The Sightseeing Tour or "Eastern China in the Blink of an Eye"

Saturday, 27 July

We get up at 0900 hrs and have a light breakfast. The rest of the group are flying back to Shanghai today and then home. We say goodbye and they leave the hotel around 1100. I decide to move out of the "luxury" suites (ie double room ensuite with air conditioning) in our hotel, and move back to the Traffic Hotel, where I shun luxury for the backpacker accommodation. This is very simple. The hole-in-the-floor toilets and showers are down the hall. The room has a bed, light, fan, glass, tea bag and a thermos of hot water. What more could you want? Actually, there is two of everything and a roommate. All this, and breakfast, for under 3 euro a day!

At least the bar area is air conditioned. I get a cold drink and settle down to write a few postcards and e-mails. Then I drop off some laundry and head to the markets. I'm just getting the hang of bartering. I think I have done well on most things, but I have a feeling I was had a few times. What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts. I did buy some nice things - a few antiques, and some weird items that should perhaps not be discussed in polite company. I also met a fellow coin collector with whom I exchanged some of my Euro coins. I ventured inside a department store which was huge. I bought some nice binoculars for a song. If it wasn't for the language you could be in any Western department store. There were plenty of customers and luxury items. The capitalist side of the economy seems to be doing well here.

At all the major intersections there are little round ladies dressed in white, armed with whistles and holding red flags. They seem to be there to enforce traffic regulations on pedestrians and cyclists. As I go by, they have a young man and his bicycle. He attempts to distract them in an effort to run off with the bike. But the ladies have a firm grip and the bicycle gets locked to a post. I wonder what he did wrong.

I return to the hotel as I'm scheduled to meet Wang Chen who is going to help me buy a train ticket to Beijing. While waiting in the lobby for him, a 9 year old boy approaches me, pushed on by his father. He asks if he can talk with me as he would like to practice his English. He started to learn it at the age of seven. We talked about mad cow disease, and his computer games. We then played tic-tac-toe for a while. After half an hour, Chen had arrived and the boy said goodbye.

Buying a train ticket seems to be rather complicated, but they are very cheap. I arrange with the travel agent to call back tomorrow to see if she has been able to get me the trip I want. Getting a plane ticket for the journey would appear to be easier, but more expensive. Plus, it wouldn't be as interesting.

With that sorted, I am at a loose end. A bit of reading, and some more e-mail. Wang Zhenghuan stops by to exchange e-mail addresses and to chat. I have a Japanese roommate tonight. It's early to bed as I have an early start in the morning. (Surprised?)

Sunday, 28 July

I'm up at 0630 hrs for a shower and breakfast. I'm about to head off to see one of my favourite animals. As a child, my first teddy bear was a panda. For a long time it went everywhere with me and I still have it. Today I get to meet the real thing. At 0730, I join a minibus that will take us out to the Chengdu Panda Base, a research and breeding station. The trip takes 30 mins and we end up staying for about 2.5 hours. The Base has both the lesser red panda and the giant panda. They have large open areas for exercise as well as cages. We got to see both species playing, eating, sleeping, etc. The highlight came when, for a small fee, we could hold a 6 month old giant panda. We were taken into a courtyard where we had to disinfect our hands and don a protective gown. When your turn came, you sat in a chair and a keeper placed the bear on your lap. I had a good ten minutes with the bear and even got a bit of a hug from him. A fellow tourist took a few photos for me.

The bears seem to have a very good natural environment with plenty of space and care. The younger bears did play a lot, but the older ones preferred to sit on their backsides munching bamboo or scratching themselves. There was a small museum in the complex. The items on display included the preserved reproductive organs. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it went a long way to explaining the reproductive problems facing the giant panda. (I'll leave it to your imagination). The museum listed some of its sponsors, including the now infamous Enron who had adopted a panda. The best name they could think of was "Enron". How ingenious. There was a butterfly museum on the upper floor, but it wasn't clear what that had to do with pandas.

It has been a warm day, so back at the hotel I treat myself to a white chocolate and coconut Magnum ice cream bar. As I sit in the lobby enjoying my cool treat, I observe my fellow guests. Some are attempting to look like hippies (especially the young). The older travellers could be straight out of an LL Bean catalogue in their chinos. Then you have the typical backpackers loaded to the gills with equipment. There are a good number of Chinese travellers as well as foreigners.

