Based on our experiences through Central China and keeping in mind that one man's meat is another man's poison, here goes What to See:
- The first eight days in Shanxi Province was the most interesting part of the entire trip. The fantastic Yungang Grottoes; DON'T MISS the Hanging Monastery; extremely engrossing Pingyao Ancient City; Jinci Si Temple and Gardens; Wang Family Compound; and Wutai Shan would have been another plus if the weather had cooperated.
- The train system throughout China is easy with help. I don't know if we could have managed buying the tickets ourselves and communicating with the almost always non-English speaking train personnel. Suggest paying a little extra and having your hotel/guesthouse/hostel do the hassle over the train tickets. It's worth it.
Just A Little More Hangzhou and Food Street, China
What else to do in Hangzhou? There were so many other sights in Hangzhou that we never got to. A hike up the bamboo-lined path at Yunqi, the Baopu Taoist Temple, the Chenhuang (Town God) Pavilion, Leifeng Pagoda built in 975 AD and collapsed in 1924 because locals stole the bricks to make magic medicine, and Yue Fei's Temple (a national hero). We always missed the timing of the Music Dancing Fountain along West Lake and never did walk across the two causeways with "lingering snow on the broken bridge."
Where to stay in Hangzhou? Hangzhou is loaded with an infinite variety of hotels and guesthouses for every price range. Sofitel Xanadu Resort, Radisson Plaza and Shangri La are just a few of the many 5*****.
Hangzhou, China: Lingyin Temple, Dragon Well Tea and The Medicine King
Not a great day for sightseeing (dreary and raining) but what can one do. Mao Mao picked us up early for a hectic day with much to see. First up was Soul Retreat Temple (Lingyin Temple)...View image..., built in 326 AD. This is one of the best known Buddhist monasteries in China with magnificent muntains and trees around. A very scenic spot even if it has been destroyed and restored at least 16 times. Mao Mao said that the big incense sticks are usually the cause of fires in the Temples and warned us not to get set ablaze ourselves. Incense sticks waving everywhere...
The Victoria Regal Hotel loaned us umbrellas, and an early start got us to Linygin Si Temple by 9:00 am, ahead of the main tourist crush. Approximately 10,000 people visit daily and 1,000,000 on May 1. Do not expect to have this temple to yourself.
Another free and sunny day. Perfect for exploring the lake area of Hangzhou. There are 36 lakes in China called Xi Hu but this one is the most famous and the symbol of Hangzhou. It was originally a lagoon but was dredged and, subsequently, a dike cut it off from the river.
Quite a few options for getting around West Lake:
- you can wave down the "Round The Lake Sightseeing Golf Cart";
- Rent a bicycle (free rental for the first hour) at one of the 27 rental/drop off points on the lake; walk; and/or
- Take one of the very cheap buses (2 yuan - $.25) that are constantly circling West Lake, get off and sightsee whenever you choose to.
Not only is Hangzhou (pronounced "Han-Joe") extremely popular with both Chinese tourists and Westerners but it is also the country's most famous tourist attraction (along with Guilin) for the Chinese. Less than 2 hours by bullet train from Shanghai, a favorite and easy accessible weekend destination for them. Hangzhou was linked with the Grand Canal in 610 AD and Marco Polo passed this way in the 13th century leaving raves behind. The Mongols, Taipings and Cultural Revolution managed to destory most of the city and almost everything remaining has been reconstructed.
Met at the Hangzhou airport by new guide, Mao Mao (pronounced: Mao-mah) and transfered to the Victorian Regal Hotel within walking distance of everything. Newly married Mao Mao has only been guiding for a short time and loves it (not burned out yet). Showed us her wedding pictures and told us that bride and groom traditionally pose for formal portraits six-months before the wedding. The Victorian Regal Hotel has only been opened for four months and is still getting the kinks out. However, it is drop-dead gorgeous with a wonderful staff. They showed us to a third floor room with its own little deck area to sit out on. ...View image
... Not that we had the time and/or inclination to sit outside in the very hot and humid weather without wilting... But we could see the Ching Huang Pavilion, also called "Heavenly Wind at Wushan Hall" lit up a night.
Some more cautionary information on the traffic situation in China:
- You do not have the right away in the Chinese driver's way of thinking. They don't care if the light is green...View image...or red...View image..., they'll run you down;
- Cars, trucks, buses will cut across three lanes of traffic without looking;
- Everyone drives into opposing traffic to pass; ...View image...
- No one wears helmets; and
- The police just stand there and watch.
Dengfeng Food and Zhengzhou, China Capital of Henan Province
Dengfeng is a quiet town at the foot of Taishi Shan. Only night here at the Shaolin International Hotel before driving to Zhengzhou for the last trip in Henan Province. Chao, Andy, ex-Marine and I walked a few blocks away (passing another restaurant with a strange sign...View image) from the Shaolin International for dinner in another local restaurant. If you've never eaten in a "local" Chinese restaurant, prepare for an unbelievable level of noise. The owner screaming out orders to his wife, waitresses...diners shouting to be heard over that...but the best food ever. Many readers and friends haven't been enthralled with Chinese Food in China but that's because they may never have had a chance to experience a local restaurant with someone who knows how to order.
And the costs for four people! Chao ordered (2) leafy vegetable something or another (one tasted very cheesy); (1) leafy cold salad that tasted similar to radishes in a vinaigrette; another cold dish that resembled peanuts or lima beans with peppers; huge platter of sweet and sour pork; cold beer, water, soft drinks; and Lo Mah (Watch video below). The grand total was 115 yuan or less than $17 U.S. Unbelievably delicious.
Around and In Shaolin Temple and Pagoda Forest, China
At one time, 3,000 monks lived at Shaolin Temple but now there are less than 350. Students pay around 7,000 yuan (approximately $1,000 U.S.) to study here for just one year and Kung Fu/Wushu devotees come from all around the world.
Lunchtime at a restaurant on the grounds of Shaolin with a unique variety of food on the English/Chinese menu. Monkey brains, pigs heart and many, many other items not to our taste. We ate pork with garlic sauce and Kung Pao chicken...no gourmet versions for us. They were wonderful and I wish I could muster up my courage to try some of these "different" food...
Shaolin Temple, The Birthplace of Kung Fu/Wushu, China
On the road again to Shaolin Temple, possibly the most famous temple in China. Not only because of its long history and role in Chinese Buddhism, but because of its martial arts. "Wushu" or Kung Fu is China's most famous martial arts tradition. We were scheduled to watch a Kung Fu/Wushu performance, visit the Pagoda Forest and Shaolin's various temples. From what I understand, you never see the masters doing Kung Fu, only the younger students and thousands enroll every year at Shaolin's martial arts schools.
We pulled up to Shaolin, visited the absolutely 5***** public toilets...View image...View image..., bought tickets and started the walk into the complex. Fields filled with students everywhere you looked, working intensely on their exercises. They run 10k/6.2 miles every morning and practice 5-7 hours a day. There are at least 3,000 students enrolled in the various schools, most hoping to become the next Jet Li or Jackie Chan, appearing together in a new movie, The Forbidden Kingdom. Jet Li is the favorite because he studied at Shaolin Temple and made it big.
After finishing up with the Peony Festival, Chao suggested an additional excursion after lunch out to a cave town, a middle valley village not too far from Luoyang. At one time, the entire village was built underground but progress came along and only one family still lived in their original underground home. This little side trip wasn't going to be free but what the heck, there was nothing else to do.
First lunch at a different restaurant Chao picked with a few very strange items on the menu and wall... View image... (There were photos on this menu and Andy translated...lots of dishes with fish heads in them....) While there, we learned a few other random facts about China:
- Beijing has about 800 star-rated hotels with 130,000 rooms, not counting guesthouses, etc. For comparison sake, Las Vegas has just over 132,000 rooms. If you visit Beijing during the 2008 Olympics, a budget hotel will run approximately $250/night, luxury hotel $700/night and most are completely booked.
- The Chinese say they have three mountains on their shoulders: Medical care, housing and education.
White Horse Temple and the Annual Luoyang Peony Show, China
The White Horse Temple (Baima Si) was built by the Han Dynasty in 68 AD when Buddhism started to spread. This temple is believed to be the first Buddhist temple built by the Government in China, and is regarded as the "originating court" and "cradle of Chinese Buddhism" by the Buddhist disciples. It is this that makes it an important Temple to visit. The story goes: A Tang dynasty monk went searching for Buddhist scriptures. He met two Indian monks in Afghanistan and returned to Luoyang with Buddhist scriptures and statues on the backs of two white horses. The temple was founded to house them and named after the horses. There are two stone horses by the entrance and tombs of the two monks inside the first courtyard. (Watch the video below...)
There are many pavilions. The Guest Hall, Hall of Prayer, Hall of Abstinence, living quarters of the monks, all reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), My thoughts? Other than the iris in bloom and an original ancient horse, I was again underwhelmed... However, it was peaceful in the early morning stillness with people lighting incense sticks and praying. It was just another beautiful temple to us non-Buddhists and worth seeing only for the reasons above. FYI: Andy strongly suggests not to buy bottled water at White Horse Temple. According to him, the locals fill used plastic water bottles with tap water and reseal them perfectly!
The clear blue skies here were a marked contrast to our views of Luoyang most mornings from our hotel room....View image...and, this image was taken on a clearer day!
Visiting and Exploring the Longmen Grottoes of Luoyang, China
Luoyang, pop: 7,000,000, is located in one of China's smallest provinces, Henan Province. It may be one of the smallest provinces but is also the most densely populated. The Yellow River crosses Henan and Chinese civilization can be tracked back around 3,500 years in this area with a few remaining sections of its original walls in the old city. Luoyang was also the capital of 13 dynasties.
Enough of that...lunch. Chao ("Chow") is a man after my own heart and really knows his way around food. The first restaurant chosen had Henan cuisine. Chao and Andy would be with us for the next 5 days and we explained our dietary rules once again. No dog, cat, rat, snake or other unusual beasties. Like spicy foods. Explain to us what the dish contains and we'll yea or nay. Whatever it was, very delicious and happy that Andy asked for extra chopsticks to use on the serving plates as serving utensils instead of us all dipping chopsticks back and forth into the communal plates. I know this is Chinese tradition but I'd prefer not to go along with tradition in this instance. One of the first things I noticed were the newly washed and sanitized dishes delivered by a service at the front door of the restaurant. We saw that on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau last year. If only a service would come to my house, take the dirty dishes and return them nice and clean. ...Oops, that's right......that person is me!
From the Wang Family Compound, a drive back to Taiyun (prounounced "Taiwan") for the overnight train, actually a 12-hour overnight train, to Luoyang in Henan Province. Back on one of China's excellent major highways with the crazy drivers passing on the left, on the right, shoulders....they are nuts!
The majority of Shanxi Province is filled with homes built into the hillside dirt of winding crevasses and anytime there is an inch of tillable land, you'll find narrow fields at the bottom. At first, it didn't dawn on us that these were houses until we passed a few entire villages built into the dirt hillside....View image...
Jenny came with us into the soft seat waiting room where we went through the same routine as before:
- Show tickets to enter soft seat waiting room
- x-ray bags
- Twenty to 30 minutes before train time, the gates open and everyone heads for the train.
Shanghai Far East added in two other visits to replace the aborted and snowed out Wutai Shan. We rolled our suitcases through Pingyao's busy streets, even this early in the day, to Mr. Wong waiting with the car, and headed south a short distance (only 5km/3.1mi away) to Shuanglin Si Temple...View image... This temple was originally built in the Northern Wei and all the buildings were arranged around three courtyards, Ming and Qing.
It is the collection of Buddhist sculptures that people come to see. There are horsemen, depictions of Buddha, sainas and guardians, Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) and monsters. We basically were underwhelmed but there was one interesting fact. The only reason this temple was spared during the Cultural Revolution was because the surrounding farmers used it to store their crops and intelligently pointed out to the Guards that they would have no place to put them if the Shuanglin Si was burnt to the ground.
Pingyao was the undisputed financial headquarters of China during the Qing dynasty. Baichuan Tong, Rischengchang Exchange and Sie Tong Qing were three of the most powerful banks.
- Rishengchang Exchange Shop (Financial House Museum) ...View image...is where a man named Li introduced a systems of checks and deposits. His system became a bank (established in1824) that prospered for over 100 years. It wasn't until the Japanese invasion that Rishengchang closed. This museum had over 100 rooms, including offices, living quarters, kitchen and several old checks. Now, we had never stopped to think how banks operated before checks and deposits but once we saw the heavy old silver that had to be transported between towns, the light dawned.
In Pingyao, China: The Confucius Temple and Government Building
Today was some in-depth sightseeing of Pingyao with Jenny. You must buy an all-inclusive ticket that allows you to see all the sites in the area. They are valid for two days and it doesn't make any difference whether or not you only want to see one or two sites. You must buy the ticket - no exceptions, no exclusions.
First stop: The Confucius Temple, a national relic. ...View image... Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) was the famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher. One of his famous quotes is: Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses. (ex-Marine had another so-called "quote" from his teenage years in one of the previous videos on Pingyao.) There are 87 sculptures of Confucius and his disciples in this temple and also an exhibitiion of the history of the ancient Chinese Examination including a Ming Dynasty examination paper from the 13th century.
Pingyao Ancient City was something else. From the moment the little golf cart dropped us off, a five-minute walk from Chang Yi Feng Inn...View image... - our "home" for the next three nights - until we left, Pingyao Ancient City was completely engrossing and fun. The Lantern Festival, held 15 days after the Chinese New Year, is possibly the only event that could have made Pingyao beyond perfect. Pingyao is one of the only complete walled cities left in China and an outstanding example of Chinese Han nationality cities during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is located on an old route between Beijing and Xian and became a thriving merchant town.
