G'DASIA - PART II
Trip Start
Feb 11, 2008
1
4
27
Trip End
Ongoing
Delhi,
India
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Namaste everyone,
Well, after two weeks in China, we have finally arrived in Delhi to begin our three-week Rajasthan Adventure, that will take us in a north-western loop around Jaisalamer, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Agra.
Last time you heard from us we were just about to tackle the Great Wall, so let's backtrack a bit.
BEI-ZING (CONTINUED):
Firstly some fast facts about the Great Wall of China:
1. It was built between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire
2. The Wall is not visible from space as widely believed
3. It's over 6,500kms long
4. An estimated 2 to 3 million Chinese died building the Wall
5. We nearly died walking just 10kms of it
Last Monday we were up before dawn to make the three-hour bus journey to a secluded section of the Wall. Our starting point, a snow-covered valley 120kms northeast of Beijing, was actually in Mongolia - so we guess can add that to our list of countries visited.
We'd signed up for the 10km trek running from Jinshanling to Simitai and we'd both assumed we'd be dropped off at a picturesque little vantage point and have a leisurely stroll across one of the greatest man-made structures on the planet.
How wrong we were.
THE GREAT WALL
The section we walked was unrestored and crumbling (and downright unsafe) so our stroll soon turned into a scramble as we slid down and climbed up for over four hours. The patches of snow that crunched underfoot were deceiving and within minutes we had stripped off at least half of the layers we'd been so certain we'd need.
Needless to say, that with our general state of unfitness, combined with a week of non-stop dumpling eating, we soon found ourselves at the back of the pack. However our embarrassment at not being able to keep up with the 12 others in our group, was short-lived as we discovered we had the Wall to ourselves for most of the trek.
In short, it was breathtaking. Not another human in sight, and no sounds except for our shoes disturbing rocks laid thousands of years ago. Magic.
It's one of those things that you can't express in pictures - to be there gave us a true appreciation of the sheer enormity of the Wall and how tough it would have been to build. Kinda made our trek look like a walk in the park by comparison. It was an experience marred only by a handful of hawkers selling postcards, Coke and "I walked the Great Wall of China" t-shirts along the way.
Sweaty and sore, we completed the 10kms and were then given the option to trek another 30 minutes to the car park or take a flying fox from the Wall, across a crystal blue and partly frozen dam. We were shocked. How could the Chinese people be so culturally insensitive? What could possibly be gained from such historical defilement? We had to find out. And bloody hell, what a ride!
CHRIS GREETS HIS ASIAN FANS
During our last days in Beijing we visited the Temple of Heaven where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties gathered for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. While there, Chris was bombarded with locals, yelling out "Jack Brack, Jack Brack...from Prick of Destiny". Humble as ever, Chris happily signed photos for his adoring Asian fans.*
We inspected the Summer Palace, the holiday resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who apparently pilfered loads of money that was meant to go to the Chinese Navy into extending the Palace. We also visited the famous Silk Markets (really just a multi-level, indoor bazaar) where between us we picked up six pairs of Converse sneakers and one pair of Vans for Y460 ($71).
CHRIS GETS DUCKED
Our culinary onslaught was completed with real Peking (Beijing) duck. We did, however, avoid the restaurant in the Hutong (narrow backstreet) we were staying in that specialised in "dog dumplings". Yes, we can confirm all those rumours about the Chinese scoffing domestic animals are true.
THE PROOF IS IN THE DUMPRING
(If you are easily offended, please skip the next paragraph)
The proprietor of the eatery, secretly referred to as Dog Man by the backpacking brigade, is often spotted outside his establishment, chopping, dicing and blowtorching the hair off his "ingredients". In fact, on our last night in Beijing, James, the Brit we spent the night drinking with on our first night, explained in great detail how he'd just seen Dog Man preparing a poor pooch for the slaughter, and turned away only to hear yelps echoing down the street.
Feeling a bit queasy now? Well think of rainbows and fluffy bunnies and playful kittens (though obviously not the kind that would end up in one of Dog Man's signature dumplings).
An overnight train last Wednesday took us to Xi'an (pronounced Shi-an), one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, and home of the famous Terracotta Army.
DEFINITELY NO WALL FLOWER
'CAUSE WE XI'AN XI'AN XI'AN
We were again surprised by Xi'an, expecting a third world backwater and instead finding a buzzing metropolis, complete with Prada and Louis Vuitton stores and of course a Starbucks on every corner.
DOIN' THE XI'AN CITY WALL - BMX BANDITS STYLE!
There is a wall surrounding the city completed during the Ming Dynasty, in 1370 (it is the second such wall, with the original built in 194BC). It's 12kms around all four sides, the most intact city wall in the world and yet another wall we felt we needed to conquer. This time on bikes. Much easier.
TERRACOTTA WARRIORS
But our main reason for visiting Xi'an was to see the Terracotta Army, a collection of 8,099 lifelike terracotta figures of warriors and horses buried near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Qin Shi Huangdi) who died in 210BC. Apparently, they were supposed to assist him in the afterlife. The collection was discovered in 1974 by presumably surprised local farmers who were drilling a well. The biggest pit is housed in what looks like a huge airplane hanger and again has to be seen to be believed. We were also beginning to see a pattern of the Chinese doing everything on a grand scale.
DUMPRING PARTY!
