China Trip

Trip to Guilin was relatively uneventful ... now I have worked out that there are 3 or 4 domestic flights assigned to each gate, none are announced and suddenly you notice that the word 'boarding' is now next to your flight number on the ticker tape instead of 'waiting'. Theoretically absolutely fine, unless of course, you're whiling away the time reading the latest Tess Gerritsen. Lesson learnt.

Lesson number 2 is basic and, warning, I may offend some people; use your hotel bathroom and wait until you reach your next hotel. Sanitation isn't China's strong point. Memories of toilet stops on the autoroutes in France during our childhood holidays in the 80's where Mummy had to persuade Kate and I that going to the loo in a hole in the ground was acceptable ... only in China, not only does a lady give you a few sheets of toilet role before you enter a cubicle, there's an open bin in which to place it afterwards!! Did anyone else see that episode of CSI where Sara Sidal (sp?) arrives at a crime scene grinning and explains to Grissom it's so she doesn't have to breath through her nose? Well, any reports you hear of a mad blonde englishwoman grinning manically in Asian toilet facilities - it's me.

Another very smooth pick up at the airport and arrival at the Sheraton in Guilin. Hotel isn't as nice as Beijing and Xian so as soon as I'd received a call from guide confirming times for tomorrow morning's pick up (8.30am and I have to be checked out - goodness me!) I was out exploring.

Now, exploring conjures up pictures of lush greenery (tick), lazy rivers (tick), pagodas (double tick - found two) and air thick with humidity (tick) - what I didn't expect was my usual walking pace would ensure that within 90 minutes I would be entering a local hostelrie looking as if I had just run a marathon. Not my proudest moment it has to be said!

The choice of restaurant was always going to be easy I thought, and boy was it .... let's just say I chose one of the few restaurants in the street that didn't have your main course swimming in a bucket outside ready for you to choose it :-((

Now, I expected fish and shellfish (courtesy of my companion Mr Rough Guide) and maybe the odd chicken. However, what I did not expect were snakes (!), ducks and turtles! Turtles! and then just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, I saw these cute furry little animals that must be cane rats; similar to beavers but with smaller tails, just sitting there, grooming themselves and nibbling on cucumber... Needless to say a) have fired off an email to the cat-sitter today to check my 'boys' are ok and b) had pork and beef for dinner as I hadn't seen any pigs or calves tendered outside. Gulp.

One last word of warning, to anyone travelling in this area, if the menu reads szcheuan spices - they have two; peppers and chillis. That's all I could see and taste. I have never seen so much red food in my life. Suddenly the dried apple rings and bread roll provided by China Eastern for lunch on the flight didn't seem so bad after all and now I know why there was a complimentary packet of tissues on the restaurant table.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, hope the sun shines for you. x

Last night's performance was at the Shaanxi Grand Opera House.

Let's just say that tonight was the night when I needed the sense of humour that I was told to pack alongside travel adapter's and immodium....

Panpipes?? Trumpet solos by a man doing duck impressions?? Pur-lease ....

Luckily the remaining acts were very sweet national dance, one or two of which were very nice to watch. An interesting insight into the historical importance of music and dance ... but panpipes?? And unfortunately my guide reappeared just as my eyes had closed at one point - ooops.

"Entertainment" followed by the dumpling feast, and feast it was.

I have never seen so many different types of dumplings, nor had to eat so many! I had been told in the car about a legend where one of the emperors had loved one of his concubines so much he wanted different dumplings created to please her, in the shapes of animals and vegetables etc. I thought it was a legend until last night I ate dumplings in the shapes of goldfish, chickens, ducks, pumpkins, walnuts - and they really did look like them! None of the usual chinese artistic merit needed last night.

Anyway having eaten (what I felt was sufficient) I told my guide I was full - she had already eaten and was just watching me eat to keep me company, bless her - she looked physically pained and told me I still had 2 courses to go!

Luckily they consisted of dumpling soup and watermelon so I could squeeze some in but I could hardly move afterwards. The number of dumplings in your soup will wish you luck, happiness or money and they are the tiniest cutest dumplings you could imagine, smaller than my little fingernail. I had 3 which means everlasting happiness (I think!).

Anyway home to bed, dreaming of dumplings!

Transfer to Xian airport this morning for another internal flight to Guilin.

Arrived safely in Xian last night and another lovely guide with a history/geography lecture in the car on the way from the airport - impressed her with my chinese too!!

Sofitel hotel is fantastic, beats the Grand Hotel Beijing which takes some doing!

Anyway, today was the day when I saw the Terracotta Army and it exceeded all my hopes and expectations - a dream come true! The Pit 1 which has the largest number of excavated soldiers and horses was astonishing and I had 30 minutes just to walk round and take pictures (yes, Daddy, we were allowed to take pictures as long as there is no flash); suffice to say I finished one memory card and started on another whilst I was there.

The sheer numbers of warriors and the detail on them is magnificent - you could just spend time looking at them all.

They have also excavated beautiful bronze horses and carriages which were on display - amazing craftmanship.

This was the first time I saw other europeans to exchange a few words with since landing in China almost a week ago - quite nice to hear an american accent and I never thought I'd say that!!

When you leave the exhibition halls you spend about 10 minutes walking through all these souvenir shops and restaurants with people trying to persuade you to buy things - of course my heart strings were pulled by a 5/6 year boy and I parted with all of about 70p to buy a pack of postcards. Also managed to be interviewed for a Korean documentary on the Army - it's becoming all in a day's tourist-ing now...