All the hotels within the city were once old houses that have been turned into guesthouses. Our room's decor was typical Chinese-style with the mattress laid over a brick foundation. In olden days, hot coals would have been placed in the bricks at night to heat the room. We sure could have used them the first night since our modern heater didn't work. Buried under three extremely heavy quilts, I slept in all my clothes. We had surprisingly comfortable buckwheat filled pillows and a very modern bathroom. (They changed our room the next day to one with a working heater.)
After lunch, a visit to the Qiao Compound. This was the last stop today before Pingyao. After experiencing the unbelievable road sights of Ethiopia, China couldn't hold a candle in comparison (and I do my best not to compare trips). Unless you call Sinopec Gas Stations (China's main gasoline provider), trucks carrying coal and oil, and fields with huge steel, generating and coal processing plans, stuck in the middle of them "interesting."
The ornate Qiao Family Compound was first built in 1756 in the Qing Dynasty by Qiao Zhi Yong. Qiao made his money in Baotou (in Inner Mongolia) and became wealthy running banks, pawnshops and teahouses. The huge compound has been renovated twice, enlarged once and has six big courtyards, 19 small courtyards and contains over 300 rooms. (And we think we're building mega-mansions...) Qiao Family Compound has been converted into a museum and has period furnishings distributed throughout.
...was our lunch stop at Kang Zhuang Eco-Gourmet Restaurant...View image.... What made this restaurant different from any other? The decor and a big Chinese wedding going on inside it. First of all, the restaurant was huge with a capital "H." Each area was decorated differently. One, modern. Another, huge fish tanks. Separate rooms for diner families. A see-through kitchen area with cooks carving an unedible vegetable into the shape of a rooster, plating foods, frying live turtles and other critters (fortunately, the turtles were the only ones I could identify), and wait staff rushing by with yummy smelling food. Even the reception area floor was built of clear glass (or plexi-glass) over a stream below it..
Jenny filled us in on this particular area's wedding customs. There are two days of celebration. The first day is for the groom's family and friends only. The second day for the bride's family and friends. Today, happened to be "groom day" and big festivities were taking place. A d.j. pumping out music....the bride and groom posing for their formal portraits outside in the gardens....little children dressed in their finest...
Taiyuan (pop: 4 million) is the capital city of Shanxi Province and accounts for more than half the national coal mining output (more haze). There isn't much to do in Taiyuan and the city functions primarily as transfer point for onward journeys to Xian and Pingyao. Regardless, the Longcheng International Hotel was gorgeous and they had the best breakfast buffet we'd eaten to date. (Wonderful bacon, our weakness...)
Wutai Shan Mountain (Five-Terrace Mountain) was definitely a "no-go." According to the morning internet, Wutai was -5c/22F at 8 am with a wind chill of -12/c/9F. The road was a sheet of ice and trails covered with snow. There was nothing else that could be changed or arranged on short notice (the May Day holiday was coming up). Conversation with Cindy (over possibilities and/or options) at Shanghai Far East and off we drove towards Pingyao with stops on the way. First stop, Jinci Temple complex. Today was sunny and beautiful with fruit trees and flowers blooming everywhere. ...View image...what a difference a lower altitude makes...
To be brutally honest, there's not very much to do in Taiyuan with the exception of the new Shanxi Museum complex with its huge cultural relics collection. There are over 200,000 pieces of precious relics - the cream of the entire province. The main building is shaped in a combination of two Chinese cooking vessels. A Dou (kind of measuring implement in ancient China), and Ding (an ancient cooking vessel with two loop handles and three or four legs). This gorgeous, modern museum (and we're not usually museum goers) is divided into two main sections:
- The History Section further divided into: The cradle of civilization; traces of Xia and Shang Dynasties; vassal state Jin...View image...; relics of Buddhism...View image...; operas; Shanxi merchants in the Ming and Qing Dynasties; and melting pot of different nationalities.
- The Art Section exhibits divided into: Paintings; calligraphy; chinaware; ancient currency; Jade and ancient architecture.
Still completely amazed by the Hanging Monastery and in our nice warm car with the heat blasting, we drove back down the mountain towards the Wooden Pagoda and lunch before the long drive to Wutai Shan.
The Wooden Pagoda (Mu Ta) in Yingxian County, was built during the Liao Dynasty (about 1056). It is the oldest and highest wooden structure in China and regarded as the "First Pagoda in the World." They also say that not one single nail was used to construct this massive 9-story Pagoda. ...View image... Decisions...lunch before or lunch after? Since we were both still cold, it made sense to stay outdoors and visit the Wooden Pagoda before warming up completely.
The Hanging Monastery (Xuankong Si) was about an 1-1/2 hour ride from Datong and if we thought yesterday was cold, today was freezing, 8c/40F. Long-sleeved shirts, fluff jackets with waterproofs over - the only cold weather gear we brought with. The entire area is higher in altitude (I know Wutai Shan rises to 3,000m/9,000') and it's a given that rain yesterday meant snow in these mountains.
The road to the Hanging Monastery wound through valleys and started climbing with a light drizzle off and on. As the car approached, ex-Marine and I were speechless at the sight of this itsy-bitsy building literally hanging from the side of a sheer cliff. And if that left us stupified, you should have seen our faces when we got out of the car. Tremendous gusts of wind, ice on the swinging bridge across to the Monastery and freezing cold! How cold was it? People were doing a landslide business RENTING Chinese Army coats to the tourists.
Datong's Nine Dragon Screen and Huayan Si Monastery, China
It was quite cool and dreary today. Unseasonably cool according to Jenny. Not only that but Datong was clouded by a thick pall of noxious fumes thanks to China's biggest coal mines in this area. As a matter of fact, one coal plant supplies all the electricity for Beijing! Our journey through Shaxi and Henan Provinces are considered the heartland of the Yellow River flowing for 3,400 miles through China. The Yellow River begins in the Plateau of Tibet and ends in the Bo Hai Sea. Unfortunately, the entire stretch is now lined with factories and coal power plants. Thousands of miners die every year in the usually unsafe mines.
But...it was time for lunch at a place where Mongolian Hot Pot is the local specialty. Neither of us have the patience for Mongolian Hot Pot. A cart with different ingredients is wheeled to your table and you decide which ones you want. In the center of the table is a big pot with a propane tank under it. The waitress pours boiling hot soup into the pot and you start cooking and mixing the various ingredients in it and chowing down. Instead of that, we selected plates of green vegetables with mushrooms, a huge dish of spicy chicken with peanuts and red chilis and Jenny insisted we try a local noodle and lamb concoction that wasn't to our taste. A little too bland but there was so much food without this! ...View image...
The Yungang Grottoes, China (Also Known as Cloud Ridge Caves)
We started the day by visiting the Yungang Grottoes (also known as Cloud Ridge Caves). It was a very short drive from Datong, only about 16km/10mi. The grottoes contain 252 caves and 51,000 statues carved during the Northern Wei dynasty in the 5th and 6th centuries. These caves are why most people (including us) visit Datong and represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China . The caves are cut into the southern cliffs ...View image...of Wuzhou Shan, next to the pass leading to Inner Mongolia...hmmm...Inner Mongolia...that's a thought... The caves were also modeled on the Magao Grottoes/Caves at Dunhuang on the Silk Road.
The caves are divided into three main groups: Early caves; caves with Yungang art; and caves carved in 460 AD with the Buddhas in each of these representing an emperor.
Training From Beijing to Datong, Shanxi Province, China
Stephanie (a guide from Shanghai Fareast) joined us at the Novotel, Beijing to help us find the proper train and seats on the "soft seat" fast train from Beijing West Railway Station to Datong, a 6-hour ride. On the taxi ride, Stephanie gave us a few statistics:
- There are over 70,000+ taxis in Beijing.
- Beijing population is now 16 million (give or take a few)
West Station, Xi Zhan, is Asia's largest rail terminal. A huge, beautiful and what turned out to be, easy to navigate train station. Large displays showing train number, track, departure time, etc. A "soft seat" waiting room. The routine for West Station was:
- Go to soft seat waiting room. They will not allow you to even step one foot in this area without showing your soft seat train ticket.
- Put all bags, handbags, backpacks through x-ray and have a seat.
- Twenty to 30 minutes before departure, rail staff open the entrance to the tracks and off you go.
- Find your numbered car
- Surrender the train ticket to the employee at the train car entrance. She gives you a cardboard facsimile in return which you exchange for the real ticket before arriving at the destination.
- Find your "soft seat" and that's it.
We had never trained on our own in China before and it was worth the extra cost to have someone show us the ropes.
Depressed about leaving the table behind at the Panjiayuan Market, I perked up when the taxi reached Yashow (also "Yashu") Market in the Sanlitun area. There's no end to the amount of 4-story buildings in Beijing selling pearls, jewelry, fake cds and dvds, clothing, i-Pods, computer accessories and on-and-on until a person comes has a nervous breakdown trying to make a decision on what to offer on stuff you never knew you needed until that moment. Visit Hongqiao Peark Market, Silk Street, 3.3 Clothing Market (also in Sanlitun), and many more...
I was determined to leave Beijing empty-handed....ha....ha....ha. Did I need another handbag? Like a root canal. I'm still using the three I bought two years ago that remarkably haven't fallen apart. But here I was, buying a new suede soft green colored D&G "fake" purse for $20.00 U.S. Not because of the D&G on it...I just liked it and the handbags are really beautifully made... Oh well... Past the rows and rows of watches and pearls (I did buy a few pearl trinkets for a few dollars) and out of there with ex-Marine buying two Beijing Olympic hats for 50 cents each outside Yashow.
Visiting My Favorite Beijing, China Panjiayuan "Dirt" Market
A fast 12-1/2 hour flight and we landed at Beijing's Capital Airport. The last time we flew through and into Beijing, the airport grounds were a sea of cranes, otherwise known as "crane city." The cranes had metamorphosed into the world's largest airport terminal completed in time for the 8/8/08 Olympics. You would not believe how long it took from landing to arrive at the gate. The plane taxied...and taxied...and taxied for at least 45 minutes. The imposing dragon-shaped building will handle 76 million passengers a year. Off the plane, through the incredibly gorgeous new building, customs and out to the taxi queue in no time at all.
By the Olympics, a new train line is also supposed be completed into downtown Beijing. That will be a lifesaver. Traffic is wall-to-wall gridlock from Capital Airport into downtown and our cabdriver got lost looking for the Novotel. He spoke no English, and our six-word Chinese vocabulary just didn't cut it. What to do? Cell phone...what else. There are almost 500 million cell phone subscribers in China! I pulled my hotel confirmation with phone number, pointed, he called for directions and...there you are. Or rather, there we were at the Novotel Xin Qiao Beijing. Show me to a bed please....
"stuff" arriving by bicycle for the Panjiayuan Market
The final itinerary consisted of 17 day, beginning in Beijing, ending in Shanghai. We planned on spending two nights in Beijing at the beginning and two nights in Shanghai at the end before flying home. And then, you always have to add the 2 days spent actually getting to China and one day returning home! The tour itself would focus on three provinces: Shanxi, Henan and Zhejiang.
Air? United non-stop to Beijing and then fly directly home to Chicago from Shanghai. We'd utilize trains (day and overnight) and ground transportation for the intra-China sections with the exception of one domestic flight from Zhengzhou to Hangzhou.
Hotels? We needed two nights in Beijing and two nights in Shanghai. Selected the Novotel Xin Qiao Beijing, a 4-star hotel near Tiananmen Square and the Ruijin Hotel & Guesthouse to stay in Shanghai. (Read about China costs below.)
Sometimes it appears that all we do is travel to and from China. People ask, "Why are you going to China again?" Because....China is huge and impossible to see in a dozen trips. Another e-mail (fareast@shfareast.com) to Cindy (Shi Ming), at Shanghai Far East Expeditions. What area should we explore now?
It didn't take long for Cindy to reply with a whole smorgasbord of suggestions and questions. Time of year? Did we want to trek? How many days? What is our budget? Answers -- April to May...no trekking...14+ days...as little as possible. That last feat is becoming harder and harder with the Beijing 2008 Olympics and China's rapidly increasing popularity for travel.
Time for the train routine. Victoria Plaza Hotel concierge wrote down the name of the Hangzhou train station and instructions for the taxi driver to drop us off on the 2nd level in Chinese. That level is where the soft-seat bullet train waiting room is. On another piece of paper (also in Chinese), the name of our Shanghai hotel, address and telephone number.
HINT: Try to always do this so when your taxi driver gets lost...and he will get lost...he can use his cell phone to call for directions. We watched CCTV-9 most of the time in China, usually the only station in English. One interesting show featured Beijing taxi drivers who are attending compulsory "Taxi English" school for two-hours a day in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.
Finishing Up Shanghai: The Four Seasons, Bund and Yu Gardens
One last day in Shanghai and we headed out very early to visit "The Bund," Yu Gardens and stop by the Four Seasons to visit Lisa Low, Director of Public Relations. The United Airlines Shanghai to Chicago flight didn't leave until 4:00 pm today which gave enough time to accomplish everything...we hoped.
