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Published: June 25th 2017
Geo: 34.271, 108.992
How could this day be anything but super special? It was always my favourite in the itinerary and we have been in training for a while!
"Day 5 – Xi'an - Run to the Big Goose Pagoda"
Luckily, Mr Shin and Jenny saved us and arrived on the dot of 9.30 ..... although in terms of muscle fatigue we have just about recovered from Monday's efforts on The Great Wall.
First order of business was to visit the Buddhist temple...the Goose Pagoda.....referred to as the "big one" because a few kilometres away is the "small one". The seven storey ancient building is a land mark in Xi'an and is beautifully and lovingly maintained by the 40 resident monks. There is significant development in this precinct as Chinese Buddhist benefactors make significant contributions to new building projects. It is quite breathtaking to be in these rooms - the temple was built in 652 in the Tang Dynasty and it really is astonishing that the structure continues to stand so proudly and defiantly against all that time and the elements can throw at it! Mac's favourite room was the "wealth" room that contained hundreds of golden statues. But my favourite was the calligraphy and
art room....and of course we are now the proud owners of two pieces of calligraphy.
We amused Jenny with our explanation of the connotation of "big goose" and "silly goose"_ not sure she will ever be quite as reverent about the dead-goose-falling-from-the-sky story ever again. It is so much fun to play with language with our guides. Both Jenny and Howard have had such a great sense of humour and are always looking for new words to add to their vocabulary. Jenny's new words are "dandelion", "tandem" and "silly goose". We left Howard with a few lasting gems including "epitaph", "faeces" (because he was referring to sh@# ) and "not happy Jan". Ha ha our lasting contributions to AustralianChinese relations.
And before you know it - it is time for food AGAIN. This time at a Tang Dynasty Theatre where the specialty of the house is noodles (delicious) and wontons sculpted as artworks. This is another large scale dining centre that is created purely for tourists. There were bus loads streaming in ... And the banquet included such delicacies as hamburger patties and French fries. Obviously catering to a variety of tastes. But seriously, forget the food, this place has the BEST
TOILETS in China. I could have sat for hours!
Next stop was the the mosque. Talk about extremes...we ventured from the opulence of the Buddhist temple to the austerity of the mosque. Situated in the centre of the Muslim quarter of Xi'an, the mosque is an island of solitude in the hustle and bustle of the frenetic street markets. The fully operational walled mosque includes a prayer room that can hold 10 000 and is actually the original wooden structure built around 750 AD.
We got to test our bargaining skills this afternoon and had some real fun. Jenny is a master at this game but I have to say that after protracted negotiations to purchase a $10 travel bag (the price started at $60) I felt like collapsing in an exhausted heap. But still we soldiered on and picked up a few more items including a silk YvesStLaurent shirt for Mac for the princely sum of $10. When we got home and read the label, we were in stitches when we learned that this silk shirt was "made from merino wool!" We tried to find a TAG watch for Michael but these "illicit rip offs" were a little harder to track
down. No challenge too great for Jenny though!
About the bag.....we had to get something because all the bits and pieces that we have accumulated won't fit in our luggage! But we are packed and ready for our early flight tomorrow with a new and creative configuration. Will be interesting to see if we can get all this stuff onto the plane without having to pay for extra baggage.
Our first touch of rain today - a light shower that lasted about 5 minutes and certainly not enough to wash away the dust or clear the smog from the sky. It was like a pea soup that obscured the sky, covered the sun and blanketed the entire city. Visibility was low and the fog seemed to settle lower and heavier with the rain.
I wish I had the words to describe the mayhem of driving in China. As Mac commented today..the first road rule is "there are NO road rules." There are lights, there are traffic controllers , pedestrian controllers and policemen, there are lines dividing the road for two way traffic, there are pedestrian crossings and roundabouts, there are signs and symbols....all the trappings of organisation really......but everyone...young or old....and every vehicle...big or small, two wheels or four .... just does their own thing! Cars take on buses, people take on cars, trucks take on rickshaws, scooters and bikes take on everyone...but somehow with a swerve, a brake and a toot of a horn, everyone gets a turn and the mellee keeps moving. Mac just loves the drive too and from every tour....it is such an adventure and a terrifying laugh a minute! Today was a classic...our driver played Mexican standoff with a pedestrian ...and the pedestrian won!
Mac's given the car a miss and tried driving the ATM instead....and with Chinese characters as a guide to his actions, even that has proven to be risky. Let's hope we didn't just donate to the Chairman Mao fund!
We finished our Xi'an stay with dinner in the Western restaurant. I stuck with chicken wings, rice and a Chinese beer - but Mac did go "western" and tucked into a rib fillet and a rum! Our restaurant manager, who we had noticed at breakfast was STILL on duty...his normal day for 20 years has been 7.30 am till 10.00 pm. Thinking I should ask him if he is interested in working at JPC. ������������
Pedometer reading: 7 532
Temperature: 24 C with drizzle and a light shower
PS thanks for the comments...puts a smile on our face over breakfast...with no Facebook, we are limited to interactions in this space. We are off to Yichang and the four day cruise tomorrow so we are unsure of our ability to be online. Take care all...health, happiness and good fortune! xoxoxo
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Denise
non-member comment
What an adventure. Just be careful crossing the road.Love your blog. Xx