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Woke up early this morning in Luoyang to catch the early train to Xi'an, there are some common things I've noticed in all the seven cities we have visited:
1) China is a rapid growing economy - everywhere you look roads are being widened, high rises, commercial building, highways, railway lines are being constructed & old neighborhoods are being torn down.
2) The wireless infrastructure in China is far superior to Canada's. Most Chinese people walk around with a mobile/smart phone. Cell phone reception is everywhere from the subways and even along the Great Wall. How many times have you failed to get reception on a golf course, entering a concrete building or at UPI because Bell/Rogers didn't have enough cell towers?
3) There are posted signs everywhere encouraging China to become a "modern society". From watching commercials to billboard signs, the government is trying to change the social behavior of it's people. While leaving Luoyang yesterday, I read the following message, "late marriages, fewer kids makes a modern society".
4) Pollution is everywhere. Every city we've visited has some sort of haze. I have not experienced any clear sunny days and May observed, "if we were in Toronto, they'd be issuing a smog alert". Coal provides most of the power in China and I assume is the major cause of the pollution.
5) Pretty much everything you receive is "packaged" from your table settings at Restaurants (wrapped in plastic) to the very popular instant noodle bowls you can purchase everywhere. I guess it's part of the social change towards cleanliness. A lot of older Chinese people rummage through garbage cans collecting plastic water bottles to receive money ($0.10 yuan for small and $0.30 yuan for large ones). Unfortunately, you can't drink the tap water like you can in Ottawa, unless you boil it first. Most people end up purchasing bottled water.
6) There are a lot of rich Chinese people and they drive luxury cars- Mercedes, Audi, Volvos, BMW & Porches, sprinkled with VW, Honda's & Toyota's. May tells me that 30 years ago there weren't as many cars, bicycles ruled the roadways.
Passport must be presented when purchasing railway tickets & upon hotel check-in. Today in Xi'an, we faced discrimination as Chinese Foreigners. Certain hotels are designated only for Chinese Nationals, and to accept Foreigners, they must possess a special permit issued by the government. Before escorting us through the door, the hotel staff was kind enough to book us a new hotel, so with luggage in tow, we hoofed it 2 km. A 10 minute walk took us 45 minutes, we are directionally challenged. unfortunately there is no wifi, but free broadband is available.
Xi'an has a population of 8 million. City Walls are still intact & surrounds the centre of the city, it is rectangle in shape and it's length is 14 km. It was first built in 1370 during the Tang dynasty. Our first place to visit was the Eight Immortals Temple. This Temple is tucked away in a narrow alley, and we arrived there by a motorized rickshaw (10 yuan). Before you enter the site, you will pass a small flea market selling "antique items". The eight immortals stems from Daoist mythology. The temple is also the place were empress Cixi fled to after the Boxer Rebellion. This place is really tranquil, it is not full of rude tourists, you can sit and soak in the energy. It's very calming with monks dressed in their traditional Daoist attire (hair tied up) willing to chat with the visitors.
Prior to exploring the Temple, we ate lunch and I've discovered that as much as I love eating spicy foods, it doesn't like me! My stomach was making strange noises as we were walking around. We spotted a real Chinese food market where the locals purchase fresh meat, fruits & vegetables, we came across some stalls that sold fresh plain Chinese buns. We ordered 4 (1 yuan), and I quickly ate two to settle my stomach. I should also add I was not aware I was eating Kermit the Frog at lunch, I mistakenly thought it was chicken.
Next stop was the Bell & Drum Tower. The Bell Tower was relocated to the centre of the city in 1582 (built in 1384), restored in 1739. This Tower offers great views of the town's main roads and a glimpse of the heavy traffic. The Drum Tower was built in 1380, not much to see, but one side contains a series of big drums. You are not permitted to strike the drums, but in this particular day, a father held his young son and encouraged his 2 yr old son to hit them. An attendant came out scolding him saying "you are setting a poor example for the young kids, you are teaching to hit drums when it is clearly written not too!"
The Great Mosque is located in the heart of the Muslim Quarter. It's hidden away in an alley and if you are not paying attention, you'll walk right by. It's not easy to miss since the main alley is full of shops and restaurants. We missed it on our first try. The Tourist site was originally built in 742, has a fusion of Chinese and Arabic architectural styles. There is a practicing mosque, and written on the ceiling are inscriptions from the Koran, but non muslims are not permitted to enter.
We decided to eat dinner in the Muslim area. Rafael selected a restaurant that served food known for that area. You have a choice of lamb or beef (no pork), served this bland tasting bread which you break and place into a bowl (you have a choice of breaking yourself or they do it for you). The server takes the bowl away and fills it with a small portion of noodles, beef, and broth. The only one that enjoyed this meal was Rafael and Bryce. The rest of us did not finish our meal and we eventually ate some Tibetan style dumplings.
Tomorrow we visit the Terracotta Army ... Then we take the night train to Chongquing.
PS - Wednesday night, I am blowing a kiss to Parker
- comments
Renate OK June then its true frogs taste like chicken! I hope you take lots of pictures of the Terracotta Army - i have always been fascinated but the work that went into this and how the Army even survived!