The Four Seasons was within walking distance and Lisa told us about a new area, Taikang Road, filled with restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. I mentioned before that there is always a new area to explore. Thanks, Lisa, and we hope to reconnect on the next trip to Shanghai and discover even more with Lisa's help. If you appreciate the finest in luxury and service, stay at The Four Seasons. And if you can't afford a luxury hotel, splurge just once and still book yourself into The Four Seasons. An island of tranquility and service. FYI: We pay our own way and all my reviews are completely unbiased. No comps for this reviewer!
Dongtai Lu and Xintiandi/Xin Tian Di Tourist Information, Shanghai, China
I have so many favorite places in Shanghai to visit every time and then Shanghai razes another city block, erects giant skyscrapers and I can no longer find the old favorites. NOTE: Almost every guidebook, map or local information you may read is outdated as soon as it is printed! Entire city blocks change overnight. China has the manpower to bring 3,000 construction workers in from the country, build temporary housing for them, and then erect a new giant skyscraper within 4-6 months. All the information below is from a local:
- China is expected to overtake the U.S. as the world's largest economy in 10 years. (No kidding...as if a deaf, dumb, blind person couldn't figure that out.)
- A fifth of China's exports pass through Shanghai.
- China produces and consumes one-third of the world's steel. Every city visited this trip, including the countryside appears to be just one huge crane city.
The Gay Man's "Murse" (A Purse) and Other China Favorites
The absolute latest in China's gay community is called a "murse." Usually, a huge Coach purse with fits definite requirements. It has to be large, the bigger the better- shiny and decorated and definitely a brand name. It's an epidemic in the Shanghai community and right now, if you carry a murse, you're shouting out... "I'm gay"!... But what's going to happen when this catches on with metrosexuals (you know it will) and every man carries a murse? I'm confident the forward thinking gay fashionistas of Shanghai will come up with something else.
There are also a few gay places for partying that had the greatest descriptions. Frangipani serves Fruit in a Suit, and the Red Station had a girls night out geared toward non-breeders of the female variety. What a way with words...
In Shanghai, China For A Third Visit - Heaven...I'm In Heaven...
Landed in Shanghai, took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. IMPORTANT: Don't listen to touts who offer taxi service! Exit the airport door showing "taxis," get in line and wait your turn. It should run about $21 for a 45-minute trip. There are also buses that take you to downtown Shanghai for less and the wonderful Maglev train that only takes 8 minutes. Unfortunately, it didn't stop anywhere near our hotel. You'd have to take a taxi from the end point.
My idea of heaven is ending a semi-difficult trip (or not) in a deluxe 5***** hotel and you can't ask for a hotel more wonderful than Four Seasons...the ultimate in luxury and service. What a treat to be in a hotel with people waiting to welcome us in English, toilets that flush (goodbye squat and public toilets), steaming hot water, a cushy bed with fluffy pillows, fruit in the room, and body lotion. Yes...I'm shallow... Nirvana for me and ex-Marine's idea of heaven is CNN, ESPN (to see what the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox were doing) and newspapers in English.
What an interesting trip. We discovered the Eastern Tibetan Plateau wasn't as untraveled as you may be led to believe. Chinese Nationals are the primary tourists right now but every year more Westerners discover this huge area with its variety of sights. It's changing rapidly - like the rest of the world - get there now! Some more facts for you:
- The roads were uniformly excellent.
- The nicer the hotel, the worse the food. Stick to the little "hole in the wall" eateries for really great food.
- The Chinese eat communally using their chopsticks to eat out of the same serving bowl. Hard to get used to watching chopsticks go in someone else's mouth and then used to pick out another helping from the same dish, but we never got sick.
A Red Panda resembles a raccoon! Both the Giant Panda and Red Pandas share characteristics of both bears and raccoons but are only distantly related. Other Red Panda facts?
- The Red Panda is native to Nepal's Himalayas, Southern China, Southern Tibet, Bhutan and also found sparsely in a few other countries. It too is classified as "endangered" with an estimated population of less than 2,500. Hunted for its fur and bushy tail (think "coonskin cap") in China, their fur is often used in local cultural ceremonies and weddings.
- They like elevations of 1,800-4,800m/5,900-15,700' (they live high), forests with rhododendrons and bamboo, and nest in rock dens and old hollow trees.
- Red Pandas spend the day sleeping on high branches of trees and spend most of their lives, living predominantly in trees. They also have territories and are loners.
The Giant Panda Breeding Institute In Chengdu, China
What would a trip to the Chengdu area be without a visit to the Giant Panda Breeding Institute to see those adorable Pandas? Suggestion: Go early in the morning because after snarfing down piles of bamboo, the Pandas go into a food-coma (just like us) and sleep for hours.
The Giant Panda Breeding Institute doesn't open until 9:00 a.m. and off we went. It took over an hour to get through all the traffic. People make left turns through red lights, drive through red lights, go into opposing traffic to get around each other...and then there are bicycles and scooters going in all directions. Nervewracking. At first I thought, swell...this is just going to be like going to a zoo...then we'll see two Pandas and leave... How very wrong could one person be. One of the most fantastic experiences of our lives. The Institute's grounds are huge and spread over many acres. Left the car in the parking lot (thankfully, without too many tour buses yet) and started walking into the grounds, heading directly for the Panda enclosures.
It is a omplete surprise that we haven't seen any dead bodies, animals or auto accidents anywhere on this trip. The highways (with the exception of tollways around Xining) are two-lanes filled with cars, trucks, people walking on the road, sheep and yaks crossing at will, little tractors. Going through unlit tunnels with little tractors ahead of you in the darkness was very scary. Oh...and I forgot to add...everyone passes on curves...mountains or not. Today would be the last long drive to Chengdu. No more Tibetan Autonomous zones...no more yaks...each small town and city would be primarily Chinese.
Our driver was a rabid smoker and packs of Chinese cigarettes run anywhere from 3-20 yuan...most commonly 10 yuan a pack. There was plenty of time for him to smoke with all the road delays. We sat at one place for close to an hour while the road builders flagged one row of traffic at a time through this three-block area. I watched the cabbage trucks heading to market with pounds of road dirt on each cabbage...
It would be two hours by road before reaching Mu Ni Gou, located in Song Pan County. Songpan is east of the vast Aba Autonomous Prefecture which sprawls over the Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai borders. This area is the domain of the Goloks (a nomadic group of herders) and a Bonpa stronghold. Both tribes you don't want to mess with.
Songpan, was founded as a garrison town guarding the neck of a valley. Songpan is one of Sichuan's few surviving walled towns and is surrounded on three sides by high stone walls, most of them reconstructed. Their shops (unimpressive) still cater to the occasional Tibetan and and local Qiang. The only impressive sight we saw in Songpan was an old bridge. Glad our itinerary didn't call for an overnight there. (Thank you, Cindy.)
The Huanglong Reserve covers over a 1,000 square km/600 miles of rough terrain at an average altitude of 3,000m/9,800'. This valley was carved out by a glacier and the limestone-rich waters flowing down the valley have left yellow calcified deposits between hundreds of blue ponds. The entire circuit, on either wooden boardwalks that have to be slippery as hell when it rains and stone paths, is approximately 8k/4+ miles through the deciduous forest, pine forests and rhododendrons. By now, I had forgotten all about the hissy fit on the way to this Reserve. It was definitely worth every long mile and entirely different from Jiuzhaigou. Go and visit!
We walked down from the Monastery on the opposite side of the circuit and gained new perspectives of the 5-Colored Dragon Head pool, Golden Flying Waterfall, 1k long calcified slope "Golden Sand on Earth" ...View image...There were toilets all along the trail and posts offering free oxygen. If we could have read "free oxygen in Chinese", it would have been a sure indication that this was some serious altitude just to go out and walk in. And...duh...seeing a porter struggling up carrying everything Nepal-style would have told anyone with a brain that this was high altitude...
porter carrying cartons on his back up the mountain
From Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong Scenic Reserve in China
It was a very long drive, over 2-1/2 hours from Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong, up and over mountains. Huanglong is a string of lakes and small ponds in a calcified valley with thick alpine forests. Already, I was not happy. The thought of driving this distance just to see another park was leaving me cold and I was busy muttering in the back seat to ex-Marine..."Can you believe we have to drive all this way...and then turn around and drive the same road back through the mountains...yadda...yadda..." At long last there, Huanglong seemed less busy than Jiuzhougou. Probably because there were very few tour buses in the parking lot at this early hour.
Again, there was a big visitor's center at the entrance of Huanglong again in the Minshan range, another UNESCO site...View image... The highest peak Xuebaoding would have been visible on a clear day but today was cool and overcast. Wang-Lee decided to take us in to the park today, and left Yonten in the parking lot with the car. There were no buses into Huanglong - you had to walk in...and up...or so we thought. Fortunately, ex-Marine and I had absolutely no inkling of the altitude here.
In Jiuzhaigou Scenic Reserve: Middle To The Top Section, China
Jiuzhaigou is in the southern part of the Minshan Mountains at an elevation of 2,000-4,300m/6,500-14,000' and is one of the branch gullies at the source of the Jiulingjiang River in the Yangtze River system. This big "Y" shaped valley consists of Nuorilang with the two branches of Rize and Zechawa. There are over 114 lakes and 17 waterfalls...impossible to see everything. Jiuzhaigou Scenic Reserve was designated a UNESCO Man and Biosphere area in 1997. The midpoint of today's gully was called Nuorilang and Fangcao Lake (Primeval Forest) was an additional 18k/10 miles up.
Jumped on the next bus to top (a 20-minute ride) to admire the views from there. Most of the tourists in the park were also paying 30 Yuan to take photos dressed in Tibetan costumes....View image...they were so pretty that I was tempted to dress up in one myself...but we were running short of time and there was still much to see in Jiuzhaigou...
In Jiuzhaigou Scenic Reserve: Bottom To The Middle Section, China
Approximately 1,000,000 people visit annually and there were over 15,000 today. "Jewz" means "9 Stockades Gully." It is 14k/8+ miles from park gate to center of reserve, then 15k/9.3 miles to the Primeval Forest at the top from the center. Bus stops all along the route and the routes are divided from bottom to middle and middle to top. It took 20 minutes by bus just to get from the middle to top. There is also a guesthouse at the halfway point to spend the night if you want.
Huge visiters center with everything in Chinese and English. A map cost about 50 cents and was an extremely worthwhile investment....View image...and the visitors center had information flashing by, also in Chinese and English...View image...
Ruo Er Gai Grassland and Jiu Zhai Gou (Jiuzhaigou) in China
Today's destination was Jiu Zhai Gou (Jiuzhaigou) Scenic Reserve for some exploration. Jiuzhaigou is in a valley with lakes and some waterfalls, "discovered" by tourists in the 1970's and is now being groomed by the Chinese Government for a huge influx of visitors (primarily Han Chinese).
Ruo Er Gai was an interesting little town. even if we did nearly freeze to death in our hotel. And breakfast was a Chinese breakfast only, without eggs or bread BUT there was some sort of sponge cake and we had our instant coffee. No worries... Upon arrival yesterday, we walked around town - that took about five minutes - but there were some great looking pedi-cabs, one food street selling lots of candy, nuts and other foods - all sitting out in the very hot high-altitude sun...View image... - and peas drying on the sidewalks...
A Day With The Nomads: Ruo Er Gai Grasslands, China
Driving along, Yonten taught us another Tibetan word - DEE MOUCHEE - goodby in Tibetan. It wasn't long before Wang-Lee pulled off the road, drove a short distance across green pastures and stopped before a black tent, Yonten's family summer tent. His mother, sister-in-law and nephew were standing outside waiting to greet us while the family's yaks roamed around and the family dog (a mean one, tied up) growled and barked at us. (Yonten said even he was afraid of that dog.) ...View image...
The black tent made out of yak fur absorbs the sun during the day and keeps the family warm at night. The tent was quite spacious with a spot for everything including a pile of dried yak dung (three-days worth) used as fuel for cooking. They even had a small solar generator. Nomads move their flocks four times n the summer to new pastures, gradually heading back to their winter home by the mountains. It takes several yaks to haul everything each time they move. They also had a little white tent in the middle of the yak corral for someone to sleep in at night to keep away predators.
Langmusi Sky Burials and Ruo Er Gai Grasslands in China
Today, if we are lucky, we'll get to witness a Tibertan Sky Burial. When a Tibetan dies, the body is kept in the house for three days, and then brought to the monastery where a monk says prayers over the corpse. After that, the corpse is immediately transported up the mountain and left for the vultures and other birds of prey to dispose of it. Before the birds even get there, a monk splits the corpse into pieces with his knife to make it easier for the vultures to carry off the body chunks. Neither one of us were quite sure whether this was really something to look forward to or not...
Up very early in the morning to hike up the mountain to the Terrace for Celestial Burial (sky burials), the most holy place in the area. The hiking trail was easy...the altitude was not. We asked Yonten while burtials are handled in this fashion. His explanation, during Tibetan life, they eat many animals and birds. This method of disposal gives something back to the animals and the souls of the dead are brought to heaven.
We continued on our walk to visit Sezhi Monastery, at the intersection of Gansu Province and Sichuan Province. This little village of Langmusi has two large Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, each with about 600 monks. This is an Amdo Tibetan nomad region and the people are devoutly Buddhist. The first thing we saw were people sitting in front of the very attractive Sezhi Monastery, trying to capture the sights in paint...View image...first one, than another person working on their artwork...View image... And, the next day, we happened to see an entire Chinese art class, palettes and paints in hand, heading for the same spot.
We'd visit the other monastery, Geerdeng Monastery, in Gansu Province tomorrow on the way up to a Tibetan Sky Burial. (More about Tibetan Sky Burials later...) Locals simply refer to them as the Sichuan Monastery and Gansu Monastery.