For the afternoon, I walked out to the Wenshu Monastery. It is a lovely complex including many buildings and gardens, enclosed by high walls. Outside the walls are the vendors of incense, candles, trinkets, etc. The entrance fee was 1 Yuan (about 12 cent). Parts of the complex were being restored. I watched the stone carvers at work. They are very skilled and produce lovely items. It turns out that today is the festival of the female Buddha of wisdom. The place is packed. As I wander through the gardens, I come across a pond filled with turtles. I then enter the main temple area and realise that I have entered the monastery through the back door. In the centre of the temple courtyards are large holders for candles and incense sticks. They have been well used during the day as witnessed by the rivers of melted wax on the ground. Orderlies tend to the holders and use shovels to remove the wax and ash.

I am sitting on a nearby step watching the festivities and jotting notes. A few locals look over my shoulder, as fascinated with me writing cursive script as I would be with their writing. A lady and her son sit beside me and start asking me questions in Chinese. Unfortunately I haven't learned more then a handful of words, so I pull out the travel guide which has phrases translated. I show her the one for "I don't speak Chinese". She is fascinated by the translations and starts looking up the Chinese words and attempting the English. I help with the pronunciation. In return they pronounce the Chinese and I repeat it. Every time I get it right I get a thumbs up and a shout from the boy. Chinese is difficult to pronounce as it uses tones to add meaning. Rising on a vowel can change the meaning of a word completely from a flat sound. The two other tones are descending, and descending then up again. A crowd of 20 to 30 people gather and some participate in this little exchange of language. We keep at it for over an hour. It is great fun. It is a very memorable experience.

Eventually we say goodbye and I move on to explore more of the monastery. There are four courtyards between the temples all with burning incense. The temples themselves all contain large statues of various Buddhas (or is it various representations/incarnations of the same Buddha? I don't know). After a bit, I leave the monastery, this time by the front door. I find some excellent buys with the local vendors. It is nice to be in an area where Westerners are not seen as something to be milked for cash, but more as a novelty. As I wander back to the hotel, I stop at a local bakery and buy some savory and sweet goods for my dinner. It takes about one and half hours to walk back. There is quite the contrast in the city centre. The shiny skyscrapers are here as are the one-storey bamboo tea houses that are filled with those wanting to watch the big screen TV or play Mahjong. I notice that people are still curious about me here, but they are more discreet than the Tibetans. I have my dinner in the hotel room, and read up on some local history.

In the evening, I jump into the minivan for tonight's excursion: the Sichuan Opera. Turns out that some of my fellow guests are an Israeli couple who had also been to the pandas in the morning. When we arrive at the theatre (which probably seats hundreds), we are escorted to the front row to some lovely bamboo chairs. Before the show starts, warm towels are brought around with which to clean your hands and then tea is served. Peanuts are on the table in front and we are also given fans. A rickshaw service is available to take you to the toilets and massages are provided if you wish during the show. The show itself lasts about 2 hours and is a showcase of various Chinese performing arts. It includes music, puppets (that spit fire and change faces in an instant), one act from two operas, shadow puppets, and various others. One of the operas required the leading man to be a contortionist. He was playing a husband who was in the doghouse with his wife. Part of his penance was to balance a lit oil lamp on his head as he went under benches, looked up into the sky, and rolled from his front to his back. The shadow puppets were excellent, with birds, rabbits, dogs, dogs eating rabbits, horses, etc. After the show the minibus took us back to the hotel. I check e-mail again and then go off to bed.

Monday, 29 July

True to holiday form, it is an early start this morning. I'm up at 0600 for breakfast and a shower. I've signed up for a day trip to the Dujiong Yan Irrigation system and Mt Qingcheng. I was told to wait in my room and my guide would collect me from my room. I was a bit dubious, but sure enough at 0720 she showed up and ushered me onto a bus. I seem to be the only one from this hotel. There were a few points that the travel agent failed to mention. First, the bus spends an hour and a half going all over town collecting other tourists. Second, the tour is conducted in Chinese. This will be interesting. Luckily my guide book has good descriptions of both places. I end up being the only white person on the tour. There is one man from Hong Kong and two from Japan.

