Blogs from Shaanxi, China, Asia - page 4

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Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an April 26th 2017

Our final stop in China was Xi'an, which is most famous for the Terracotta Warriors. Xi'an is definitely on the tourist trail and I was keen to squeeze it in, Paul less so, but then we found a bargain basement airfare from Zhangjiajie and it seemed crazy not to stop by. The price you pay for a cheap ticket is flying at an ungodly hour. Although it was a short hop from Zhangjiajie we didn't arrive in Xi'an until 1.25am and decided it was easiest to stay at the airport for one night. Ten years ago this would have meant crashing on the airport floor, but now we are much older and wiser, i.e. definitely too old to be sleeping on floors! We had another flawless flight with China Eastern; leaving and landing on time. Just ... read more
It's sunny so we deserve ice cream
Big Goose Pagoda
My favourite meal in China

Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an April 1st 2017

China with my Xiong di...How it all began. I have two younger brothers and they are both tall. One was born in Australia of my parents and the other was not. This is the story of my Chinese younger brother...my Xiong di. How a chance meeting led to a relationship that has endured for over 10 years...brothers by name and deeds. This is our story...and 'tis quite a ride. ****** It was January 2007. Denise & I said goodbye to our kids Simon & Anna-Louise in Lhasa, Tibet as they winged their way home. We returned to Chengdu, Sichuan with plans to go to the carved mountain of Maiji Shan in Gansu Provence that I had seen in black & white pics in a 1950s China book. But the news was impossible due to heavy snow ... read more
Han Yangling
Han Yangling
Han Yangling

Asia » China » Shaanxi » Yan'an November 27th 2016

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
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Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an November 27th 2016

Huaqing Palace proved to be a very interesting lesson in different periods of Chinese history. The palace itself was once the winter palace of many emperors in China’s past. Emperors were drawn to Huaqing Palace due to its hot springs which were said to even have health properties aside from just warding off the cold. I quickly discovered, thanks to a giant statue of a naked woman, that this was also the site for one of China’s most tragic love stories. Tang Emperor Xuanzong and his beautiful consort Lady Yang Guifei, spent plenty of time at these very springs and fell in love. However, during a rebellion, the emperor was forced to Kill Yang Guifei, an act that he never forgave himself for. Another historical incident of note was when the Nationalist Guomindang Party set up ... read more

Asia » China » Shaanxi November 21st 2016

In the summer of 2012, after I have spent sometime in Canada, I finally went back to China to visit my family. I really missed the food and the fact that everyone is speaking my mother tongue. The atmosphere compare to Canada is totally different, as if everyday you are on the Christmas dinner table with everyone whether it is family, friends or total stranger. Everyone is constantly gossiping, talking about business, talking about opportunities. In Canada, everyone is always very peaceful, talking about their weekend, their family, their work. On the downside, people have less respect for privacy in China, because strangers would ask you a lot of questions which a Canadian would consider as private . That is what happened to me when I traveled around in China that summer. I visited the famous ... read more

Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an November 16th 2016

The City Wall is one of Xian's most famous landmarks and for good reason. The long, snaking wall is one of those attractions that just makes visitors stop and stare in wonder. I actually saw tourists stopping their taxis just to snap a photo since they didn't realize just how long the wall was and assumed there would be no other opportunity to photograph it. Little do most tourists realize that the wall is actually huge! It stretches around 14 kilometers and circles the entire old city. This makes it very unique and beautiful. Furthermore, many tourists only realize later that it is possible to climb the wall and walk along its top. Bike rentals are also available for hire and it is definitely advisable to ride along the wall since it is rather long and ... read more

Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an October 4th 2016

Arrival at the airport all went fine went out side to get the recommended shuttle bus stood in the queue for 20 minutes bus arrives and told I should have a ticket good start ran back inside got the ticket and came back luckily enough the lady controlling the buses had saved me a seat on the coach lifesaver I'm exhausted climbed a mountain today ya know :) after an hour on the bus we were all dropped of outside a hotel were a swarm of men decided to approach me talking Chinese well this is uncomfortable! I translated I have no idea what you want leave me alone please. I seen a taxi pull up showed him the address to wish he said 400 I told him swiftly to get lost ended up agreeing a ... read more
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Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an August 30th 2016

No, I am not in China at the moment but as I indicated earlier, by writing this I am simply responding to requests to write about this past trip and which follows my earlier blogs "Shanghai, China - redefining modern" and "Yangtze River Cruise - bending water and the mind". So, here it is. We were strongly advised by friends who had previously traveled to China, not to visit without seeing the Terracotta Army. Taking their advice, we found a tour that included a visit to Xi'an and to the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. In 1974 farmers in China who were digging a well for water, came across strange objects buried under the ground. What they discovered and which today is a UNESCO World Heritage site, was the funerary art ... read more
Our beautiful hotel in Xi'an.
Lobby.
Attending a concert in Xi'an.

Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an August 23rd 2016

Vandaag staat niet veel op het programma. Vanavond hebben we de nachttrein naar Chengdu. Na het ontbijt hebben we alle koffers ingepakt en zijn we de stad ingegaan om eerst mijn telefoon te laten maken. Beeldscherm was helemaal gebarsten ?. Daarna zijn we de Belltower nogmaals gaan bekijken en nog wat door de stad te lopen en ook om de muslimwijk eens overdag te zien. Hier was het nu gelukkig een beetje rustiger maar ook nu werd weer overal het vlees gebakken en hingen de beesten aan de vleeshaken. Geluncht hebben we bij de KFC, fijn om even geen Chinees te eten. Bij terugkomst bij het hotel hebben we uitgecheckt en zijn we maar naar de clublounge gegaan om daar nog een paar uurtjes te zitten en te wachten op de taxi die ons naar het ... read more
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Asia » China » Shaanxi August 22nd 2016

Vandaag staat het TerraCottaleger op het programma. Een medewerker van Sean zou ons komen ophalen om ons hiernaartoe te brengen. Stipt om half 10 staat de Mercedes voor het hotel klaar en hebben we een chauffeur en een meisje van zijn kantoor die ons begeleiden. Het was ongeveer een uurtje rijden en natuurlijk is het er weer behoorlijk druk. Ongeveer 50000 mensen bezoeken dagelijks dit park. Het geheel bestaat uit 3 hallen, maar vooral hal 1 is waar de meeste beelden staan. Momenteel zijn ze ook gestopt met het verder uitgraven van de beelden omdat de kleuren van de beelden verdwijnen. De duizenden beelden, waarvan er nog een heel groot gedeelte onder de grond ligt, zijn gemaakt door arbeiders en deze arbeiders zijn ook op het laatst allemaal begraven (samen met de keizer). Daardoor was het ... read more
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