Langmusi was another beautiful village, populated by Hui, Goloks and Tibetans, surrounded by mountains and lamaseries. There is really good hill walking around here as well as horse-rides into the country. Quite a few Chinese tourists like to rent horses, ride to a nomad village where they spend a night in a tent, and ride back the next day. Langmusi is a very relaxing, Tibetan area and many travelers organize treks or just veg out for a few days.
We arrived in Langmusi just around lunch time, dropped the suitcases at the hotel, walked down the street and upstairs to a restaurant Wang-Lee knew. The food wasn't very good. Wang=Lee said this restaurant was excellent the last time he drove through Langmusi, but this time, a big Julia Child thumbs down . We all should have known this place wasn't for us when we saw the street sign, advertising intestines for lunch...
Xiahe (Labrang), Through Hezuo, On The Way To Langmusi, China
Now going south of Gansu Province to Hezuo ("WHO-ZOO") to visit Mila Riba Palace, on a sunny, nice day. Built in 1777, this 14-storey temple was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt in 1988. Quite elaborate with great views of the grasslands surrounding Hezuo. There are over 1,700 statues of Buddha, Bodhisattva and guardians of Buddhism. We just admired from the outside.
Hezuo is a trading post for Tibetan nomads. The road leading to Sichuan from Gansu Province was a tough journey with lots of stopovers in remote towns. A new Tibetan word for us "KAY-OH-MARI"...."no problem" in Tibetan. Yonten is responsible for this new word. He attends university in Lanzhou trying to improve his Chinese and English. In today's China, a person must be fluent in Chinese if they want to get ahead and Yonten has no intention of returning to the nomadic life of his family, herding yaks and sheep for the rest of his life. The Lanzhou University has 40,000 studens and four months equals one term.
another monastery tucked at the foot of the mountains
Xia He/Xiahe/Labrang County and Monastery in Gansu Province, China
We had visited Gansu province during the Silk Road trip but were heading into an entirely different area. Xiahe (pronounced shak huh - the Chinese world for "Labrang") is the most important Tibetan monastery town outside of Tibet. (I'm going to use Xiahe throughout this article.) Xiahe is a tiny rural town around 3,000m/9,800' in the hills of southern Gansu, on the edge of the Tibetan plateau. The town basically runs along one small street starting from the bus station, leading through Labrang Monastery in the middle, and ending in the old Tibetan section of town.
Labrang Monastery is one of the six major centers of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat Sect). Four are in Tibet and we had already visited the fifth, Kumbum (Taer Si) in Qinghai Province. This temple, with its 600+ year history, is famous for ancient cultural relics and architecture. The Yellow Hat Sect is considerably wealthier than their brother monks of the Red Hat Sect (Hongjiao Si - Temple of the Red Hat Sect - also in Xiahe), and the Yellow Hat people certainly never looked undernourished... Speaking of undernourished...it was time for lunch...and we were getting pretty darn good with chopsticks...
This was the big Day...the reason we were visiting Tongren in Qinghai Province at this particular time. The Shen Wu Assembly for Worship, in only held once a year..TODAY. This Assembly, called "Zhou Pu Le Rou" in Tibetan language, is a traditional old Ritual Festival incorporating religion, sacrifice and entertainment. Some of the numerous ceremonies and activities include: ritual dances, the beating of holy drums, singing of folk songs and the shaman going into trance all hoping to bring good luck for future offerings.
It is more correctly called the Tongren Shaman's Festival dating back to pre-Buddhist influence. After today, the festival would continue in many of the small villages around Tongren presided over by each village's local shaman. There would also be ritual piercing of cheeks of all the young men in the village, the men dancing a drum dance with pierced backs, and a shaman in a trance, climbing the dragon pole, then cutting his forehead with a knife. Quite wild and very different from any festival we've ever experienced. Don't know about the piercing and cutting bits, and just hoped we had the stomach for it.
- Approximately 31% of the Chinese smoke (could be much higher). Very difficult to get used to constantly being surrounded by a cloud of second-hand smoke. We've probably inhaled a year's worth of smoke in just a few days. If you are a smoker, China will be nirvana and you'll be happier than a hog sitting in a puddle of ...you know what....just puff away to your heart's content...
- Spitting on the sidewalks has diminished since prior visits to China. Do you think SARS or Bird Flu had something to do with it?
- You can buy some great looking sunglasses for $1.
- The Tibetans love to have their pictures taken and a crowd always materializes to see the image on my digital camera and camcorder. They are also as interested in us as we are in them.
Our hotel (the China Telecom) was packed with both Chinese National tourists and westerners arriving for the festival tomorrow including one group that just came off trek. Their mules were munching away behind the hotel waiting to be carted off to wherever mules go. We'll have to walk about 15 minutes from the center of Tongren to the monastery uphill. It should start at 10:00 am, and then again, maybe not.
The China Telecom Hotel had its own bowling alley but didn't serve breakfast or any other meals which certainly wasn't a problem. Each morning we walked less than 100 feet to a little hole in the wall restaurant with, perhaps, six tiny tables seating 4 persons at each table. If an entire table wasn't vacant, we just ate with strangers...it wasn't like they took "reservations." This restaurant was operated by Chinese Muslims, the Hui people, a completely family-run affair. Little boy poured tea and cleaned off tables while another family member made the noodles and a third took orders and delivered the food to the table. Breakfast was either a huge bowl of meat/vegetable/noodle soup - what Wang-Lee and Yonten ate or, hard-boiled eggs and flatbread - our breakfast - supplemented with a jar of Nescafe coffee.
In Tongren (Tong Ren) Known As The "Homeland of Thangkas", China
Finally in Tongren, Qinghai Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Region, the focal point of this trip, to attend the Tongren festival supposed to start today with two-days of festivities. BUT...the Head Lama has decided that today is not an auspicious day and the festival won't start until tomorrow. Ah...memories of our Ladakh trip when we planned three weeks around a huge festival, arrived and found out that the festival had taken place weeks earlier when that Lama changed it to a more auspicious time! What could we do but hope that it actually would begin tomorrow...
In the meantime, there were other sights to see. Tongren (pop. 16,000) had two other monasteries not far away. Upper Wutun Xia and Lower Wutun. This area is also known for its Tangkas/Thangkas, a unique form of painting in Tibet. It was off to the monastery to learn a litttle about Thangkas. It is usually a painted or embroidered Buddhist banner hung in a monastery or family altar and carried in ceremonial processions. In Tibetan, the word 'than' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands for painting. A Thangka can be rolled up when not required for display.
Originally, Thangka painting became popular among traveling monks because the scrolls could be easily rolled and transported from monasteries.
Ping An and Tongren (Tong Ren) in Qinghai Province, China
It was time for the serious road trip to begin. It would be a three hour drive before arriving in Tongren, the hometown of the Tibetan Re Gona Culture and also a center for art. On the way, we passed through Ping An County and attempted to visit Hong Ya Gou (Red Cliff Village) to visit the 14th Dalai Lama's Former Residence. Even though the 14th Dalai Lama's government in exile is in India, he still has a few "Scotch Cousins" living in the village. It was not to be. The Chinese were busy working on a new road that made it too difficult to get there. No problem.
Onward... It was surprising to see so many Chinese Muslims in Qinghai Province. I couldn't get any definitive answer where they originally migrated from...Pakistan? Afghanistan? One of the Stans? But there were approximately 12,000 Chinese Muslims in this province.
The Tu Ethnic Minority People and More Xining, China
Into the Toyota for a short drive to the Tu Village in Hu Zhu. The Tu Ethnic Nationality is in an autonomous region of Qinghai. The Tu predate the Tibetans and about 30,000 people live in this area. The Tu put on performances of singing, dancing, martial arts. These Tu people manage to make a very nice living for themselves serving lunch, dressing in their colorful, traditional outfits and performing. A typical Tu sports competition is called "Lun Zi Qui" and they fence with swords, etc.
Pulled up to this compound, welcomed with singing Tu women, offered small bowls of their local hooch made from highland barley and shown to our invidual room for lunch and local Tu delicacies. Most Chinese restaurants have little rooms for your group to eat in along with a big main area.
The Beishan Si (North Mountain Temple) Taoist Pagoda was located north of the Huangshui River, on the outskirts of Xining. Wang-Lee thought we might enjoy a visit before returning to the hotel. This Taoist temple is over 1,700 years old and there were hundreds of steps that led along a series of walkways and bridges connecting caves decorated with Taoist designs.
Approaching the location in the car, you could see the top level of caves from a distance and we were looking forward to a nice walk to the top. Unfortunately, the entire top levels were closed for repairs and only the bottom was open to visit. A very pleasant, serene place with information in both Chinese and English. One sign referred to it as the "Earth-tower observatory platform" which I found confusing.
Kumbum Monastery (Taer Si Monastery) Outside Xining, China
The majority of the Chinese tourists (up to now) are on a holiday headed to Lhasa by bus. This trip takes six or seven days, with occasional stops at guesthouses or you sleep on the bus. There are usually two drivers who alternate shifts. Everyone is dressed in bluejeans, the height of Western fashion, toting digital cameras and camcorders, and quite a few women have perms and colored hair. ...View image...
Kumbum Monastery (Taer Si in Chinese) is one of the six great monasteries of the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism, built in 1557 on sacred land. Still quite active with 600 monks. Unfortunately, every monastery we'd visit in Eastern Tibet was either new or the great majority had been rebuilt after destruction during the Cultural Revolution. Kumbum is the birthplace of Tsong Khapa, founder of the Yellow Hat (Gelupa sect), and is known for its sculptures of human figures, animals and landscapes carved out of Yak Butter. Kumbum along with a visit to the Tu region was on today's itinerary. ...View image...
Sun Moon Pass, Ginghai Lake and A-bomb City Around Xining, China
Our driver, Mr. Wang-Lee has been driving through the plateau, to Lhasa and beyond for over 13 years. According to Cindy, he knew exactly what to see, how to see it, and where everything was. And, he did. Yonten is Tibetan Nomad who would be able to explain all the intricacies of his Tibetan culture. Both were going to do their best to make this trip exciting and memorable. Let the sightseeing begin --- with our first day-trip out of Xining to Sun Moon Pass, the watershed of Loess Altiplano and Tibetan Altiplano.
A few hours ride on one of China's excellent roads. We've always been struck by the fact how quickly China can build excellent roads in remote areas while India, with the same huge population and industry, has some of the worst roads in the world. Sorry, India. We love your country and people but the roads are god-awful. We zoomed on major highways, through toll booths, to the Sun Moon Pass at 3,200m/10,500' with prayer flags blowing in the wind.
Xining (pop: 2,000,000), the capital of Qinghai Province, is one of the poorest provincial capitals in China. It lies on the Huang Shui River (upper reaches of the Yellow River) on the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at about 5,217 feet surrounded by mountains. The activities of human beings in this region can be traced to 2,100 years ago. Most people on the famous Silk Road passed through Xining, and now is main route into remote areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Lhasa is 2,000 kms/1,200 miles away from Xining and Mongolia 400 km/240 miles to the north. There are few sites of real interest in Xining itself. It would just be a jump-off spot for a few daytrips before the drive into Gansu and Szechuan/Sichuan Provinces.
A long (13+ hour) non-stop flight from Chicago to Shanghai, overnighting at the Pudong Ramada, five minutes from Pudong Airport with free transfer service. It can't get more modern and beautiful than Shanghai's Pudong Airport. ...View image...Announcements made in Chinese and English, free baggage carts, helpful people.
The final itinerary consisted of 14 days: beginning in Xining, ending in Chengdu, a flight back to Shanghai with two nights there before flying home. And then, you always have to add the 2-3 days spent actually getting to China and the one day returning home! The tour itself would focus on three provinces: Qinghai, Gansu and Szechuan/Sichuan in a nomad region using a local Tibetan guide, Chinese driver; and staying at "best available" hotels.
Air? Flew United non-stop to Shanghai and then China Eastern to Xining the following day. There were many other options flying to China and onward to Xining but this was the easiest for us.
Health? Just the usual precautions. No malaria pills, and all innoculations are always kept up-to-date. I always check the Centers for Disease Control updates to see what they suggest. No worries about Malaria.
It's no secret that vast China is one of ex-Marine's (husband, Steve) and my favorite destinations. You can read about a few of our past explorations in China on this site: Guizhou....The Silk Road...Mt. Khawarkarpo.....Beijing (with more to follow in the future)....Shanghai and more Shanghai details. So much to see and do, we've barely touched on all the possibilities.
With this, I contacted Shi Ming (Cindy) of Shanghai Far East Expeditions (or e-mail her at: fareast@shfareast.com) for information on traveling into the Qinghai Khampa Region of China, an area with a dominant Tibetan influence.. The Tibetans who live here are called the Khampas. They speak their own dialect and see themselves as distinct from Tibetans further west. The Khampas are tough, independent and the region remains Tibetan containing some of the country's most important monasteries and, statistically, more Tibetans than live in Tibet proper!
As previously stated, Lijiang was a big favorite. Laid back, not too many must sees, nice hotels and restaurants, the Naxi Orchestra with its very old members and little streets.
From Lijiang, we flew back to Kunming and home. Since this trip, Yunnan has become almost inundated with tourists - both Westerners and Chinese tour groups (the Chinese almost always travel as a big group) - and some say Lijiang is now spoiled. Perhaps, but I'd still visit and spend even a little more time here visiting a few of the other temples and villages around within easy bicycle range. I've read about the Puji Si Monastery that was destroyed on the inside only during the Cultural Revolution and it is supposedly situated in a gorgeous valley.
