after the province.

Heard on the Grapevine that Yangzhuo was a backpacker heaven, and wasn't let down. This is where I am writing this blog now prior to meeting Uni mates Norf and JJ where they live in Hong Kong. Double room hotels for 4 pound and meals for 1 1/2 pounds are just normal prices in southern China, gotta love it if like me your working on a year budget.

In Yangzhuo spent a few days on bike rides through Rice fields and local villiages, which gave me a real few for the local culture. Yangshuo has about 80,000 inhabitants, which in chinese terms in very very small.

The place to be in Yangshuo is West(erner) Street, where you can buy either chinese food or steak and chips andget a fake DVD for 40p. Also could for pud crawls, though we stayed in the small bars selling large bottles of beer for 35p each!

Onto HK, have a 14hr bus trip ahead of me......

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