China - September 2001

Last update Saturday, 2 February 2002

Juyong Guan section of Changcheng (The Great Wall) outside Beijing. More photos.

Our tour group consisted of two school groups with some teachers and parents, a group of older people, a sub-group of three and our own sub-group of six. Early in the piece, the two sub-groups join to form an extended sub-group of nine until we reached Xian, where the smaller group left the tour.

A brief record of our trip follows. More details to come.

Brisbane to start
Shanghai
Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)
Chong Qing (Chungking)
Xian (home of the Terracotta Warriors)
Beijing
Brisbane to end

Tuesday 11 September 2001:
(Brisbane)

I was in bed and sound asleep when all THAT happened.

Wednesday 12 September 2001:
(Brisbane)

Washing, folding, packing, wondering if it's such a good idea to be going overseas just now...

Philosophising about life, death, war, travel, zen and the art of squat toilets, etc.

Thursday 13 September 2001 (Day 1):
(Brisbane to Singapore)

A 15 minutes past midnight (ie just barely Friday morning - Eek! I'm a morning person, but only after a good night's sleep!) flight to Singapore.

Friday 14 September 2001 (Day 2):
(Singapore to Shanghai)

Arrived in Singapore airport early morning where we stayed for a few hours.

Hot and steamy outside.

Hey! We've flown across the equator; must check that opposite-direction-plug-hole thing.

Mid-morning flight to Shanghai.

First night in China. Dinner down the street from the hotel. Wandered up and down, explored a department store and supermarket. Unsuccessful in getting into a park to look at the display of pretty lights.

Succeeded in making myself understood to the person behind the desk in the hotel. Whoo hoo!

Saturday 15 September 2001 (Day 3):
(Shanghai to Wuhan to Yi Chang to the Yangtze)

Visited the Jade Buddha Temple in the morning.

In the afternoon, flew to Wuhan, then travelled by coach (4 hours) to Yi Chang.

Dinner in a hotel and first taste of Chinese beer, in this case, Tsing Tao.

Drove to river cruise boat "Yu Xiang" on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River).

Sunday 16 September 2001 (Day 4):
(Yangtze River)

On the boat.

Excursion to the Three Gorges Dam Project.

Monday 17 September 2001 (Day 5):
(Yangtze River)

On the boat.

Learned da ma jiang (to play mah jongg).

Excursion to the Lesser Gorges. Monkeys (surely not THAT Monkey from the Land of Fruit and Flowers...?), 2000 year old post holes where a riverside pedestrian thoroughfare used to be.

Tuesday 18 September 2001 (Day 6):
(Yangtze River)

On the boat.

Night excursion to Feng Du (Ghost City). Through deserted streets by coach, turned a corner to find ourselves suddenly in the middle of a mass of ballroom dancers.

The Ghost City had Taoist, Confucian and Buddhist temples and a depiction of Buddhist hell.

Wednesday 19 September 2001 (Day 7):
(Chong Qing - More to come.)

Arrived in Chong Qing (Chungking).

Ate pig's ear and black chicken soup for lunch. Drank tea delivered from a tea pot with the longest spout in the universe. The waiter stood back, reloaded and the tea shot out into the cup. Very impressive.

Visited Goose Park, heard a little about Chang Kai Shek. Saw people playing mah jongg and cards in the park.

In the evening meal we went looking for shopping and dinner with interesting results.

Thursday 20 September 2001 (Day 8):
(Chong Qing to Xian - More to come.)

In the morning, our sub-group wandered around the streets, getting a lot of stares. Lots of mobile phone shops all in a row.

Andrew called to Lynne and 4 people turned around. So we decided to call her Jenny for the rest of the trip. This seemed to work.

Wandered down some side streets and David bought a mah jongg set, attracting an enormous crowd in the process.

Afternoon flight to Xian, and beat the schoolies by a day as they had caught the train that morning.

Our sub-group wandered the streets and some of us decided to buy made-to-order Chinese tops.

After dinner, wandered the streets a bit more and came back late to the hotel. Encountered a woman outside the entrance selling paintings, collectively, we bought LOTS.

We drank tea and hot chocolate in the hotel.

Friday 21 September 2001 (Day 9):
(Xian - More to come.)

Extended sub-group organised a Western tour of Xian.