The entire Yunnan area is easy for backpackers and budget travelers to visit on their own with local buses. Or, there are quite a few good-to-luxury hotels that have now been built if you choose to proceed this way.
Wonderful Days Discovering Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China
Lijiang is separated into old and new towns. The old town is where you want to spend your time. We would walk out of the Grand Lijiang Hotel (very comfortable with wonderful American breakfasts), continue straight ahead across the busy new town main street and three blocks away was the old town. The old town was very small at the time, filled with mazes of cobbled streets and alleys, houses, courtyards, little bridges over the delightful canals...no cars allowed...another "Venice." Lijiang is considered to have the best preserved ancient town in China and is a UNESCO Heritage Site. We had three days to wander around with a little touring mixed in.
Lijiang is the capital of the Naxi Kingdom and until recently the Naxi were a matriarchal society with its own pictographic language, bright blue clothes and ancient music. We immediately set about buying pictograph weavings for grandchildren...colorful and interesting. One photo not taken is still in my mind to this day...a group of Naxi women dressed in traditional blue, sitting inside a house, playing mah jong... What a photo that would have made!
Tiger Leaping Gorge On The Yangtze and Lijiang in Yunnan Province, China
After breakfast, a drive from Zhongdian to Lijiang via Tiger Leaping Gorge and the First Bend of the Yangtze River. The Yangze runs...no surges...between the Haba Mountains and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain through one of the deepest gorges in the world. It was a dizzy view looking down and through this 16km/9 mile gorge. There are various hikes and treks through the gorge but I wouldn't have wanted to do it. The rushing water and possible landslides would be enough to deter me. There is, or was, a higher route along an old miner's track.
Sigu is on the first bend of the Yangze, China's greatest river. The People's Army crossed the river here in 1936 during their long march to the north. There was also a marble plaque commemorating a 16th Naxi victory over the Tibetans. This is where we changed changed tour guides. Halfway in Shigu, a village on the first bend of the river we met our guide for Lijiang. She took the local bus from Lijiang to meet us and would be our guide for the next few days. Farewell to the Zhongdian guide who took the local bus in the opposite direction, back to Zhongdian.
Napa Lake/Napahai, Shuduhu Lake and Songzanlin Temple in Yunnan Province, China
The entire region of northwest Yunnan has beautiful mountains, alpine lakes and grass meadows. In order to protect the local natural resources, several nature reserves have been designated in the region including Napa Lake (Napahai), northwest of Zhongdian. There are lots of wildflowers around this "seasonal" lake in June according to the guide, and we did see some beautiful irises...View image.... A short drive from Zhongdian (only about 7 kms/4 miles)...refreshing after all the long days of driving in Xishuangbanna.
Arriving at Napa Lake/Napahai , we took one look at the flat green pasture surrounded by hills and asked..."Where's the lake?" Ah...that's why it is called a "seasonal lake." The entire pasture turns into a lake during the springtime and was already very dried out. Would you know that? There were some boggy areas but by our standards, definitely not a lake. For birders, Napahai is home to many rare birds including the black-necked crane. We settled for taking a walk around part of the lake and watching Tibetans picking up yak poop to dry and use for fuel.
Touring Zhongdian/Gyalthang/"Shangri-La" in Yunnan Province, China
Zhongdian, known as Gyalthang in Tibetan, recently changed its name to Shangri-La. Our new guide was an English teacher who had the worst English of all the guides. Very nice but his poor speaking ability made it difficult to communicate and get answers to some of our questions. He was knowledgeable about technical facts that we weren't interested in.
Zhongdian had only been opened to tourism by the Chinese Government for about two years, and there was absolutely nothing to see in Zhongdian at that time. The infrastructure was very basic but it was a chance to visit an area before the huge influx of tourists and discover some untouched Tibetan culture. The outskirts of Zhongdian was filled with picturesque Tibetan villages that still kept unique customs and traditions. We'd spend three nights in the Diqing Hotel (that looked a lot better on the outside than inside) before traveling on to Lijiang.
Tomorrow we'd start sightseeing but for right now, it was time to relax after the long day's drive and get used to the high altitude. Zhongdian is set on a plateau at 3,300 meters/10,826 feet. Very high. Years later, we came back to Yunnan for a trek in the breathtakingly beautiful Mt. Khawarkarpo area.
Shaping/Shapin Market and Zhongdian/"Shangri-La" in Yunnan Province, China
Our Dali guide would ride with us to Shaping/Shapin Market and then as far as Zhongdian where we'd meet our new guide and spend three nights. Shaping Market is only held on Mondays...today... The Bai people from the surrounding villages of Lake Erhai, including Dali, come to buy and sell fruits, vegetables, poultry, animals, hardware, so-called "antiques" and whatever. If you're traveling through Yunnan on your own, it's easy to get to the market by local bus or mini-bus arranged by travel operators and hotels in Dali. But remember...Mondays only.
The road out of Dali wasn't too bad. An early breakfast and Shaping Market. Now this was interesting with the Bai people and other minorities still dressing in their native costumes. The Shaping Market starts rolling around 10:00 am and ends around 2:30 pm. We were very early and vendors were still arriving. Even in hindsight after many years, the Shaping Market is still one of my favorites out of all we've visited. Extremely colorful. Buyer's remorse on an old opium pipe. Our guide said..."oh...they want too much money...don't buy it...you will see many more..." We NEVER saw another one.
The Mt. Canshan Area Of Dali in Yunnan Province, China
We took a chairlift up to the Zhong He Temple in the Cangshan Mountains for great views of Dali. You can walk up but it's not easy to find the proper trail if you are alone. Ask someone. I found it interesting that the stock for most azealas grown in Europe was sourced from wild azealas on Mount Cangshan. The mountains are also a Nature Reserve and home to wild camelias, orchids, rhodedendrons and bird life. A die-hard hiker/trekker could easily spend days in Dali and arrange for hikes in the Cangshan area.
Xizhou town is about 20kms/12 miles north of Dali with almost 200 national heritage listed private houses dating from the Qing Dynasty. The builders were famous throughout SE Asia and the remaining houses are some of the best examples of traditional Qing architecture in China.. From there to Zhoucheng...
It was time to leave Banna and fly to Dali. Goodbyes to Sam (we'll never forget the great food he ordered for us) and we were on the way. New guide, new driver, new hotel...The Dali Hotel in the old town. No link to this one and hopefully they are out of business. What a dump...dirty and decrepid with dead bug spots all over the walls. I've since found out that is usually a sign of bedbugs! Ugh, and it's really a surprise neither of us had bedbug bites from the two nights in this dump. The only thing The Dali Hotel had going for itself was...location....location...in the middle of the old town close to "Foreigner Street" with a few western-style restaurants and lots of people selling embroidered cloth, old hats and other curios on the street. In 1999, we never saw any Westerners other than ourselves until Lijiang but, the times...they are a changin... Now, Dali is one of Yunnan's most popular tourist destinations. One of the major draws (for some) is the ability to freely smoke marijuana that grows in the surrounding hills.
Dali was the ancient capital of the Bai Kingdom during the 8th and 9th centuries. Old Dali City (current pop: 40,000) was rebuilt in the 1400's by the Ming Dynasty and many buildings were still standing when we visited.
A Day Trip to Menglong/Damenglong in Yunnan Province, China
Back in our "nice" Jinglong Hotel, there was time for one more day trip to Menglong (about 70 kms/40+ miles south of Jinghong), only a few miles from the Myanmar border. Now 70 kms/40 miles doesn't sound like much unless you've ever ridden on one of these "roads." It takes hours to get anywhere. On one of our recent trips through India, it took close to 8 hours to drive 120 kms/80 miles. Filled with generic Dramamine, we managed to withstand all the bouncing and jostling without upchucking. Every time we got out of the car for a breather, it took minutes to adjust our "car legs" without weaving around.
It's possible that a good road and crossing point will link Thailand, Myanmar and China. I'm not sure if it ever opened and even if it did, what the current status is. As rough as this road was, the scenery compensated with jungles, rice terraces and small villages on the way...
Visiting Aini Villages On The Way Back To Jinghong in Yunnan Province, China
Xishuangbanna is extremely tropical and consists of rainforests, plantations and rice paddies. The 13 ethnic groups make up a sizable majority of the over 500,000 population in Banna. The Aini/Hani people are the most common minority group in Xishuangbanna after the Dai. The Bulang, Jinuo, Wa, Lahu and Aini were the main tribes in the townships of Jinghong, Mengla and Menghai and the focus of most travel around Xishuangbanna.
The Aini (Hani) people are related to the Yi, part of the Tibeto-Burman group and are famed for their river valley rice terraces. We stopped to visit two villages, one much more interesting than the other...View image...and spent some time with a husband and wife. FYI: You must have a guide because very few minority people speak English. She dressed up in a very intricate minority outfit to show me...and I promptly offered to buy the old minority hat laden with semi-silver decorations, coins and beads...no deal...boo-hoo. We've seen older hats like this for sale in Chiang Rai for hundreds of dollars. In the meantime, her husband sat around ignoring us and smoking his very large bamboo pipe.
On The Way to Jinghong: Menglian, Lahu Minorities and Rice in Yunnan Province, China
Breakfast at this "hotel" and very grateful to leave it, we had a full day ahead of us. Scheduled was a visit to the home of a former tribe leader, Wa minority village, Lahu minority village then back to Jinghong by car, staying at the Crown Hotel for another two nights along with day trips.
The Lahu people occupy a narrow strip of land along the Mekong River primarily subsisting on rice. They are still called "Tiger Hunters" and there is also a large of Lahu population in Thailand, around the Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai area. They trace their ancestry back to the ancient Qiang people. Like so many of us (including ex-Marine and myself), the Lahu people consider black to be very beautiful...think lbd (little black dress). One of the most stupifying sights in Banna were the rice terraces and watching the people plant and harvest rice. Such amazingly labor-intensive work...preparing the field...View image... planting the rice...harvesting...separating the rice from the hull...many steps...to get the finished product into my local grocery store. And the constant worry...what if the monsoons don't come on time and the harvest is bad...
Jinghong and Menglian in Xishuangbanna (Banna), Yunnan Province, China
A late plane arrival in Jinghong, met by "Sam" our new guide and driver at the airport and taken to the Crown Hotel*** on the Lancang River/Mekong River. The Crown Hotel (the first *** hotel is Xishuangbanna) was very comfortable. Too bad the nice hotels seems to always be the one-nighters. Tomorrow, an all day drive would take us by private car via villages of the Aini minority and Octagonal Pavilion down to Menglian, returning back to Jinghong the following day to see some of the over 13 minority groups in this area.
The next morning, it was in the car heading south to Menglian on one of the worst roads we've ever been privileged to experience. Rutted, and bumpy for the entire day. A stop in Jingzhen for the Octagonal Pavilion, originally built in 1701. The pavilion was damaged during the Cultural Revolution but has been renovated. It was really nothing special and could easily be a "miss." By the way, I hope the roads are better now. With China's record-building pace of new roads, they have to be.
Kunming and Minority Villages, Yunnan Province, China
The Yunnan Nationalities Village (located on the shore of Dianchi Lake) will consist of 25 villages when finished. Each village represents the 25 ethnic minorities in Yunnan. Thirteen villages were completed at the time we visited and there were song and dance performances. However, my focus was on the gift shops located in each of these villages. Some really wonderful arts and crafts at cheap - cheap - cheap prices.
We were also taken to the obligatory tea shops to taste the high quality green and black teas that Yunnan is known for. Neither one of us are really tea drinkers but patiently sampling cup after cup, we did find something that we loved. A peanut-brittle type of candy made with sesame seeds. From that point on, we bought candy instead of tea and munched our way through Yunnan. (Around $1.00 for a huge package.) Kunming is also noted for "Across The Bridge Noodles" (a long story about the origin of that name). This is a noodle dish like any other noodle dish varying just by what ingredients are added in, but an interesting name. I think it's the oil slick usually floating over the noodles that turns me off. Restaurants in China have other "unique" food if you are really adventurous...fried grasshoppers...dog...elephant trunk...to name a few....none of them tried by us!
Kunming (pop: 5,000,000+) is the capital of Yunnan Province and set at an elevation of 1,900 meters/6,200 feet. With mild weather all year, Kunming is often called the "City of Eternal Spring." It is surrounded by gorgeous snowcapped and tropical mountains and home to many ethnic minorities (tribes). Kunming is also a university city. A very clean, flowery city.
We arrived without any problems from Hong Kong (except the omni-present jet lag) and were promptly transferred to the Pinnacle Hotel***, our home for two nights. The Pinnacle Hotel was adequate at this time but now there are many 3*** to 5***** hotels to chooose from. Then.....no other choice. To sleep in preparation for the next day's intense sightseeing...
The final itinerary consisted of 15 days: beginning and ending in Kunming, And then, you always have to add the 2 days spent actually getting to China and one day returning home!
Air? We used Hong Kong as our gateway into China and flew United non-stop to Hong Kong and then Dragon Air to Kunming the following day. Dragon Air was a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific at that time (may still be) and is a very nice airline. There were many other options flying to China and onward to Kunming but this was the easiest for us. Farecompare lists every airline currently flying to Kunming including: China Eastern, China Southern, Thai Airways, Dragonair, Malaysia, etc.
Health? Malaria pills again. Our drug of choice is Lariam, (Mefloquine is the generic). We prefer the once-a-week Lariam to the once-a-day Malarone - but it's your decision. All other innoculations are always kept up-to-date. Check the Centers for Disease Control updates to see what they suggest.