On the road to the irrigation system, we passed a truck full of chili peppers. You could feel the "heat" coming from them! We arrived at Dujiong Yan at 1000, and spent about 2 hours there. I was quite unprepared for what I was to see. When I think of irrigation, fields surrounded with shallow ditches and dirty stagnant water come to mind. What I encountered was a project built over 2000 years ago that split a river in two and moved half of it to the other side of the valley. Some of the water gets diverted through a mountain. The system irrigates something like 5,300 square kilometres (1.31 million acres or 2,046 square miles).The dikes used were constructed of bamboo poles, rocks for ballast and woven bamboo leaves. Some of the water is pumped to supply a beautiful park filled with fountains. (As an aside, I've noticed baby clothes here are open at the back, and diapers are not used. The child is just held to one side, and everything tumbles out. And you thought dogs fouling the pavement was a problem!)

The bus picks us up and starts for the mountain. Along the way we stop for a quick lunch. It was another good meal with lots of choice. I thought it was going to be awkward as I sat down with nine Chinese. However, they all had just enough English to introduce themselves and one lady provided a rudimentary translation during the meal. Then it is back on the bus. Qingcheng (Green City) Mountain is a major Daoist complex. The climb to the top takes you through several temples and requires the use of your legs, a boat and a chairlift. It lives up to its name as the mountain is very lush and green. There are some very loud insects here and they sound a bit like cicadas. They seem to generate the noise by wiggling their posteriors. At 1600, we head back down the mountain. The stone steps are very polished and a bit slick under foot. On the way back to the hotel we stop into a Chinese medicine shop for a quick talk (in Chinese) and an opportunity to buy lotions and potions. I arrive back at the hotel at 1930.

I collect my train ticket to Beijing. It is cheaper than the agent had forecast. I have something called a hard sleeper and the ticket cost about 32 Euro. The train is scheduled to take 33 hours to get to Beijing. I've heard good things about Chinese trains. We shall see. I get myself some dinner and then repack my bags. I'm a bit concerned about the 2 foot long Tibetan sword I bought. I had better bury it in the backpack.

Tuesday, 30 July

I should point out that my accommodation is at the back of the hotel, and is in a single storey building. Part of the walkway outside the door is covered with corrugated plastic sheeting. This is why, when the rain started at 0500, it sounded like a monsoon. Thunder only added to the effect. I attempted to sleep in until 0900, then I got up for breakfast and a shower. I'm not sure what to do today. I have to check out this morning but the train doesn't go until this evening. I may throw on the waterproofs and go walking.

After checking out, and putting my luggage in storage, I check the rain. It has eased somewhat, so I put on my Tilley hat and go for a walk. I set out for Du Fu's thatched cottage. Du Fu (712-770 AD) has been dubbed the "Poet Saint". He is a cultural icon who wrote about 240 poems including "verse for the destruction of my thatched-roof cabin by the autumn windstorm". It takes an hour and a half to walk there. It is a pleasant enough day for the walk as the rain has turned to a light drizzle. Around the cottage is a large garden that looks very green, perhaps greener than normal because of the drizzle. As the poem above indicated, the original cottage is long gone and a replica is in its place. The grounds are typically Chinese with ponds, rock gardens, isolated paths through the trees and small buildings here and there. I have to watch my step as the sandals I'm wearing tend to slip on the wet and algae-covered stone steps. Out of respect for the old master, I buy a copy of his selected poems. During my visit there, the place wasn't very busy, but as I leave the bus loads are arriving. Good timing. Once again I am the lone white pilgrim, except for a couple who come in as I am leaving.

Just down the road from the cottage is a covered bridge over a stream. It has benches along both sides, perfect for a lunch break. The stream below is raging with the night's rain. It is that brown-green colour of dirty water. A few of the locals are also benefiting from the protection of the bridge. There are a couple of older gentlemen, perhaps discussing the weather.

After my packed lunch, I retrace my steps into town, stopping at the Qingyang or Green Ram Monastery. Again, a typical monastery, which includes magnificent gardens and buildings. A main feature is the Eight Diagrams Pavilion. It is built without nails (sort of a post and beam construction) and is covered with 81 dragon carvings. I am passed by the "blue pyjama brigade", perhaps a sect of monks paying a visit. I head back to the hotel. Chengdu is a lovely city with lots of parks and wide walkways along the river. Unfortunately the river water is horrible as all the filth has been washed from the streets by the heavy rains.

I imagine most tourists take buses or minivans to tour the sites. I get a few double takes, but I see the real side of Chengdu, the underbelly so to speak. I pass one street dedicated to security stores selling safes and steel doors, about 20 of them in a row. I think that is taking city planning to the extreme! The city has plastered slogans on the boards around construction sites. They are in Chinese and English, and declare things like "OBEY THE MUNICIPAL REGULATIONS FOR THE GLORY OF CHENGDU!". I can't see that working in Dublin! I arrive back at the hotel about 1630.

