Hello All,
One last blog for Asia. Xian, what was the capital of China for most of its history, lies 750 miles inland from Beijing. We took our first overnight train since India (besides one other in Thailand). It was cozy to say the least, but still a pleasant experience compared to some on the subcontinent. We spent four days in Xian, which was plenty of time to see all the sites and do it at a leisurely pace. By this time we were getting weary of daily 6-7 hour touring days, and it was time to slow down. We spent the first full day just taking in the city center. Xian was traditionally the first stop on The Silk Road. This was an ancient trading route from China to "the Stans" (Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc...), India, the Middle East and finally Europe to places like Italy. All that said, Xian's major draw are the Terracotta Warriors. These life-size soldiers, now numbering over 8,000, watch over the tomb of China's first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. There are charioteers, cavalrymen, archers, and infantrymen. Many are badly damaged, but are in the process of being restored. They look as though they're ready for immediate battle. Discovered accidentally by farmers in 1974, they are now known as the "eighth man-made wonder of the world". They were indeed impressive, but we would definitely put it last on the list of the other wonders we've seen on the trip, including Angkor, The Taj, and The Great Wall. the next day we were supposed to take another gruelling hike up Hua Shan, about three hours east of Xian. We got a couple bottles of wine and had dinner with a nice couple from Mauritius instead. The wine refused to let us get up in time to hike up the mountain the next day. The other thing from Xian that stuck in our minds is the uncouth behaviour of the Chinese people. Now keep in mind this happens all over the country, but it seemed to be even more intense inland. Everyone, men and women alike, hock up loogies in a loud and disgusting fashion in public places with an alarming consistency. They burp loudly with the same enthusiasm. Lastly, they chew with their mouths open and for some reason have the loudest chewing we've ever heard. Now we cannot be too quick to judge. We went online to several open forums on the subject and found a wide range of reactions. Mostly what we can gather is that the country has been essentially closed off from the rest of the world for a long time, and the majority of the population is poor. This sort of behavior was just normal. Now that China has opened up these actions seem backward, but we suppose it takes time to change social attitudes. On these forums there were many young Chinese who seemed embarrassed by the older generations. Either way this type of stuff certainly isn't the end of the world, it just seemed odd. That's traveling though, isn't it?
We took another overnight train from Xian to Beijing, but this time we didn't have beds. We had two tiny seats on a sold out train, and it was tough. Again, nothing like the Indian train from Varanasi to Darjeeling, but still it was exhausting. We didn't get a wink, and showed up half asleep. After checking in we promptly showered up and went to sleep for about 4 hours. Not a lot but at least something to get us through the rest of the day. We spent our first afternoon in the capital shopping. Shauna was fiending. Three tops, a pair of shorts, and a pair of shoes later we walked to Tiananmen Square (to be fair, Pat also got a suit). Note Shauna in front of The Forbidden City with shopping bags. Capitalism in the face of communism. Ironic. We arrived around sunset and watched the flag lowering ceremony. Very over-the-top. We guess every government does it. We spent a week in Beijing. It is a huge place, almost impossibly huge, and there was plenty to see. We had 6 full days in the city, and filled each one with siteseeing. With that said, none of them were mind blowing (some of the parks were beautiful), with the obvious exception being The Great Wall. We had a perfect day and we took the perfect tour. There are several ways to experience it, and it's best to do some research. We went to the furthest point that's still a day trip and hiked 7km along the wall. It was great because there were basically no other tourists except for our group of 12 and there were no hawkers. We've heard it can get terribly touristy along parts of the wall closer to the city. Our experience was absolutely amazing and one we'll never forget. It's a trip that should be high on your list if you go at the right time of year.
With that we wrap up Asia. It was 4 months and 1 week long. We traveled about 9,000 miles, not including flights, spread over 7 countries (8 if you think of HK as another country). Hard to believe. We saw a lot. It was bittersweet to leave. One one hand we were sad to be "finished", on the other hand excited to eat an American burger. We have a few regrets of places we passed over, but that will always happen no matter what kind of itinerary you have. We had 4+ months, but we would still be saying the same thing if we had a year in Asia. There is just too much to see. All in all, however, we enjoyed our time immensely. Besides a few minor setbacks, everything went smoothly. The people in general were ridiculously friendly and helpful, and we'll always be in debt to many. The people combined with the sheer diversity and beauty of the land must make Asia one of the best places in the world to travel. We were lucky to get this opportunity, and we're so appreciative to have gotten it. There are many more places to explore, and maybe one day we'll be lucky enough to see them.
We had 10 short days in the great state of New York before driving 8 hours to Cleveland, Ohio for Pat's cousin's wedding. No rest for the weary. Thanks to the best ex-roomies ever at 542 47th Avenue for an awesome BBQ last Saturday. So great to see everyone, even if briefly, to catch up. It was also great to relax a bit in Saratoga. We needed all 4 days to unpack Asia and pack for our 3 month road trip. The blogs from North America will be quite a bit different. It's going to be a lot of natural beauty as opposed to Asian cities and experiences, so there will be more pictures and less writing. That's probably better for everyone anyway.