It is impossible to cover all of China's highlights (let alone the more remote locales) in two weeks, two months or even two years. If you've already done a "beginner" highlights of China trip (usually a two-week trip visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, and Xian), it's time to get a little off-the-beaten trail that is rapidly becoming more "beaten" by the day. That is what ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I try to do. With a little research, you'll find many different tour operators organizing trips to Yunnan for 2008. Keep in mind that the Summer Olympics take place 8/8/08 in Beijing and will produce a mob scene through China. Not only will the Chinese be traveling but millions of tourists from all around the world.
The most-sees in Yunnan are: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Xishuangbanna (pronounced "Shish-E-Banna"), and Zhongdian (now labeled Shangri-La by the Chinese Government). But when we visited in 1999, Yunnan was still a relatively unvisited area in China for Western tourists. The Chinese tourists consider Yunnan their own version of Thailand.
Once again, my great Chinese tour operator, Shi Ming (Cindy) of Shanghai Far East Expeditions (e-mail her at: fareast@shfareast.com) had responded to our request for someplace "different" to visit in China and concocted a complete Yunnan experience, starting in Kunming and exploring the South of Yunnan to begin with. The majority of Yunnan is very tropical (the South especially so) and would be hot and humid when we visited in June. However, the Northern Tibetan areas of Yunnan would be higher in altitude and cooler. Never cold but cool.
Left the Snow Pigeon Hotel very early in the morning to finish sightseeing. It was important to allow enough time to drive the rough road to Samye, arrive back in Lhasa for a last overnight, and leave for Gongkor airport the next day to catch our Chengdu flight.
Samye Monastery is located about 30 kms/20 miles west ot Tsetang across the Tsangpo River. It's not easy to get there without a vehicle as it is on the opposite bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Started to cross the bridge and the car broke down again. Restarted once more and now on a very bumpy, dirt road with even some sand dunes along the road. The ancient walled monastery of Samye was founded in 775 AD and was the first monastery to be built in Tibet. The complex was extensive with a new enclosing wall and gates. Only a few of the original 108 buildings remain and we explored those.
Tsedang, Yambulhakhang Palace and Trandrak Monastery, Tibet
Tsedang is the cradle of Tibetan civilization and the area is filled with important historical landmarks, Samye being one of the most important. Back in Lhasa for just one night and the Hotel Shangbhala. One last walk around the Barkhor looking for a new set of prayer flags. Do not pay more than $1.00 for a medium-size set. That is the going price and just walk away if someone quotes higher. If they don't come running after you, someone else will. Just because you are a "white devil" doesn't mean "sucker" is written on your forehead. Mission accomplished, out to dinner at the Tibetan equivalent of a spicy Kentucky Fried Chicken on the second floor of a restaurant overlooking the Barkor, and a fast re-pack.
We allotted two full days for the Tsedang area to visit Samye, Yambulakhang Palace,Trandrak Monastery and Tombs of Tibetan Kings, staying in Tsedang for two nights at the Snow Pigeon Hotel. On the road, we had the second (or third) car breakdown. Same thing...probably tons of dirt in the carb. Each time, driver got out of car tools in hand...started fiddling...and sooner or later it would start running...never smoothly. ex-Marine and I held our breath each time and waited for it to give up the ghost. Motor now running we headed to Yambulakhang Palace.
Gyangtse: Palcho Monastery/Pelkor Chode Monastery, Tibet
Gyantse lies between Lhasa and Shigatse (about 143 miles south of Lhasa). It is still a traditional, relaxed Tibetan town but who knows for how much longer. Gyantse was once a principle wool trade route to India and is encircled by an impressive wall that once contained 19 monasteries. A wonderful setting with the Nyang Chu River below and mountain ridges behind it. This monastery houses monks from the Gelugpa, Sakyapa and Kahampa orders and is the only one known to house monks from different orders in harmony. That fact is what makes Gyantse special.
The original Gyantse Dzong dates from the 14th century and little is known about its history. The ground floor of the Main Assembly Hall was a chanting hall with 48 columns decorated with old silk "thankas" along with a 26-foot high bronze Buddha image. There were over 112 chapels scattered around this complex with only 23 open to the public.
The drive from Shigatse to Gyantse was another all-day drive, longer than usual because the Chinese Government was busy doing the usual "building during the summer" routine and we had to detour all the way around.
Uphill all the way through desolate mountains and beyond the Kampa La Pass. Yamdrok Tso Lake, a beautiful turquoise blue, was below us and I would have loved to take some photos but our driver's car was acting up again and none of us wanted to stop in isolated areas in case the car wouldn't start again. (We think the carburater was completly clogged with dirt...understandable on these roads.) The road ran parallel to the Lake for several miles until we reached Nakartse. More ascents until we reached Kao La Pass (5,010m/16,437'), with its glacier touching the road.
All the way to Tingri, ex-Marine and I kept marveling at our luck having such a crystal-clear day. With Everest's changeable weather, there is never a guarantee that you'll really be able to see the North Face of Mount Everest. So very fortunate! Again, Spring and Fall are the best times for Mount Everest viewing.
Tingri is set at an atitude of 14,600', and what a pleasure it was to almost be able to breathe again. We got to the Tingri Everest Hotel and knew from the lengthy conversation Tenzin was having with the desk clerk that something good was not happening. Sure enough, Tenzin and clerk approached with the news that clerk wanted to show us a different room because every room in the hotel was competely booked by a big Chinese group. Puzzled...we have reservations...followed the clerk out the hotel to some so-so rooms across a courtyard. Definitely sub-standard. Back in the Tingri Everest, we have a fast conversation with Tenzin and discover that the Chinese group hadn't arrived yet. With that ex-Marine heads to the desk clerk and nicely, but firmly, states that we were here...they were not...give us our room and put one of the Chinese in that room. Probably because the Hotel didn't want to lose face, they gave us the room. And, FYI, this is one of those hotels were there was only hot water between 7:30pm and Midnight, one of those things that are always after-the-fact and they neglect to tell you.
Today was one of the most exciting days in our lives. First, because we actually survived the night at 16,300', followed by the 8 kms/5-mile hike to the North Face of Everest Base Camp at 17,200'.
There was a full moon last night, lighting up Mount Everest. A good thing because it was impossible to sleep for many different reasons:
- Reason One - Had to turn in bed very carefully, in case one of the wood supports holding it up fell off and caused the bed to collapse;
- Reason Two - I could hear ex-Marine gasping for breath all night and even stop breathing every now and then from the altitude! Then, when I didn't hear any gasps, I'd leap out of bed and check to see if he was still alive; and
- Reason Three - Doors opened and shut throughout the night as the other lucky people staying in this dump went out to urinate, etc.
Shigatse to Rongbuk Monastery At North Face Everest, Tibet
The drive from Shigatse to Rongbuk took the entire day, driving over several high passes. Many tourists visit the North Face of Everest by combining it with a trip to Nepal since it could be considered "on the way." Left the Shengkang Hotel in Shigatse very early and started off. The scenery was constantly changing. One minute there would be the massive Himalayas, snow caps glistening in the sun...a few minutes later, the car was struggling up towards a pass, making "s" turns all the way up (very glad I took Meclizine, a generic for motion-sickness)...and then we'd come down into vast open distances filled with farmlands.
It was planting season and boggles my mind how anything could grow in the dry, arid soil. But people were out plowing furrows throughout the entire valley with the husband controlling one or two yaks (always colorfully decorated with pom-poms) while his wife followed behind with the seeds. Such a hard, hard life...
We left Lhasa on the 920 km/600+ mile road connecting Lhasa, Tibet with Kathmandu, Nepal, known as the Friendship Highway. The stopping point for us would be the North Face of Everest on the Tibetan side before heading back to Lhasa. The "highway" ranges from black-top to gravel to dirt, depending on which section the Chinese Government is rebuilding each year and whether or not you must detour. The first, most important lesson to learn is: NEVER COUNT ON SEEING ANYTHING SCHEDULED IN YOUR ITINERARY. It isn't going to happen!
Everyone visits Shigatse for one reason - to see Tashilhumpo Monastery. Tashilhumpo is a very large complex with red and white buildings and huge "thanka" wall, built on a steep hill. It was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama and is one of Tibet's four biggest Gelugpa Monasteries. Tashilhumpo housed over 4,000 monks at one time, but now there are only about 500-700. Drepung, Sera and Ganden Monasteries are a few of the other famous monasteries we visited during our trip to Nam-tso Lake years ago.
The Potala Palace and Around Barkhor Square, Tibet
The Potala Palace and Barkhor are two of my favorite sights in Tibet. The Potala Palace is now on the list of Chinese National protected cultural relics, and is a huge treasure house for Tibetan history, precious sculptures, Buddha figures, murals, antiques, and religious jewelry. Prepare to do a lot of walking since the entire complex covers over 32 acres. Most of the Potala is off-limits but the Palace is still a long climb up, rises 13 stories and has over 1,000 rooms.
The Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill of Lhasa and was rebuilt by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1645. It has remained the seat of Dalai Lamas and is also the political center of Tibet. The White Palace (administration ) and the Red Palace (religious) are two separate entities. The Red Palace was painted red (represents stateliness and power) after the death of the 5th Dalai Lama, and this is where the religious statues, stupas and precious cultural relics are found.
Standing in the Gongkar Airport (Lhasa), a young man came rushing up to us..."Steve...Sheila...don't you remember me?" It was Lopsang, our guide on the Mt. Khawarkarpo Trek in China ( read "Mt. Khawarkarpo Trek," April 7, 2006). Of all the places...in all the world.... Lopsang started his own guiding business and was leading two Frenchmen on a trip around Tibet. We promptly made arrangements to meet for dinner one night in Lhasa.
Tenzin, our Tibetan guide, was also standing in the baggage area holding up a big sign. Out to the vehicle, met our driver, Tenzin II, and hit the road to Lhasa with a stop along the way to see some beautiful Buddha rock carvings. A brief pause for the first of many Toyota breakdowns while Tenzin II fiddled around with wrenches and screwdrivers until it coughed into life. Instant woozy feelings at the 3,700m/11,975' altitude, and we both started drinking water like mad. In the few years since our last visit, everything had changed tremendously. The Chinese Government was busy building new roads, new buildings and Lhasa had become more than half Chinese with Han workers flooding in from all over China hoping to get in on new business opportunities. This included building the new railway which has since opened. The workers were also building a new road from the Airport into Lhasa in anticipation of an upcoming visit by China's President.
Air? This time we flew United from Chicago to Beijing and instantly connected to an Air China flight going to Chengdu. Chengdu is the usual departure point for Tibet and most tour operators will meet you there with air tickets to Lhasa and entry documents. (See below.)
Visa? You must have a Chinese Visa which is easy to get at your local Chinese Embassy/Consulate. In Chicago, you can pay extra and arrange for one in the same day. But, you must arrange the air and permits to Lhasa through a tour operator. Chengdu is the easiest place to arrange this and Tomas took care of all the formalities for us.
Hotels? The entire trip was hotel/guesthouse based with no camping. We only needed one hotel for Chengdu at the end of this trip and decided on the Sheraton Chengdu Lido.
With all the emphasis on treks to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal and climbing the South Face to the top, people tend to forget about the other route, Tibet's North Face. The Nepal trip takes 10 days of trekking from Lukla to Everest Base Camp and then another 10 days returning to Lukla. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I did a shorter version of this trek as far as Tengboche (read "Mt. Everest Escapade," November 21, 2006) but still had a desire to see Mount Everest closer than that. A lot of reading and I discovered that you could actually DRIVE to Rongbuk, in Tibet, and then hike to the North Face of Everest Base Camp, approximately 8 kms/5 miles away. Now that sounded like something easily attainable, and the thought of returning to Tibet was a big plus. (read "Heart of Tibet," July 1, 2006). I really wanted to revisit Lhasa and the stupendous Potala Palace, along with other important monasteries missed on the previous trip to Tibet.
With specific sights in mind, a group tour just wasn't going to do the job so we contacted Tomas at Footloose Travel, to explore prices and options. Tomas had previously arranged a three-week trip to Ladakh for us (read "Ladakh, A Summer Destination," March 31, 2006) and arranges a myriad of individual trips and group tours around the world.
This return visit to Shanghai gave us a chance to explore some new areas and revisit favorites. There is always something new to see and do in this constantly upward-mobile and growing City. Our Shanghai guide, Billy was our best guide during the entire trip. Very savvy, great English and personable. First stop was the Shanghai Art Museum situated on the People's Square. We spent a few hours looking at the contemporary art being exhibited by famous Chinese painters and barely touched on the collection of 12,000 bronzes, ceramics, jade, furniture, minority art, etc. The Museum was definitely worth more time than we had to spend, but there was quite a bit on the touring agenda...
Lunch time and over to Dong Tai Lu and dumplings in the Yu Yuan Gardens. Billy got us a small table, ordered these little dumplings filled with meat and delicious juices, served with vinegar for dipping. Yummy...and even picky ex-Marine snarfed them down. You can watch the dumplings being made through a glass window. The cooks wrap ground pork and sort of gelatin-soup into a thin dough wrapper, resembling a ravoli. It is steamed and served to you, usually 10 at a time (very cheap), you dip the dumpling into some vinegar and bite, carefully into it. Try not to burn your mouth as it is extremely hot..not spicy...just hot
Bingling Temple Caves (Bingling Thousand Buddha Caves), China
The Bingling Temple Caves were about a 1-1/2 to 2 hour drive from Lanzhou, up through the mountains, on the edge of a lake created by the Liujiaxia Reservoir. This reservoir spared the caves from destruction during the Cultural Revolution. The Sunshine Hotel sent us on our way with a boxed lunch. When reaching the pier, we took a chartered ferry to the temple, about another 50 minutes.