As I have only been snacking, I go to the hotel restaurant for a meal. I order some noodles and a pijou. I have to suffer through dinner as the Europeans sitting at the next table quote Monty Python to each other. You get an awful lot of noodles for 6 Yuan (75 cent). I'm stuffed now! The taxi collects me at 1745 and takes me to the heaving mass of humanity known as Chengdu train station. The driver was very good, going out of his way to stop me putting my bags down on the wet pavement. He insisted on holding it while I got the other bag. A passing child runs up to me and pulls a face until his mother gives him an earful (easily recognised in any language!). I join the hordes in the waiting room after successfully getting through security and the x-ray machine (despite the sword).

The train boards half an hour before departure and leaves exactly on time. The hard sleeper is quite comfortable. Essentially, it is a rolling dormitory. The passage runs down one side of the carriage and has folding seats and small tables. The bunks are perpendicular to the tracks and are stacked 3 high. Each bunk has a good mattress, pillows and blankets. Six bunks are grouped together and share the ever present thermos and an electric fan. The thermos gets filled regularly by the conductor from a coal fired boiler at one end of the carriage. I was expecting this and I came prepared. I bought a stainless steal covered mug which is serving as my tea pot, cooking pot and plate as well as a package of jasmine tea and Chinese "pot noodles". There is soothing music in the background. Sinks and squat toilets (it is hard enough when you are not moving!) are at one end of the carriage. A towel rack runs along the corridor. If your towel is not hung just right, the conductor will refold it. I settle into my bunk and watch the scenery. It is quite flat and agricultural here. It gets dark quite quickly so I go back to my reading. Conductors go up and down every so often with trolleys of hot food and drinks. I've brought some dried noodles with me that I can make with the hot water, but I still have dinner sitting in my gut. There seem to be a few Westerners in the train but not nearby. The conductor closes the curtains at 2200 and the lights go out at 2230 except for eerie green floor lighting.

Wednesday, 31 July

I wake up at 0730 and find the curtains open and the lights on. The terrain is still agricultural, but not as flat. We pass thorough many villages and towns. The terrain is getting a bit more rugged. We arrive at Baoji at 0930 and then head on to Xi'an. The station platforms are filled with vendors each time we stop, selling everything from newspapers to toilet paper, bread, corn, and fried chicken's feet. On leaving the station I notice that some houses are actually caves cut out of the hill with doors added. There is a lot of corn being grown here. Rice doesn't seem to be as abundant here as around Shanghai. Every available space is used for planting, even if it is a strip a few feet wide between the road and a cliff. When I venture down to the washroom to tidy up I see that removing facial hair by plucking is as popular with men here as in Tuanji. We are in Xi'an at 1230. It is getting very sticky as the outside temperature is rising and the train lacks air conditioning. The music is quite the mix: classical (Mozart and Beethoven), then "Happy Birthday", Wham!, traditional Chinese - what's next?

1830 sees us in Luoyang. I make one of my Chinese pot noodles after throwing out the dregs of my green tea. I eat my dinner by the window, sitting on the 1 foot square seat. Then back to the green tea. Looking out the window, it is amazing to see what the locals fit on a 125 cc motorbike. I watch as a husband and wife go by, with their child sandwiched between them. Most of the women ride sidesaddle as well. Everybody has mobiles here, it is worse than Dublin!

At 2040 we arrive in Zheng Zhou. It is full of brightly light hotels and other buildings. Spot lights search the sky, probably marking a disco or nightclub. It is apparent that we are approaching the more affluent east China. The train leaves the station backwards - did I miss something? Perhaps we were changing lines. We continue on to Beijing. The conductors leave the windows and curtains open late tonight, possibly to cool the carriage down.

Thursday, 1 August

As we are further north now, the sun rises earlier. The train arrives in Beijing at 0544, only 3 minutes late after 33 hours and about 2900 kilometres (1800 miles)! I force my way out of the station and find a taxi. It is very smoggy and hot. But the taxi is air conditioned and takes 20 minutes to the hotel. When I get out of this "rolling refrigerator", my glasses fog up immediately!