Until then, much love and appreciation,
S&P
One last blog for Asia. Xian, what was the capital of China for most of its history, lies 750 miles inland from Beijing. We took our first overnight train since India (besides one other in Thailand). It was cozy to say the least, but still a pleasant experience compared to some on the subcontinent. We spent four days in Xian, which was plenty of time to see all the sites and do it at a leisurely pace. By this time we were getting weary of daily 6-7 hour touring days, and it was time to slow down. We spent the first full day just taking in the city center. Xian was traditionally the first stop on The Silk Road. This was an ancient trading route from China to "the Stans" (Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc...), India, the Middle East and finally Europe to places like Italy. All that said, Xian's major draw are the Terracotta Warriors. These life-size soldiers, now numbering over 8,000, watch over the tomb of China's first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. There are charioteers, cavalrymen, archers, and infantrymen. Many are badly damaged, but are in the process of being restored. They look as though they're ready for immediate battle. Discovered accidentally by farmers in 1974, they are now known as the "eighth man-made wonder of the world". They were indeed impressive, but we would definitely put it last on the list of the other wonders we've seen on the trip, including Angkor, The Taj, and The Great Wall. the next day we were supposed to take another gruelling hike up Hua Shan, about three hours east of Xian. We got a couple bottles of wine and had dinner with a nice couple from Mauritius instead. The wine refused to let us get up in time to hike up the mountain the next day. The other thing from Xian that stuck in our minds is the uncouth behaviour of the Chinese people. Now keep in mind this happens all over the country, but it seemed to be even more intense inland. Everyone, men and women alike, hock up loogies in a loud and disgusting fashion in public places with an alarming consistency. They burp loudly with the same enthusiasm. Lastly, they chew with their mouths open and for some reason have the loudest chewing we've ever heard. Now we cannot be too quick to judge. We went online to several open forums on the subject and found a wide range of reactions. Mostly what we can gather is that the country has been essentially closed off from the rest of the world for a long time, and the majority of the population is poor. This sort of behavior was just normal. Now that China has opened up these actions seem backward, but we suppose it takes time to change social attitudes. On these forums there were many young Chinese who seemed embarrassed by the older generations. Either way this type of stuff certainly isn't the end of the world, it just seemed odd. That's traveling though, isn't it?
We took another overnight train from Xian to Beijing, but this time we didn't have beds. We had two tiny seats on a sold out train, and it was tough. Again, nothing like the Indian train from Varanasi to Darjeeling, but still it was exhausting. We didn't get a wink, and showed up half asleep. After checking in we promptly showered up and went to sleep for about 4 hours. Not a lot but at least something to get us through the rest of the day. We spent our first afternoon in the capital shopping. Shauna was fiending. Three tops, a pair of shorts, and a pair of shoes later we walked to Tiananmen Square (to be fair, Pat also got a suit). Note Shauna in front of The Forbidden City with shopping bags. Capitalism in the face of communism. Ironic. We arrived around sunset and watched the flag lowering ceremony. Very over-the-top. We guess every government does it. We spent a week in Beijing. It is a huge place, almost impossibly huge, and there was plenty to see. We had 6 full days in the city, and filled each one with siteseeing. With that said, none of them were mind blowing (some of the parks were beautiful), with the obvious exception being The Great Wall. We had a perfect day and we took the perfect tour. There are several ways to experience it, and it's best to do some research. We went to the furthest point that's still a day trip and hiked 7km along the wall. It was great because there were basically no other tourists except for our group of 12 and there were no hawkers. We've heard it can get terribly touristy along parts of the wall closer to the city. Our experience was absolutely amazing and one we'll never forget. It's a trip that should be high on your list if you go at the right time of year.
With that we wrap up Asia. It was 4 months and 1 week long. We traveled about 9,000 miles, not including flights, spread over 7 countries (8 if you think of HK as another country). Hard to believe. We saw a lot. It was bittersweet to leave. One one hand we were sad to be "finished", on the other hand excited to eat an American burger. We have a few regrets of places we passed over, but that will always happen no matter what kind of itinerary you have. We had 4+ months, but we would still be saying the same thing if we had a year in Asia. There is just too much to see. All in all, however, we enjoyed our time immensely. Besides a few minor setbacks, everything went smoothly. The people in general were ridiculously friendly and helpful, and we'll always be in debt to many. The people combined with the sheer diversity and beauty of the land must make Asia one of the best places in the world to travel. We were lucky to get this opportunity, and we're so appreciative to have gotten it. There are many more places to explore, and maybe one day we'll be lucky enough to see them.
We had 10 short days in the great state of New York before driving 8 hours to Cleveland, Ohio for Pat's cousin's wedding. No rest for the weary. Thanks to the best ex-roomies ever at 542 47th Avenue for an awesome BBQ last Saturday. So great to see everyone, even if briefly, to catch up. It was also great to relax a bit in Saratoga. We needed all 4 days to unpack Asia and pack for our 3 month road trip. The blogs from North America will be quite a bit different. It's going to be a lot of natural beauty as opposed to Asian cities and experiences, so there will be more pictures and less writing. That's probably better for everyone anyway.
Until then, much love and appreciation,
S&P
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