With a large Muslim population, food in Xi'an is different than elsewhere we've been in China, so of course we needed to sample the fascinating new culinary delights in the Muslim quarter. But we'd have to say our food experience of China was topped off on our last night in the country, with a dumpling party in our hostel (Shuhuya Hostel, $6.18 for a private room with TV and glorious ensuite bathroom). We not only got to make them, but, once again, stuff ourselves with as many as we could eat.
A great end to our adventures in China.
KELLY AND BELLY ARRIVE IN DELHI
On Saturday, we flew from Xi'an to Shenzhen, about an hour out of Hong Kong, and then crossed the border by bus. An eight-hour wait at Hong Kong Airport and we were on our way to Delhi.
We arrived at around 2am on Sunday and by the time we'd cleared customs and made the journey to our hotel, The Pooja Palace in Karol Bagh, it was nearly dawn. So, after 24 hours of travelling, we simply collapsed in bed.
A brief inspection of the area this afternoon took us to Connaught Place and a labyrinthine underground bazaar, where Caroline dusted off her haggling skills and picked up a lovely long skirt to overcome the Indian heat (it was 34 degrees today) for $4. We also caught the last couple of hours of the India vs Australia first final at the SCG (how could we not, with all but four of the 35 channels on our TV showing the game). India won and people have been going mental in the streets for hours.
Tomorrow (Monday) we check into our tour with Intrepid and meet the 10 other people we will be hanging out with for the next three weeks. It could go either way - we'll let you know.
We've also posted our itinerary at the bottom of the front page of our blog in case any of you are travelling this year and we might be crossing paths. It's a pretty flexible schedule (especially from when we arrive in London on April 22 until we leave for South America on November 6), so even if you'll be in our general area, let us know and we'll do our best to find you.
There's already a large contingency heading to Munich in September to rip up Oktoberfest, so if any of you can make it, you will have a plethora of drinking buddies.
Until then,
Chris and Caroline xx
*Note: The story about Chris being swamped with fans thinking he was Jack Black is obviously a fabrication. The real story behind the photo of Chris signing something for "fans" is that he joined in a game with the old man in the picture, involving the old man throwing large rings that Chris had to catch around his neck. A crowd did gather to watch, but the only signature Chris had to provide was his name on a petition which we think was to get the ring throwing game into the next Olympics. Though we can't be entirely sure.
P.S.
Ben: Happy Birthday for today!
Pen: Happy Birthday for this week!
Dave T: Hope you're enjoying Australia and didn't play up too much at Mardi Gras.
Ian: Same goes for you!
Ange: Hope you're enjoying the flat.
Leah: Hope you had a great time at your engagment party. Photos??
John/dad: We thought of you whilst devouring an awesome silverside burger in the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an - you would have loved it.
Hank: How's it hanging?
STRANGELY SUITS HIM...
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
We have both been sick with a cold - probably a mixture of the incessant cigarette smoke in China, the freezing temperatures and generally being run down. Chris is feeling a bit better, but Caroline is still sniffling away, which made for an unpleasant flight to Delhi with the air pressure making it feel like her brain was about to explode.
Chris, meanwhile, is preparing to put himself through squat toilet training as he discovers the joys of eating curries in India.
During these early weeks of adjusting to being on the road, we've both had moments where we've had enough of the smoke, the noise, the showering in thongs and the dorms, but we're trying to give ourselves a rest day every now and then and reminding ourselves that it's a small price to pay for seeing the world.
THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED IN...CHINA:
1. Chinese people do, in fact, eat dogs.
2. Chinese people spit. A lot. And not just subtle, spittle in a tissue spits, we're talking full-bodied, hoicking in the back of the throat gorbies that litter the ground like discarded oysters. So gross.
3. Chinese people also smoke. A lot. There's a thick haze of cigarette smoke everywhere you go including on trains and in restaurants - the polluted air outside is much more preferable to being inside.
4. Chinese people push and shove.
5. Chines people do everything in a hurry - drive, walk, talk and eat. We guessed with so many people to compete with, you've got to get in there while you can.
6. It is essential to carry toilet paper on you at all times in China - and to get used to squatting over a hole in the ground.
7. There are a number of scams going around in China at the moment, mostly in Shanghai and Beijing, involving students asking you to practice English with them or attend a tea ceremony. We were approached a couple of times but fortunately we weren't sucked in, though apparently those that are find their wallets a lot lighter by the end of the encounter.
8. Beijing is crowded, noisy and has lots of construction going on. Team that with the spitting, smoking and pushing issues mentioned earlier and we were both left with no doubt that Beijing 2008 won't be referred to as the "best Olympics ever".
9. Aside from all that, China is cheap. Very cheap. With accommodation, overnight train tickets, food and daily incidentals, we easily stuck to our budget of $50 a day each. If it wasn't for train tickets, our daily spend would have been around $15 each. Based on that, we figured out that with our savings for this trip, we could live in China for nearly eight years and not have to work.
THIS WEEK'S TRAVEL TIP:
Following on from last week about never looking closely at a hostel shower drain - never, ever, look down in a squat toilet.
THUMBS UP:
1. Toilet paper - don't leave home without it!
2. Thermal underwear - saved our lives in Beijing
3. The little sewing kit that Laura gave us - for when the button popped off Caroline's Winter jacket on the Great Wall of China
THUMBS DOWN:
1. Combination locks - they're awesome and all but a real pain in the a*se when the combination magically changes and you are locked out of your pack and you have to spend three hours trying to crack the code just to get a clean paid of underwear
2. Dog dumplings - need we say more?
3. Being sick
BEIJING IDOL?