I stumble my way into the hotel and check in. This begins the organinsed tour I have booked with Intrepid Tours. However, our first meeting isn't until later in the day. Straight upstairs and into the shower, then a short nap and breakfast. The internet connection here is 5 times more expensive than in Chengdu and is only a dial up. I won't be using it very often! As the group doesn't meet until 1800, I head off on my own to explore. I search out the Silk Market as I have been given a mission by SWMBO (for those not familiar with Rumpole of the Bailey: She Who Must Be Obeyed, ie Jen) to acquire pearls, which are to be found in the Silk Market believe it or not. I made some initial purchases, but can't find what I was sent for. I'll have to come back once I have clarified my instructions. On my way back to the hotel I visit the Beijing Ancient Observatory, built in 1442. It is fascinating to see how Eastern science was years ahead of Western achievement.

At 1800, I meet our Aussie tour guide and the eleven others on the tour: three Aussies, two other Canadians, two Americans, two Japanese, one Austrian and one other Irish. After introductions, tour information, etc, we go out to the street markets for dinner. The markets are full of life, and the choices are plentiful. Most items are on skewers. Beef, lamb and chicken are common, but some more exotic items are available like snake, frog, grasshopper and sparrow. As the vendors were out of scorpion, I tried the caterpillar larvae. They were very tasty when fried in the wok, a bit like roast chestnuts and about the same size. I've consumed several litres of water today, but it has all gone as sweat. The temperature is only about 32°C (90°F), but the humidity is high.

Friday, 2 August

Today's trip leaves at 0830, so I get up at 0700, or so I thought! When I put on my watch, I realise that my alarm clock has lost 45 minutes! It's a mad dash, but I make the trip on time.

This morning we are heading for the Great Wall of China. There are several sections open to the public. We are going to the Mutianyu section. It is about 70 kilometres northeast of Beijing and it takes us about one and half hours to get there. This section was built during the Northern Qi Dynasty over 1400 years ago. The whole wall extends 6400 kilometres (4000 miles) across the northern edge of China and was started in 221 BC by the first Qin emperor by joining together various defensive walls. When we get there, some of us opt to shun the cable car and instead walk to the wall from the bus park. It is a half hour climb, made difficult by the heat and humidity. But it is certainly worth it. The wall is fantastic. We are fortunate that this is the low tourist season and not many people are here. We spend an hour and a half exploring up and down the wall. Some parts are extremely steep and when wet must be treacherous. With the humidity there is a mist clinging to the mountains and valleys. There are very colourful dragonflies up here. To descend back to the bus you had three choices: the chair lift, walking or the luge! Essentially it is a metal track instead of ice and you ride the car in a sitting position holding the brake handle. For safety, you have to push the handle to release the brakes. If you let go they kick in straight away. It was a fun way to descend the mountainside. Before getting on the bus, I had to remove my shirt and wring it out. The 2 litres of water I had drunk were now beside the bus in a puddle. We got back into town in the middle of the afternoon and had some free time to freshen up and explore the local area a bit.

At 1830, we venture out to the Beijing Opera at the Zheng-Yi Temple theatre (1667 AD). This is different from the Sichuan Opera in style and substance. Two shows are performed, "Picking up the Jade Bracelet", a love story, and "Havoc at the Palace of the Dragon King", a power struggle tale with lots of acrobatics. We have front row seats, tea and snacks. Tea is poured dramatically by an attendant, from a small pot with a 5 foot long spout.

After the show, we explored the Beijing nightlife in a bar district. It was a great time, though it is a very Western pastime especially the drinks and music. As we hopped from bar to bar we spotted the film director Quentin Tarantino enjoying himself! I get back to my room at about 0200.

Saturday, 3 August

Another 0830 departure today, this time to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (www.dpm.org.cn). We use the Metro to travel. It is quick and punctual. There are two lines, a circle line that loops around under the old city wall and Line #1 that runs east-west. Our first stop in the square is at Mao's Mausoleum. The queues to get in are quite long and it takes us 30 minutes. We pass a stall selling bouquets of flowers. Inside there is a antechamber before viewing Mao. It is here that an attendant will take the flowers and place them in a cart for you. (I'm sure the cart, when full, is wheeled back to the shop so the bouquets can be sold again). As you move down the hall to enter the main chamber, there is a sign making announcements in Chinese. The only thing I could understand was "16,220 people". Could this mean that sixteen thousand people had filed past the Chairman this morning already? In the main chamber, you are not allowed to stop and you are behind glass walls. Only Mao's head is visible, the rest of him is covered by the hammer and sickle flag. His face is very waxen - I suppose that is the preservation (or perhaps it is a stand-in).