Lunch in a nearby restaurant (left on my own to eat in a completely empty restaurant!) and had to laugh when at six different dishes were bought for me! Bearing in mind the Beijing Belly was still evident I had to decline something that looked suspiciously like spam although I did try the toffee potatoes - another odd experience! (Kate - I did think of you when ate these)

Anyway a visit to the Great Wall of Xian today too (it's a walled city) and to the Great Mosque before nipping back to the hotel now before going out this evening. I've agreed to go to a performance of something (I can't for the life of me remember what!!) and I'm being picked up in 45 minutes.

So will fill you all in tomorrow morning on the details of whatever I've seen tonight and the dumpling feast scheduled for afterwards (funny how I can remember that part hey?) and upload a couple of pics of the Army for you to enjoy too.

Due to fly from Xian to Guilin tomorrow - for those of you have this month's Ideal Home, the advert on page 3 or 5 of a man punting down a river with a bath on a raft (sounds odd I know) is taken in Guilin and that's where I'll be - yippee!!!

An uneventful evening (for a change!) and the best sleep so far - thank goodness.

Amnow in Beijing airport on a laptop which has a sticky space bar (apologies in advance for the words which will run together) and no r key so some words may losethis letter too! Keep you on your toes at least!

So after a lovely sleep at last and what I am referring to as 'beijing belly' (!) I have had the morning at The Summer Palace. Another very hot day, around 34c and blue skies and cottonwool clouds.

More amazing sights and many tales of wicked dowagers who locked up the prince regent and spent the country's money on 108 dishes per meal, 124 silk towels every bathtime and who poisoned all the emperor's concubines when she was a concubine so noone else could bear him a son. Rivetingstuff!

Sawthe infamous marble boat and the 700m long walkway with 80,000 different paintings in the ceiling so the emperor's mother could walk in the rain and still be protected from the elements ...

Imanaged to provide more entertainment at the Summer Palace this morning - at least 7 photos of me being taken with various family members - do you think that SocGen realise they have a celebrity joining them?! I have to say that I never giggled so much as I have been learning so much abouta county's culture. Tried my Chinese out today too - many smiles for this too.

I have a domestic flight to Xian this afternoon (M&D MU2108 not the flight inmy details as ithas changed) before seeing theTerracotta Army tomorrow. Am so excited as this is the reason for me coming to China in the firstplace!!

Anyway wish meluck on the next stage of my journey - hope the airplane seats arent just built for the domestic market or it could be a squashed flight!!

So ... before I start regaling how mindblowing the Great Wall is (have to find an alternative to 'amazing!') something to make you smile. It could only happen to me, the girl who is always approached by tourists for help/directions, strangers etc...

I was all dressed up last night and decided to go out and find a restaurant for dinner and walked down the road past Raffles Beijing (resisting the tempatation to pop in and recreate the Raffle Singapore Sling moment!) and found a completely mad shopping experience, flashing neon lights everywhere, huge TV screens mounted on buildings etc etc. It was at this point I realised that I had left all my money in the hotel so dinner was a no go.

As I mentioned last night, I have loads of people either staring at me or just saying 'hello' or 'hi' - much to my amusement now I've become accoustomed to it - anyway 3 girls said 'hello, how are you?' and suffice to say we ended up chatting for quite a while before I was invited to join them and visit their university to view an exhibition of their art work (it was at this point I realised they were art students!!). Beautiful work, stunning paintings and a very unusual experience!

Anyway, this morning was an early start with a 3 hour drive to the Great Wall at Janashling. This is a quieter area of the Wall and most of the Wall is original whereas the area near Beijing has been renovated so many times it's practically been rebuilt. The weather was much better than yesterday, still very hot but clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

I have to admit that we did take the cable car up (and in the heat at 11.30am I was glad we did). You are accompanied by a local farmer who is trying to make a living by selling you souvenirs or helping you over the difficult parts of the climb and we spent a lot of time laughing at my attempts at chinese! I have now been taught to count to 10 as well as a few other phrases/words - sure it will come in handy at some time.

The views are out of this world, the wall stretches on as far as the eye can see and the area is so mountainous; you can understand why so many people died during its' construction.

I've attached a couple of photos as words really cannot do it justice ... and I know all the photos will look the same view of the Wall to everyone else, however I can tell you that those I took represent every ascent/descent and tower to me! The steps are uneven, some steep, some shallow, some narrow, some wide and many times this morning I was scrambling up on my hands and knees. When I was likened to a monkey about 45 minutes in, I realised I had no shame left!

Luckily the descent after the 11th tower we reached (BTW I hope you're impressed by the distance that I covered?) was easier and a gently sloping road down the the one restaurant for lunch. Local speciality fish, beef and a hot melon side dish (I thought of you Kate!). Just pity my quad muscles tomorrow morning ....

On the way back to Beijing we stopped at a speciality cloisonee factory - enamel and copper work which is found in the imperial palaces and then at a tea house to experience a tea ceremony.

The tea ceremony was enlightening - just myself and the guide again; I never realised that different teas had so many medicinal powers too. Having stocked up on the "real thing" we made a detour to see the Beijing Birds Nest Olympic Stadium which is being built (the sense of pride about the Olympics in 2008 is almost tangible) and then it was time to experience the Beijing rush hour and finally back to the hotel at 7pm.

Here's hoping that tonight I remember to take my purse with me as I step out for dinner!!

Tomorrow's schedule is the Summer Palace and internal flight to Xian (I think!).