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Published: September 6th 2010
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Langmusi
Wooden roofs of Langmusi
Which road? The Silk Road to be precise. Xi'an is at its eastern end, and for the weary Silk Road traveller of yore it represented the last terminus of their journey. As it so happens it means the same for me today. Xi'an is at the end of this journey for me, my last stop in China before heading back home.
Strangely enough, this isn't the first time it was the last stop in China. Back in 1993 it was just that. From Xi'an I got a train down to Guangzhou and a bus straight out to the then Portuguese colony of Macau, leaving China to its exponential growth which had only barely started when I left. And this time round? I will take a similar route, a train to Guangzhou, but after that instead of going to Macau I am going to Hong Kong and flying straight out.
The last four years I have meandered on and off the famous Silk Road, taking the southern routes, the central routes and the northern routes. I have used it to get to India, and used it to get into Central Asia, and finally to get back into China and
Langmusi
Monastery
follow its course to the former Imperial city of Xi'an. As for the latest part of it, the last two weeks to be exact, I only took it for a short while, as always making my own way down and not following it like the merchants of the past.
After Xiahe, I left for Langmusi, totally in the opposite direction of Xi'an. Langmusi is a small Tibetan village surrounded by some nice hills and mountains. Unfortunately I managed to contract a stomach bug and thus I spent most of my time in my room or on the toilet, instead of going on some hikes as planned. Nevertheless the place was pleasant enough. After finally recovering from my ordeal I left towards Tianshui, which was much more in the direction I wished to go.
Tianshui is the gateway to Maiji Shan, a series of Buddhist grottoes carved into sheer cliff face. It is not a big tourist draw card, which is great. However I found it at least as impressive as Dunhuang, and unlike Dunhuang I was free to wander around at leisure and take as many photo's as I wanted to take, and all that at a fraction
Langmusi
Sertri Gompa
of the price you pay to see at a quick glance and at a tour guides discretion, about ten similar looking caves in Dunhuang. No, give me Maiji Shan any time!
With Tianshui out of the way, it was time to leave for my final destination, Xi'an. Xi'an has changed a lot since 1993; mostly it has turned, like every other city in China into a bunch of high-rise, a lot of fast-food joints, shopping malls and big busy streets. It has retained its walls luckily and the Muslim quarter is still quite the same as it used to be. Also and more importantly, the beer is still cheaper than water. For this reason alone, China gets the thumbs up from me! Finally a country that gets its priorities right!
As it was the end of my trip and I was ready to leave I didn't do much. Mostly I socialized with the many backpackers that are strolling around the city, because Xi'an is also firmly on the backpacker trail as I discovered when I first set foot in my hostel. Eastern end of the Silk Road, western end of the backpacker trail.
I did manage to
get out to the terracotta warriors once again, which had quite possibly changed even more than Xi'an. Well not the clay figures themselves of course, they do very little changing, being of a non-organic origin. But the surroundings; the dusty car park had been moved down the road and turned into a huge bus terminal, car park, taxi stand. To get to the entrance of the sight itself I was forced to walk for ten minutes through a plethora of souvenir shops and western fast-food joints, even the first 'Subway' outlet I have seen in China was located along the street. It was like I was going to enter Disneyland. Why, oh why, do they have to do this? It is in my eyes quite a degrading thing to do. Why turn something of such historical significance into such a carnival?
Emperor Qin who built this little army would not be pleased and probably do something very nasty to those responsible. I on the other hand, decided to have a few more drinks to wash away the nasty shock I got when seeing what had happened to the sight. It is definitely time to leave China. But I will
Langmusi
Another building be back, next year. To be shocked more, no doubt, as I will be touring the rest of the country than and I will return to many more places I was back then. It should be an interesting experience. As for now, its time to take a holiday from my travels and let my parents spoil me!
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Ornella
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Lindos!
What beautiful photos. I've missed some of the last few blogs in as much as Luna and I were backpacking around Peru and Ecuador! But I will hopefully catch up on them! Got back via Miami who lost our luggage and arrived home to BT having cut my phone off!!! Oh the fun of returning home!!! So after you get spoiled by your parents, does this mean we will be seeing you again? And hear of your tales first hand!!! Besos, Ornella y :Lunita xxxx