After the mausoleum, our guide starts the tour around the square which is one of the largest in the world. At the top of the square is the Forbidden City (or Imperial Palace). It is 600 years old and was only opened to the public in 1949. The Forbidden City contains 800 buildings and 9000 chambers, and is laid out with a central axis. The buildings for state functions are at the front and living quarters are at the back. It is a fantastic complex built for protocol and to reflect the power of the Emperor. If you are observant you also notice that the Forbidden City has a Starbucks coffee shop, located discreetly in an outbuilding. Is nothing sacred?

After the tour is finished, we have some free time before catching the train to Xi'an. I make a quick dash back to the Silk Market to get Jen's pearls now that I have clarified her wishes. I manage to get a twelve inch necklace and six inch bracelet of large, pink, freshwater pearls for about 75 euro. When I get home Jen has the necklace shortened and the extra pearls are made into earrings. At 1550 we leave the hotel for the train station, and the train departs at 1725. We are travelling by hard sleeper again. However this train is newer, has air-conditioning, and bigger windows. The same selection of goods is available from the attendants, but you can also rent DVDs and players for the trip. We had dinner on the train and it was good. This is an overnight trip and I'm actually heading back the way I came up to Beijing. The trip to Xi'an is about 14.5 hours and 1700 kilometres (1056 miles).

Sunday, 4 August

We arrive in Xi'an at 0800. We go to the hotel and check in quickly, before getting on a bus to go see the Terracotta Warriors. We arrive at the warriors at 1100. Before entering the vaults, we run the gauntlet of traders and take in the 360° audiovisual presentation. The warriors were first found in 1974 by farmers digging a well. What has been found so far, in three vaults, are over 7000 terracotta figures of warriors, horses and chariots. The Emperor that unified China in 221 BC, Qin Shihuang, wanted a burial that reflected his glory after his death. The remarkable aspect is that every face is different. Also the army is in formation with generals, officers, foot soldiers, charioteers, archers, etc. Originally the warriors were all painted, but today they are displayed without paint. Some speculate that there may be more vaults to be found. Some of the display has reconstructed the warriors as they were originally placed. Other areas have been left as the archaeologists uncovered them. Other areas are still being explored and some have been covered over, to preserve them. When leaving, we pass the same traders, but our bus takes us to a factory shop where we get a demonstration of how the warriors were made, followed by the opportunity to purchase items. Though replicas of the warriors are available in all sizes, most are undecorated like the real ones are today. I find a small selection that have been painted based on the original paint chips that survive on some warriors. The warrior I buy is a bit more expensive, but I quite like him.

We return to the hotel at 1630 and explore the city on our own for a bit. We come across a big internet café with 600 computers and access for 3 Yuan an hour (40 cent). It is a big contrast from Beijing where a recent fire in an internet café lead to the closing of most cafés. Hotels are one of the few places in Beijing with public access and they charge a fortune. But here, the internet cafés are still operational, and this one is large and modern. The group gets together for a delicious banquet dinner and then we head off to the disco. This one has more of a Chinese flair as after a bit of hard house music and dancing, the nightclub puts on a floor show with demonstrations of flexibility, whip skills, basketball/bottle balancing, singing, skits, matchmaking, a raffle and dance displays. After this, I tag along with a few of the hardier ones in the group and go to an underground bar, in what was either an old bunker or sewer pipe that is about 30 meters below ground. The décor is military and the safety is questionable as water leaking from the roof is pooling around electrical cords. But what is life without adventure? We get back to the hotel at 0130.

Monday 5 August

Today there are no planned events. I get up at 0800 and then head out to explore. I start with the drum tower to one side of the main square across from the bell tower. It was built in 1380 AD and the drum was used to signal dusk. Inside the tower, as well as the drums, are displayed Ming and Qing furniture. The paintwork inside the tower is detailed and vivid. The view from the balconies is excellent. As I leave the tower, I meet the Aussie girls and we head off to the Great Mosque established in 742 AD. It is a remarkable blend of Chinese and Islamic influences. As such it is probably a rarity. It is certainly a beautiful spot that is very relaxing. Outside the mosque is a warren of alleys full of shops and kiosks. There is lots here to buy and it is a good test of bargaining skills. It is useful to try several vendors before buying an item. Armed with price quotes from others, you can get down to the best price. I bought a calligraphy set for Jen and managed to get it at close to half of what one of the Aussies paid for hers.