Empress Wu's burial mound, Prince Yi De's tomb, past Qin Shi Huang's burial mound, to Empress Wu's nunnery, a museum and a folk village with a caged bear. Lots of places and some of the details now a bit hazy.

Saturday 22 September 2001 (Day 10):
(Xian - More to come.)

Entire tour group went by on the Eastern tour of Xian.

Hua Pa Hot Springs, terracotta warrior replica factory, terracotta warrior excavation and museum and Ban Po museum where an ancient village is being excavated.

And bought stuff - we were told Australians are good at bargaining!

Sunday 23 September 2001 (Day 11):
(Xian to Beijing - More to come.)

In the morning, explored the Cultural Street of Xian and walked along the city wall for a bit.

Returned to the hotel and went looking for the Great Mosque, overshot terribly, found some interesting markets, retraced our steps, corrected our route, found some people in Muslim clothing (for which I'm unsure of the proper terms), so we knew we were getting close. In Chinese, Andrew asked a man for directions, which he obligingly gave us in perfect English.

(Love this travel stuff - all action and adventure and practicing the language and lots of fun and laughter.)

Found the Mosque - very tranquil in the middle of busy Xian and Sunday was the busiest we'd seen anywhere in China. Found some "Journey to the West" (ie "Monkey Magic") playing cards on the way out and bought them.

Bought provisions for the train trip - our guide told us the food was terrible and BYO a much better idea.

A lot of smokers on the train. Used a squat toilet on a moving train. I am a high achiever, after all...

The new playing cards came in very handy.

Went to sleep in the wee small hours.

Monday 24 September 2001 (Day 12):
(Beijing - More to come.)

Woke up outside Beijing.

We were moved briskly off the train and the proceeded to the coaches. Went to the hotel, got organised, found our teacher (who organised the tour) and got some info.

Headed off to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Lots of walking, big, big blister day.

Standing in Tiananmen Square, hey! We're in CHINA!!

We weren't really sure which building was Mao Ze Dong's Mausoleum, so we took photos of several buildings, hoping we'd included it.

Eventually (after an initial zig when we should have zagged) found the Forbidden City. After some to-ing and fro-ing decided not to hire an English speaking guide.

I have eaten a Magnum ice cream inside the Forbidden City!

A lot being restored. It's huge. We'd been warned not to take much (if any) time in the exhibition halls, but to go straight up the middle. Basically did so with a couple of detours.

We got to the far end of the Forbidden City, sat, ate, drank and rested. We left and crossed to the park opposite and climbed to the top of the hill which gave us a panoramic view of the Forbidden City we had just walked through.

We walked back to the hotel, arriving very tired.

However, decided to try the restaurant our teacher had recommended for their Peking Duck (the local specialty).

Went back to the hotel and crashed.

Tuesday 25 September 2001 (Day 13):
(Beijing - More to come.)

Full day tour of the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall (Juyong Guan section).

Saw angora camels from which those expensive hats are made.

(Well, they could have been angora camels...)

The Great Wall was magnificent, unpopulated, clear and the mountains beautiful.

Another big blister day - but then, if you don't collect a few, how do know you've done anything when you're back at work?

That night in the Wang Fu Jing Road, art students Kelly and friend stopped us in the street and invited us to an exhibition of their work. We insisted on eating first, so they very kindly took us to a good student restaurant and later we viewed their work.

Collapsed into bed.

Wednesday 26 September 2001 (Day 14):
(Beijing)

Watched tai ji juan in Temple of Heaven Park.

Silk Markets. Summer Palace. Bought moon cakes.

Wang Fu Jing Road and bought books - okay, okay, I can't help myself, even in foreign countries!

Food, packed, crashed.

Thursday 27 September 2001 (Day 15):
(Beijing to Singapore to Brisbane)

Early start to get to Beijing airport.

Flew to Singapore

Walked a bit, mostly sat (remember the blisters?) in the airport cinema, had food, boarded the plane.

Friday 28 September 2001 (Day 16):

Arrived at Brisbane airport in the morning.

Home.

Unpacked, showered, slept, woke, veged out.

Saturday 29 September 2001:

Woke up, thought, "Now, how do you say, 'I'd like to have these photos developed?' - Oh, yeah..."

Further details on the more interesting bits to come. Watch this space.