Blogs from China, Asia - page 2

3.10. Wir stehen früh auf und fahren zum Qutub Minar, einer Moschee mit schön verziertem Minarett aus dem 13.Jhd. Wir sind gleich bei Kassenöffnung da, und teilen den Komplex für die erste Stunde nur mit den Streifenhörnchen und Papageien. Das schöne Morgenlicht und die friedliche Stimmung, zusammen mit dem baldigen Abschied von Indien, stimmen uns ein wenig wehmütig. Dieses Land hat uns überrascht, erstaunt und manchmal auch verunsichert, aber wir haben uns hier wohl gefühlt. Das Reisen ist einfach, die Kommunikation mehrheitlich auch, das Essen schmackhaft und gesund, die Leute gastfreundlich und herzlich, nicht ein einziges Mal wurden wir bedroht oder hatten das Gefühl, man wolle uns reinlegen oder bestehlen. Wir freuen uns, dass wir in ein paar Wochen wieder zurückkehren dürfen und sind gespannt, wie es uns dann weiter im Süden ergehen wird. Für die ... read more

First things first breakfast. I was in the mood for some dumplings so ordered some Xiaolongbao (小笼包) and Shengjianbao (生煎包). I was a bit disappointed when they arrived and they were basically the same thing. The shengjianbao were just basic dumpling that had been pan fried in the bottom instead of the proper style, which are bready in texture instead of pastry like. The dumpling skin was also a bit too tough and chewy, so it took a while to eat them. At least dousing them with vinegar and chili oil made them more palatable. Once breakfast was done and my coffee was drunk, it was time to head out. I made my way to the subway station. I really like the neighbourhood I was staying in, it was a mishmash of newer and older buildings ... read more

A short, standing train ride took me to Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi province. It's a new province for me to explore and I was looking forward to spending a few days in the city. The subway to my hotel was quick and not too crowded despite it being the holiday. It did take me a couple of attempts to orientate myself when leaving the station in the direction of my hotel. I liked the neighbourhood as it just felt like a normal neighbourhood with people going about their daily lives, especially when stepping off the main road and into the smaller side streets. I walked past quite a few small mahjong parlours hearing the tiles clicking and clacking as people relaxed and enjoyed themselves on their day off. My hotel was fine, a bit worn ... read more

After a couple of cups of coffee, I was off to Li Garden. It was a bout a fifty minute walk from where I was staying, but using public transport would have taken almost as long as I would have to walk about half the route and then wait around for the bus as it isn't too frequent. I enjoyed the walk although it was raining lightly. I headed along the road out of the village in a different direction passing more traditional style houses. I loved how old they looked and with the modern touches of people's laundry hanging out to show that they were lived in. The village road was pretty quiet and so was the main road I walked along. I'm glad there wasn't too much traffic as there were no real footpaths ... read more

Once up and sorted I made my way along the road to the Thousand Buddha Tower Temple. I headed through the gates and along the road to the temple. It was really quiet and there were only a few other people about outside the temple. There were some pools of water and a nice seating area, so I stopped there for a while to read and watch a grandmother and her grandson looking at the fish and turtles in the water. I made my way inside the temple complex. I never tired of taking pictures of the different statues that guard the entrances of temples. I headed up the first set of stairs and had a wander around up there. There were a few temple buildings and painted corridors to walk along. Also there were some ... read more