I find the shopping here fascinating from the point of view of a coin collector. Because China used a lot of silver dollars in the 1800s and 1900s, the markets are full of them - both real ones and cheap imitations. There are Chinese issues as well as American, Mexican, British, etc. Unsuspecting tourists buy them up hoping to make a bit of money back home. Unfortunately there are a lot of fakes. I'm presuming that everything I bought is fake until I can prove it otherwise. Some fakes are more obvious than others. For some it was the quality - the engravings were coarse, or it is clear that they would probably never have been issued. (Silver coins of Prince Edward?). I think most of the "silver" coins were actually cheap cupro-nickel copies. I buy one coin as a demonstration of the audacity of the vendors. It is a 1977 Silver Jubilee Crown (Elizabeth II), except that the date had been carefully changed to 1877, well before Elizabeth II was born. When I point this out to the vendor, he agrees to my price which is 10 percent of his asking. He probably still made a nice profit, but I have an interesting memento.

The four of us stop for a hot-pot lunch. It is a great way to eat. In the centre of the table is a wok filled with hot water and some herbs. Underneath is a gas element that keeps the wok hot (mind your knees!). You then go to racks where various items of fruit, vegetables and tofu are on skewers. A waitress has skewers with meat. You cook them yourself in the wok. At the end of the meal, you take the skewers to the register and pay the bill. It is a flat fee per skewer.

We then venture down to the south gate of the massive city wall. We contemplate renting bicycles to go around the top of the wall, but the oppressive heat (39°C/102.2°F) puts us off the idea. Instead we visit the calligraphy museum in the tower at the top of the gate. We then go back to the hotel via the shopping centre. The shopping centre is modern and is two storeys, under the city square. It is also blissfully air-conditioned! We head to the supermarket and get supplies for our next train trip.

The train leaves for Suzhou at 1824. The trip is about 16 hours and about 2200 kilometres (1380 miles).

Tuesday, August 6

Another pleasant train journey with good company. We are not scheduled to arrive until 1030, but I can tell we are getting close to the Shanghai region. The corn and potatoes of central China are disappearing and the rice paddies are back. The train arrived 40 minutes late. Again we check in to the hotel and then go to stuff our bellies. The tour guide takes to a dumpling restaurant, where we sample a wide range of stuffed dumplings. To work off the lunch we head off to visit the sights. First stop is the North Temple Pagoda. We pose for photos with the giant smiling buddha at the base of the pagoda and then start the climb up to the top. The pagoda is 76 metres high (250 feet). The view from the top is great and there is a nice cool breeze.

As Suzhou is famous for its gardens, we visit the Humble Administrator's Garden and then the Lion Grove "Kingdom of Rockery". However humble the administrator was, his garden isn't. The garden is Ming Dynasty and three-fifths water. It is huge with different styles throughout. The Lion Grove was built using rock from nearby Lake Taihu. The arrangements make tunnels and paths, outcrops and lakes. The gardens are places where you can come and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Many have tea houses where you can spend the afternoon contemplating nature. In one, we come across a building being used for a music performance.

After the gardens, we seek out a boat to take a cruise on the canals. Unfortunately, we were given the wrong directions and ended up at the ferry terminal and not the canals. We then tried to visit the Dacheng Hall of Confucian Temple, but it was closed. Nothing to do but seek out food. I had a lovely plate of shrimp.

In the evening, we attended the cultural show in the Garden of the Master of the Nets. The show is a combination of music and performance. Each performance is in a different building and done for small groups. Groups would start the show at different times. Perhaps the best music of the night was at the lakeside. We sat in a small pagoda while the performance came across the water from the balcony of an adjacent building. Before going to bed we stop off for a nightcap!

Wednesday, 7 August

I'm up at 0530, ugh! Myself and the Aussies have elected to go and see morning Tai Chi outside the Temple of Mystery. We leave at 0600 and arrive to find everything in full swing. There are all ages here and the range of exercise extends from the basics to movement with fans and swords. I'm tired just watching. When the Tai Chi is over, we take a quick tour around the Temple. By this time we needed breakfast, so avoiding the nearby KFC/Pizza Hut, we join the locals at a busy restaurant where we get ourselves wontons, noodles and dumplings. On the way back to the hotel we stop to take in the Garden of Harmony. It is not just the gardens - the whole city has a very green feel with lots of tree lined streets. We meet up at the hotel as our guide has arranged for us to go to the correct place for a boat tour. We take to a "dragon" boat to cruise the canals of what our guide refers to as the "Venice of the East". It is not quite the same thing at all, but is still an enjoyable hour.