There are a total of 183 caves, carved into the cliffs of a 180-foot high gorge considered second to Mogao Caves in respect of artistic value. The cliffs, composed of eroded and porous rock with many natural caves, were quite unbelievable. The concept of Michelangelo on his back painting ceilings was a minor feat compared to all these people, hanging from ropes, painting frescoes, and carving sculptures, into the face of these cliffs!
A night-time arrival by plane in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province (population of almost 3,000,000 people), at an altitude of over 5,000' above sea level. It's one of the largest cities in the northwest and crammed into a narrow valley surrounded by mountains that creates haze and pollution. The drive from the airport into Lanzhou took about 1-1/2 hours because of these mountains. This location had the closest flat area the safe runways could be built. Checked in to the Sunshine Hotel, a ***** hotel, but less than impressive.
Lanzhou was once called the "Gold City," due to the precious metal that was found here. Gold made Lanzhou the most significant fortress of the Hexi Corridor on the Silk Road.
Lanzhou, on the Yellow River, with the Yellow River Iron Bridge
Yang Guan Pass, Ancient Pass and Military Museum, and West Thousand Buddha Caves, China
Two hours by road to Yang Guan Pass and along the way we saw some Great Wall remains out there in the desert. We've stood on The Great Wall outside of Beijing and now, almost 4,000 miles away, there was the other end of it...totally amazing! This portion was made of clay and bullrushes in the Han Dynasty.
A Military Museum had been replicated out there in the desert. In ancient times, food and wine would have been stored here along with its armies.
The Mogao Caves were 25km from Dunhuang and even though we had our own excellent guide, you still had to tour with a licensed Mogao guide within the fenced-off area. Photography was strictly forbidden everywhere within that area, and each cave had keys to open and protect all of the caves we visited. There are 30 caves open to the public and "special caves" to visit if you pay additional fees. These spectacular cliff caves are filled with Buddhist artwork and painted statues dating from 386 AD to the 13th century. The Mogao Caves/Grottoes are another World Heritage Site.
In the morning, we shared the Mogao guide for the ordinary caves with two Germans and one English person...that was the entire extent of all the Westerners visiting the caves that day. Our guide explained how the walls and ceilings were painted with layers of cement and clay and then painted with watercolors. Most caves have been retouched but it was amazing what wonderful condition the "special caves" still were in and the vibrancy of the colors.
Dunhuang was the major stopping-off point for both incoming and outgoing trading caravans. This area had some of the tallest sand dunes in the world, and the wonderful Buddhist art at the Mogao Caves/Grottos There was no plane to Dunhuang on this day so we took an overnight train. The closest train station to Dunhuang was Liuyuan on the Lanzhou-Urumqi railway line and it would be a two hour automobile ride to Dunhuang once the train arrived.
To the Turpan Train Station for the overnight train that was supposed to leave at 11:15pm, and arrive in Dunhuang (Gansu Province) at 9:24am. There was a very nice waiting room at the train station in Turpan and we hung out with our guide, waiting for the train to pull in. Once on the train, we really lucked out and had all four berths in the compartment to ourselves. This guide gave strict instructions to the conductor where we were supposed to get off. Would have hated to sleep our way to Lanzhou and, at least, he didn't abandon us!
Turpan waiting room for the privileged (all foreigners are privileged)
Gaochang, Bezeklik Thousand Caves and Grape Valley, China
Astana Tombs are where the aristocrats and commoners of Gaochang were burried. Only three tombs are open to tourists and you walked down a flight of steps in a flat area that led to the burial chamber below. Since everything had to accompany the dead for use in another world, there were paintings, artifacts dating back from 3-5th centuries AD, musical instruments, pen, ink and paper (considered special). One tomb held a well-preserved corpse and even food, also perfectly preserved due to the dry climate. A fact about Gaochang that I liked was that it once sacked by Genghis Khan. That is a familiar name and if you are going to be sacked, looted and raped, it might as well be by the most famous.
One of our most interesting encounters with locals took place at Gaochang. A young lady heard us speaking English (we were the only ones) and approached us. Would we mind if she practiced her English on us? Not at all and we started a long, enjoyable conversation. Her English was perfect, all learned from cassettes and, she was in medical school, studying to be a doctor. From a strict Muslim family that spoke no English, here was this determined little lady trying to make something of herself....goes to show if you want something badly enough...there's always a way...and also kudos to her family for giving her that opportunity...
our future little doctor wearing a baseball hat and shades
Some Turpan Sightseeing - Gaochang and Jiaohe, China
It was a three-hour drive from Urumqi to Turpan. Turpan itself is split by two Tien Shan mountain ranges, the north and south, and is set in a basin below sea level. Turpan is also the hottest spot in China and temperatures go as high as 121 degrees (shades of the Sahara Desert and Mali). It is also the lowest spot in China with low humidity. (Now this sounds just like Las Vegas - extreme heat but "low humidity.")
Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang. The population is over 2,000,000 people and the city had a "Wild West" feel to it. Urumqi means "beautiful pasture" in Mongol. It is considered the farthest city in the world from the ocean with a vast Salt Lake in the East, pine covered hills in the South and sand dunes in the Northwest. The climate is extremely arid, has very little precipitation but is still an oasis. Not only was clean but also had the fantastic Hoi Tak Hotel run by a Hong Kong group. Absolutely ***** service and food. The entire area had some of the tastiest melons ever and visiting one market, the melon vendor insisted we take one for free. Very hospitable, friendly people.
From Urumqi you can fly to Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Russia, if you are interested. (Priceline.com Airfare - save up to 40%)...But we were going to train to Turpan in the evening. Before that, a museum visit was scheduled and a local concert.
Tianchi (Heaven Lake/Heaven Pool), Yurts and Back to Urumqi, China
The plane finally landed in Urumqi at 10:00am and new guide took us to the Hoi Tak Hotel for breakfast and leave suitcases. This hotel was gorgeous and we hated to leave after spending a night on the floor of the airport but there were places to go...
Today was a full day excursion to Tianchi Lake - a beautiful lake surrounded by the Tian Shan mountains. From Kashgar on, we possibly saw only two or three other Westerners beside us. The only people traveling the Silk Road were huge Chinese National tour groups, primarily from Southern China, who spent their time photographing us when not photographing the sites.
After a boat ride on the lake, we were supposed to overnight in a Kazakh yurt...the Russian name for this tent (referred to as a "Ger" in Mongolia), an entire yurt for just us.
Kashgar Sunday Bazaar and A Night in the Airport, China
All die-hard bazaar shoppers have heard of the famous Kashgar Sunday Bazaar. Over 50,000 people come in from the countryside to this Sunday Market primarily to buy and sell livestock. And, since shopping and eating are two of my favorite pastimes when traveling, it was a must see. I was primed for spectacular, spectacular and almost vibrating with visions of Chinese money flying out of my hands. A major, major disappointment on the shopping end. Clothes, food, and animals - sheep, goats, horses and camels, but no handicrafts or antiques. There was one upstairs place selling rugs and after much time, found one "used-and-abused" 3x5 for our hallway.
You had to go to the "fixed-price" shops which were anything but cheap but at least everything we bought was unique and I still have never seen others like them. Even though the stores advertise "fixed-price", you can haggle, and haggle we did. (ex-Marine sells Industrial Chemicals and is THE Master Haggler.) We had asked our tour operator whether or not to bring lots of $$ or use the Chinese Yuan - their reply - Yuan....WRONG! They love the U.S. $$, and we went through what little we had brought quickly.
The Qiniwak Hotel and Touring Kashgar/Kashi, China
The Qiniwak Hotel *** ("Qiniwak" means beautiful garden) was the best available and nice. It occupies a building that was once the British Consulate and only provided traditional Chinese and local food, no American breakfast. We weren't trying to be difficult, Chinese food is a favorite of ours but it gets monotonous eating that three times a day. Not a problem. The Caravan Cafe, a coffee shop outside the hotel owned by an American couple, did provide a typical Western breakfast. The Caravan had wonderful coffee and their traditional Yoghurt and scrumptious Cinnamon Rolls were some of the best I've ever had.
The Qiniwak is also popular with Pakistani traders, but again, we Americans had no problem.
A good breakfast, rejuvenated and ready for sightseeing...
Plane travel is never easy and downright brutal flying to Asia. Arrival in Beijing, a fast transfer to the Sino-Swiss Hotel and bed. The next day, our first flight from Beijing to Urumqi left early. FYI: In some countries, China in particular, as soon as all the passengers are loaded, the plane takes off...never mind the scheduled time...they just leave like this one did. That was too easy, of course. The next flight left three hours late. We spent the afternoon in the Urumqi Airport sprawled out across seats trying to get some more sleep.
It was very late when we finally arrived in Kashgar but our guide was there to pick us up. The Qiniwak Hotel*** was the best available and just fine...it had beds, a bathroom and at this point that's all we cared about
The final itinerary consisted of 11 actual days in Xinjiang Province, with two full days in Shanghai and three days in Beijing. And then, you always have to add the 2-3 days spent actually getting to China and at least two days returning home! The tour itself would focus on the Silk Road with its many different sites, visit small museums, learn a little about Uyghur culture, travel by plane and train, use local guides and drivers; and stay at "best available" hotels. There are many group tours that go to this area but we prefer individual travel whenever possible with the flexibility of changing anything we don't like on the spot. That is why we've used Cindy to plan China trips for us If you prefer a group, check out: Mountain Travel Sobek; Wilderness Travel; Sherpa Expeditions, Explore Worldwide; Geographic Expeditions; just to name a few.
Air? The best route and schedule for us was United non-stop Chicago-Beijing, overnight by the Beijing Airport (The Sino-Swiss Hotel has a bus every 30 minutes between the Airport and Hotel - very close by) and then China Air the following day on two different flights: Beijing-Urumqi, five hours between flights and Urumqi-Kashgar.
Reading about the famous Silk Road always sounded glamorous and adventurous. Just the thought of traveling the same route as Marco Polo gave me chills. What I didn't know is there are many, many Silk Road routes. Into and across the following areas...Asia, the various "Stans" (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), India, Yemen, Syria...an entire network of caravans traveling between China and Europe carrying spices, gold and textiles for trading, over 2,000 years. You may have even been on one of the ancient Silk Roads without even realizing it. But to me, China, particularly the Xinjiang region, and Marco Polo embodied the Silk Road.
The earliest, most direct, and heavily used route developed around 100 BC and was known as the Silk Road, for the precious Chinese silk cloth traded on it. Changing political and environmental conditions over the years determined the popularity of the various routes and after a sea route from Europe to Asia was discovered in the late 15th century, the land routes were gradually abandoned.
Our first visit to Shanghai in 1989 was light-years removed from this visit. At that time, you were only allowed to tour with a State Guide shepherding you around. Shopping was reserved for the "Friendship Store," and it was strictly forbidden to wander off on your own.
Cosmopolitan Shanghai 2005 was a revelation. Magnificent skyscraper after skyscraper, each architecturally different, unique making a brilliant light show in the evening....expressways....wonderful hotels and delicious restaurants....shopping malls...homes that ranged upwards to millions of US$ that could have been found in America....a surreal experience. If you have been watching Discovery Atlas on cable television, you may have seen the recent two-hour segment on China which showcased Shanghai beautifully as well as Xintiandi, recommended below.
Zhaoxing was one of the most interesting villages in Guizhou. They only get about 700 visiters per year but that will be changing quickly with the addition of an airport nearby. It is a killer ride on the roads to get there but definitely worth it.
Zhaoxing still has its traditional wooden structures including a number of "Wind and Rain Bridges" along with a total of five drum towers. What is a "Wind and Rain" Bridge? It is a wooden, covered corridor bridge, with pavilions and benches for people to rest on. Since the bridge shields people from wind, rain and sunshine, it is called a "Wind and Rain" Bridge...simple...when it was explained to us.
We arrived in the early evening and most people were seated in and around the Drum Tower, drinking and celebrating the Lusheng Festival. Others were spreading their rice and corn alongside the roads to dry, and hanging rice on the drying racks in the fields. No one leaves the cut rice in the fields at night. They are worried about someone stealing their crop. The Dong in this village continue to wear traditional clothing and speak only their native Dong language.
Expats we met, compared it to Lijiang about 10 years ago. Unlike us, they were staying for a few days and day-hiking to different villages around Zhaoxing. That's the way to do it and another day there would have been perfect.
Yin Tan Dong Village was entirely different because of its Drum Towers. The Dong trace their origins back to about the 3rd century BC and speak a Thai language as part of the Sino-Tibetan Thai ethnic-linguistic group. This village was encircled by 100-year old trees and typical Dong houses on stilts.
Dong Drum Towers are an important part and symbol of each village with at least one drum tower in every Dong village and some with many towers. Meetings and celebrations are held in front of these towers and the people gather there to dance and make "merry" (drink). Some are extremely elaborate, many stories high, decorated with dragons, phoenixes, flowers and birds. In the past, cowhide-covered drums were hung in the tower and a villager would climb to the top and beat the drum to alert the villagers. It acted as a SOS (or distress signal) and the drumbeats would travel from one village to another.
