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Published: June 25th 2017
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Geo: 34.27, 108.9
Another early day with the alarm sounding at 6.30 am. The first challenge was to get everything back into the suitcases. Mmmmm, I am TOTALLY convinced we have brought too much stuff - we certainly need to be better at this! But after some swapping and trading we did have it all assembled before breakfast.
True to form, Howard arrived precisely on time....with a THIRD driver in tow. We didn't even want to ask what happened to Mr Young. But we did navigate the morning traffic successfully to take us back to the Hutongs district for the rickshaw ride.
It is a bit like a lottery - dozens of rusty, dirty and dilapidated rickshaws make up the fleet. Our driver was about 35 kgs and when he put his hand out to give me a boost into the rickshaw seat my weight nearly catapulted him across his handle bars. Poor dear was pedalling with all his might to get us started. Our tour took us by so many ramshackle houses with broken doorways jammed with rubbish. The communal toilets were positioned in every block and the distinctive smell of the Chinese toilets assaulted the senses. Abandoned wrecks of rusting cars were
intermingled with brand new shining models with plastic sheets tied to the wheels to protect them from the natural habits of the dogs.
Beijing has over 300 days of sunshine with very few days experiencing rain. Situated in a basin that is shrouded in the dusts and sands of the north combined with the industrial pollution the city has a constant veneer of dirt and grime. This was even more evident in the Hutongs - everything was grey with dust.
Part of the experience here was to enjoy a visit to a family home where a meal was prepared and shared. The food was delicious - but I am not sure that the preparation methods would pass any sort of standards test in Australia. Mac and Howard hoed in with blazing chopsticks! This was followed by a quick visit to the local markets - another eye opener with meat products piled up for sale without any refrigeration.
Last stop in Beijing was the train station. Think of a big transit station .... and then multiply it by 5 ...and you are close to the size of the Beijing station! Huge! Hordes of people. Signs and instructions everywhere. But true to form, Howard was
at our side and wouldn't leave until he had safely seen us through the final departure process. We were sad to say good bye to Howard and Mac did suggest to him that we could sneak him in inside of our suitcases....Howard wanted to know if we would pay the fine and and get him out of jail! We opted to wave and wish him well....after learning about the subtle art of tipping in China.
The train was a great experience. Plenty of room - extremely well organised - cleaners and stewards constantly in attendance and the passengers were always courteous. The train travelled steadily at 300 km per hour for over 4 hours and covered the 1 100 kms in a silent whisper. It was so quiet ....much quieter than an aircraft!
Mac was taken aback by the amount of construction and totally perplexed by the reasons for the construction. More than half of the new multi storey buildings that littered the route were abandoned or incomplete. Roads criss crossed the landscape but ended abruptly with nowhere to go. Bridges and ramps had the ends missing. Multi storey apartment blocks stood in clusters of 10 to 12 all with windows
and doors missing...and no-one in sight to use them.
In all the hours of the trip we probably saw two stretches of 100 metres that could be discribed as unused...or left in its natural state. Everywhere the was development in either industry or in agriculture .
We arrived in Xi'an on time and were met by the "friendly local guide" Jenny who took us straight to the impressive Days Inn - our new home for the next three days. We've started very well here with a scrumptious dinner in a private dining room at the Chinese restaurant. Over full and over tired...time to call it quits.
And so our adventure continues in a new city.
Pedometer reading: 7 566 steps
Temperature Xi'an: 29 c
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Liz McPhee
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Any other adventurous day in China. But I was dying to know about the train journey - did you share and fight off the Chinese for a lower bunk? Were there chickens on board?Have another fun day