We stop in at the silk museum which demonstrates the whole manufacturing process and includes live silk worms spinning their cocoons. The museum also shows the various evolutions of the looms used to weave the fabric. We spend a bit of time in the museum shop then head outside only to find the heavens washing the town away. We wait for a lull and then make our way back towards the hotel stopping in the occasional shop. After another delicious lunch of dumplings, we head for the train to Shanghai. You have to be careful about where you sit in train stations. One of our party sat down only to jump again with a wet bottom. What was first thought to be water, was in fact baby pee (remember the bottomless baby clothes!!).

The train to Shanghai is a double-decker express train and the trip is only about an hour and 125 kilometres (77 miles). We use three taxis to get to the hotel. The one with our guide fails to arrive for some time, the driver having taken him the "long way". We grab a bite to eat after check-in and then go to the Shanghai Acrobatic Show at the Lyceum Theatre. Our seats are in the 8th row. This is a fantastic display of contortion and balance. The grand finale, however, was incredible. There was a large steel spherical cage in the centre of the stage. Out comes this maniac on a 125cc motorbike who drives into the sphere and proceeds to drive around the inside, doing loop-de-loops and driving around the equator, all while flashing his lights and honking his horn. Not to be outdone, another maniac comes out and joins the first in the sphere. At first he just follows, but then decides to drive in a loop perpendicular to the first. They settle down for a while to let a third, four and fifth maniac into the sphere. Jokingly I say to the person beside me "they could fit another 2 bikes in there", and she tells me where to go. Moments later however the gate is opened again and not only do two more maniacs join the first five flying around the inside, but an eighth maniac stands in the centre of the sphere. However, they all manage to escape unscathed to much deserved applause.

After that performance, we need a stiff drink, so we go to a posh bar called Park 57 where our guide has connections. It is a posh place with drinks prices to match. But it is a good way to top off the night. We get back to the hotel at midnight.

Thursday, 8 August

I sleep in until 0830 and get breakfast. At 0900 we meet in the hotel lobby and walk to the Shanghai Museum (a href=http://www.shanghaimuseum.net/>www.shanghaimuseum.net/). We spend several hours in the museum. I find the coin collection and spend some time there. But I don't neglect the rest of the displays. Two paintings that the museum displays with pride are Monet's "Water Lilies" and Van Gogh's "Wheat Fields".

Once again the rain is pouring down outside. I grab a quick snack in the museum coffee shop with some of the others. After the rain abates, we walk down to the "Bund", stopping for more noodles along the way. The Bund is the remains of British, French, American and Japanese colonial commercialism. It is a one and a half kilometre stretch of European style banks and trade offices along the Huangpu River, with an impressive boardwalk now used by tour boat operators. We take one of these boats for a one hour cruise along the river, which is very commercial and as a result not very scenic. But it is pleasant to be on the water.

Back on dry land, a few of us get back on the water to cross the river by ferry. We then ascend the funny-looking Oriental Pearl Television Tower, China's answer to the CN Tower. It is not as tall as the CN Tower, 468 metres (1535 feet) versus 553 metres (1813 feet), but the queues for the elevators are just as bad. The view from the highest observation platform (350 metres, 1148 feet) is great. Only the smog prevents a clear view. The population of Shanghai and its surrounding area is about 26 million people, a bit smaller than Canada, but I can see all of them from up here. Because of the queues to get down, we are running a bit late. We find a taxi and return to the hotel via the tunnel below the river. We make it back just in time to meet the rest of the group and head out to the "Garçon Francaise", a nice Chinese restaurant, for one last lovely meal. We had drinks in the bar before dinner, including some Absinthe (60% alcohol). After the dinner, we were back on the town, first returning to Park 57 and then the diehards moved on to a less posh bar that played '80s music. The last of us left for the hotel at 0330!

Friday, 9 August

After about two hour's sleep, I'm up at 0630 to go to Pudong airport. I first have to go to another hotel down the street where I get a bus. The journey takes an hour to get to the airport. Check in was a surprise. I didn't realise just how much stuff I had accumulated. I should have posted some things home. Instead, I have to pay a hefty excess baggage fee. Live and learn I suppose. The Air France Boeing 777 leaves on time and this time my luggage arrives in Dublin with me. It has been a good and memorable trip. My advice to anybody travelling to China is to leave the safety and comfort of package holidays behind and go for the ones that get you out into the real China as much as possible. Now I think it is time to sleep for a few days!


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