Rong Jiang had a very old Banyan Tree (been there...seen that) and a Dong village in Che Jiang. This was one of the most interesting villages because of all the different activities taking place. Groups of people were playing maj jong in the central courtyard (I was invited to join in but didn't remember how to play), two older women were taking turns giving each other a back massage, .... View image...
There were several houses in Pai Ka Miao Village where we watched the local master craftsmen making the Lusheng. This took more work than one would expect - choosing the proper bamboo, cutting, tempering, tuning. The end result - a Lusheng with different tonal qualities.
Everywhere we drove or visited, the local people were harvesting the corn and rice crops. Unfortunately for them, the crops hadn't been good that year. This would mean food shortages over the coming winter. Two varieties of rice are grown: big grains and small grains (that's how it was described to us), and almost the entire work of picking, threshing and grinding is done by hard, manual labor.
The rice was drying on photogenic drying racks, dotting the landscape, ...View image...along the roads...with villagers carrying their crops up and down the mountains on their heads and backs. When I posed a question to Andy about their very slight and short stature, he replied: "If you put a large rock on a blade of grass, the grass will not grow upright when you take it off."
Some of the villages we visited greeted us with potent, homemade rice wine. Looked to me like an excuse for a PARTY! I wouldn't have minded trying a slug or two but they kept passing these huge jugs from person to person to drink out of. I have a real problem sharing with many strangers, and had Andy tell them that we were strict "teetotalers" then he drank our share. A perfect solution.
A visit to Flag Stone Village to see "Xi Family Miao's Customs, and a short trek to Gee Family Village to see their batiks. ...passing people carrying the daily, heavy loads...View image... ...View image... The Ge Family is a special ethnic group that is not included in the 55 minorities of China as they number only around 10,000 people. They have their own customs and language with unique garments and adornments.
Back to Kaili for a fast lunch, and then a transfer up to the Lei Gong Mountain, center of Miao culture in southeast Guizhou. Kaili is a 2,500 year old city with a population of 450,000. More than 65% of that amount consists of the Miao.
We spent the entire day watching and participating in the annual Lusheng Festival. ...View image...All the local villages came to march in the parade, socialize, meet friends and be entertained. The Miao groups wore local dress for the parade and the Lusheng contest inside Kaili Stadium was held at noon. Group after group of Miao people representing their tribe and village, each and everyone in a different ethnic outfit, ...View image...marched down the street. ...View image... loaded with real "silver" and artificial "silver" headdresses and jewelry.
"Vibrant" or "colorful" doesn't accurately describe what was passing before our eyes. In the meantime, the local Chinese people were almost more interested in us than the festival and we were constantly being photographed, and asked to pose with families and children for more photographs. Our more than 15-seconds of fame!
Andy, our guide, took us to visit the "Four Seals Miao" in Xin Yao. There was a lot of activity among the people who were busy harvesting rice and heading their pigs and other livestock towards the Lusheng Festival to sell.
This was another very poor village where we met with one family to see their traditional clothing. The mother, had a family of at least four or five little girls (I lost count) and had handmade each and every dress herself. She carefully dressed them up in their outfits for some photos (one protesting vigorously). ... View image... The dress of this Miao subgroup is quite special. There are four colorful square patterns just like four exquisite square seals on their gloves and shirts, hence the name.
Most Chinese minorities are exempt from the "one child" rule (very obvious as we visited these villages). It seemed as if the little girls were quite close in age and extremely destitute (not to mention the usual runny noses and need for a bath). It's difficult to tell the ages of the children in this area because they are much smaller in height by our American overfed standards. By the way, Andy - on our behalf - always dispensed money to the people for their trouble. Perhaps, visits by us and other tourists will help raise their living standards somewhat.
Lunch in Anshun and then a 2-1/2 hour ride toward Liuzhi to visit a subgroup of the Miao Minority, Soga Village of Chang Jiao Miao (Long Horn Miao people).
This was an heartbreakingly basic village. Most of the province still lives below the national poverty level even though the government is trying to change this. Soga was dirty with lots of chickens running around (visions of "bird flu" ran through my mind) ...View image...but the "Hair" was what made Soga so interesting and worth visiting along with the exquisite batik and embroidery that they make. We watched three women show us how they made their amazing big hairdos (and I thought my hair was expandable!). They started with pieces of wood dowels, stuck them through their own hair ...View image....then start wrapping lots of artificial looking "hair" (really long black pieces of yarn) around the wood to make the hair stand out, finishing with long strips of fabric which decorated this intricate, ornate wig. This must eliminate ever having a "bad hair day." Interestingly enough, I just read an article about Marie Antoinette's "big hair" in Vogue. Perhaps, her stylist got his ideas from the Miao women.
The trip started (and almost ended) in Shanghai where we overnighted before flying into Guiyang. Our driver blew his exit driving from the aiport and screeched across four lanes of traffic to make it. A truck and another taxi missed us by inches! You should have heard the Chinese swearing and shouting going on including a few choice words from us! Did we tip him? NOT!
The next morning, we flew into Guiyang. It's a cardinal rule of travel that you are always going to misconnect...and we always do. It usually takes several days to arrive at our destination after leaving Chicago, and that's with non-stop flights.
Guiyang has a population of over 3 million people and a mild climate. "Andy" was our guide. (Most Chinese guides adopt an English name since we usually butcher their Chinese name.) An extremely knowledgable person who couldn't do enough for us. Guiyang itself was just a starting point and there wasn't very much to do. The Trade Point Hotel was the top-end hotel to stay at and that is where we parked outselves. Surprisingly, even the staff at the Trade Point didn't speak English! You can find more information at: ...Hotel in ASIA
First on our agenda was to visit Tunbao Village and Tian Long Old Town. The ancestors of these villagers migrated from Jiangxi Province to Guizhou Province in the Ming dynasty. The women there wore blue aprons, were dressed in wide-sleeved loose robes with silk belts in traditional Ming Dynasty costumes, and the houses remained faithful to Ming architectural styles. The Tunbao people are the descendants of armed men and dress accordingly.
The final itinerary consisted of nine actual days in Guizhou Province, with several extra days in Shanghai to celebrate our anniversary. And then, you always have to add the 2-3 days spent actually getting to China and at least two days returning home! The tour itself would focus on two areas: Southeast and West of Guiyang; visiting the various minority tribes and learning a little about their culture; using a local guide and driver; and staying at "best available" hotels.
Air? Flew United non-stop to Shanghai and then China Air to Guiyang the following day. Inside China, you can (or could) also fly via Chengdu, Beijing, Hong Kong or Bangkok.
Health? Just the usual precautions. No malaria pills, and all other innoculations are always kept up-to-date. I always check the Centers for Disease Control updates to see what they suggest.
Visa? You need a Chinese Visa which is easy to get at your local Chinese Embassy/Consulate. In Chicago, you can pay extra and arrange for one in the same day.
It isn't until you actually start exploring China that its immensity hits you. Most travellers visit Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Xian and Hong Kong on their first trip into China. We (ex-Marine, husband Steve and I) did right after the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989 when tour operators were offering "moment-of-madness sales" (another article altogether) and fell in love with the incredible sights and diversity China offers. Lonely Planet Shop
Many trips later, there are still so many areas to explore that rarely see a Western visitor. With all this in mind, and knowing my love for off-the-beaten-track destinations, Shi Ming (Cindy) at Shanghai Far East Expeditions recommended Guizhou Province.
Guizhou is a mountainous province of China with karst (limestone terrain), steep gorges, warm summers and mild winters. It is located in the Southeast of China, not terribly far from Vietnam. The reason to visit? About 35% of Guizhou's population is made up of over 80 different ethnic minorities in remote villages: Miao, Bouyi, Dong, Yi and Hui to name a few. The majority of China's population is Han.
The minority villages of interest were both West and Southeast of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province.
It was a brutally hard driving day all the way back to Lhasa. You had to grit your teeth, try to absorb all the bumps and jarring over the non-existant "roads" (that were killing my back), and hope that there wouldn't be too many hold-ups. Alas, at one point, there was a huge traffic jam of cars and trucks, trying to ford a river because the bridge had washed away. Thank goodness for 4WD!
And when we drove back over the 17,000' pass from Nam Tso, it had snowed overnight. Several trucks had gone off the road and were lying down the side of the mountain. Very scary!
On one of our daily walks, I bought fossils for my grandchildren and gave them this simple explanation: "About 300 millions year ago, Tibet was under the ocean. Then the Continents of Asia and India collided and Tibet was pushed up from below the ocean to become the highest plateau in the world." I hope they found that interesting....I did.
We were on our way to Nam Tso, the second largest salt lake in Tibet, set at 15,000' on the Jhang Thang plateau. It is 70 miles long, and a sanctuary for migratory birds making their long journeys across Asia. But first, it was up and over a 17,000' pass. (The views were worth getting out of the car and freezing.)
There were daily road problems...flat tires, vehicles getting stuck, minor repairs and various other truck delays. Always something...but we had a good-humored group and spent the time taking photos, short walks, exchanging stories and making the best of it.
We spent several hours, waiting at one bridge View image for some sort of truck hold up.
Then another truck hold-up, while it was pushed out of the mud. That took many helpers (along with brute strength) to accomplish.
The camp crew was busy working (nothing unusual about that) while some of our group went exploring. But we stayed behind - relaxing - sitting in the sun - interacting with the local villagers that were always hanging around the camp, interested in what we were doing...staring at us....looking in our tents to see what was there - and just talking among each other.
"ex-Marine" and I also had fun amusing the children. One of our camp crew translated my world-famous rendition of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes..." into Tibetan and the children had a wonderful time following along. I pride myself on the fact that children in little villages around the World, now can sing this song in English and their native language!
Each day's drive contained different sights, and walks.
On this day, we passed by children watching and waving from their homes... View image...
and it wasn't until we walked by that it dawned on us their fences were made from dried dung - cow, goat, yak - picked up, shaped into patties and dried! Very geometric.
dung patties
Reting Monastery, at 13,350', is one of the great Kadampa monasteries in central Tibet. This was also destroyed in the Cultural Revolution but has been partially rebuilt. Reting is in an ancient, beautiful Juniper forest. The rebirth of Reting signifies defiance of the religious plight the Tibetan people underwent during 1959-1984 - the infamous "25-year night."
Drigung Monastery, also over 13,000', is built on a very steep ridge above a broad valley. It was badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution and now has about 120 monks in residence.
There was much to see our the next day's drive to Drigung Monastery. Tibetan images painted on rocks.....View image...
We left Lhasa, driving across high passes, to visit three magnificent monasteries: Ganden, Reting and Drigung.
The top of each pass had crowds of Tibetans selling prayer flags - long and short strings - large and small. The Prayer flags are inscribed with Buddhist auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, mantras - and each flag is a different color. Buddhists place these flags outside their homes and places of spiritual practice (always on a pass) for the wind to carry prayers to the heavens.
The buying trick was to wait until our 4WD's were loaded and ready to leave...the prices dropped fast.
Over the pass to visit Ganden Monastery, once one of the three great religious centers for the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Potala Palace has over 1,000 rooms. Everyone has seen the image in documentaries, articles, newspapers, or on calendars but the reality of standing at the bottom and looking up at this gigantic 13-story complex is spine-tingling! The Potala contained living quarters of the Dalai Lamas, chapels and many government offices, treasures and storerooms. Parts date from the 7th century while the 5th Dalai Lama did more recent renovations 300 years ago.
A person could spend days visiting the Potala Palace, and we enjoyed it so much that it was a repeat experience on the next trip we took back to Lhasa. (The North Face of Everest). This Tibetan experience was even more special due to Roger Williams. After all, when you visit monasteries and your guide is fluent in Tibetan, and has studied with the Dalai Lama, what more could you ask for? Another group of tourists came up to us after eavesdropping on Roger's explanations, and asked, "Where did you find that wonderful guide?" "Ex-Marine" told them he found Roger wandering around the streets, hired him for $1.00, and they believed him!
We piled out of the hotel on our tour bus headed for dinner when Roger asked where Bob was. No one had seen him and Bob hadn't left any message about not joining us for dinner. With that, Roger went back into the hotel to ring his room. To make a three-day story short, they had to break down Bob's hotel room door, and found him unconscious.
Bob spent a week in the Lhasa hospital with both Cerebral and Pulmonary Edema caused by Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), and then had to be medivac'd by special jet to Singapore once he was stabilized. TRAVEL INSURANCE!
Keep in mind that Bob was in excellent condition. He was a biker, in good health but AMS can strike anyone. There are several important precautions everyone should take to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness:
Our group of 12 met up at the Chengdu airport and were transferred to a hotel for the night (you almost always misconnect) - 3 Illini - New Jersey - Colorado - Atlanta - and the remainder from California. Originally, 13 people were scheduled for "Heart of Tibet", but Bill (from Tennessee) broke his hip before departure and cancelled. (Why you need Travel Insurance!) Next morning, we flew to Lhasa. The Gongkar airport is 60 miles outside of Lhasa (altitude of 11,830') and the religious, cultural and economic center of Tibet. We were reminded again that it's only since 1980, foreigners have been allowed to enter Tibet. Group itinerary was subject to change at any time by the Chinese Government. They can make changes in tourist regulations, or even close an area to visit. The 11,830' altitude hits right away with a "woozy", unsteady feeling...when you move too fast, it feels as if you are going to fall over.
Our Lhasa Himalaya Hotel, was about a five-block walk from the Barkhor. We tried to walk to it, but gave up after two blocks when exhaustion set in.
view of Potala Palace from our hotel
Settled down for a brief rest in the room, just looking out our window at the spectacular Potala Palace. It was hard to believe we were actually here!
