Xining leg of our trip included several interesting stopovers such as Qinghai lake (the highest Chinese salty lake - if not the highest in the World), Dalai Lama's birthplace, Ta'er monastery (one of the six holiest places of Tibetan Budhism) and of course local delicacies and sights (actually just one within cities proper - Beishan). Details are described below.
After our arrival we immediately took a cab to our hostel (Lete Youth Hostel in international village suburb of Xining). This place turned out to be really a win win place with nice rooms and near perfect staff. Not only they were really helpful but also very very nice and answered all our crazy questions. There you go - my first recommendation - if this blog had more than three readers I would actually ask for money for this :)
Qinghai lake was major plan of our trip as it allegedly should offer awesome vistas of nearby mountains in combination with turquoise color of its waters. Due to time restrictions (we had only one day for a trip) we chose to join Chinese travel tour. Included in the 60 kuai (6 euro) fee was transportation and Chinese guide, whom nobody of us understood. On the way we visited yaks-occupied Ruyi mountain which became some sort of holy place after princess Wengchen stop there on her journey to her future Tibetan husband. Then we pressed on to Qinghai lake (description of multiple shopping stops organized by agency is not included) where we spent three hours exploring area 151. Typical China tourism destination when conveyor belt of buses spills its content in regular five minutes intervals. These tourists make pictures and eat in prearranged restaurants (like sheeps running through the slaughter house).
The Qinghai lake is beside its salty waters interesting also as a breeding ground for multiple species of Asian birds. All species convene on western shore island Niao Dao (now only peninsula as climate or whatever caused watter to recede) which make it one big bird poop and a groundzero of avian flu in China. The tours organized from Xining does not include visit to this island as it would make it very unconfortable for one day trips. As the breeding/nesting season was already over (we missed it by two weeks) we did not regret our decision. Anyone visiting this area should plan his trip at least for a single overnight stay in one of the many yurts around the lake and visit to this island - just to test his luck with flu. What makes this overnight stays very easy is friendliness of Tibetan people who are majority in the area. Though nature and environment make them happy and easy to laugh.
Next day we jumped on the bus to Ping'an (neighboroghing county city) where we hired a taxi with significant help of our new German friend (we met during the beer session of the previous night) who spoke fluent Chinese (after five years in Shanghai who would not :). Taxis are freely available with drivers open for discussion. We negotiated price of 150 kuai (15 euro) for 30 km drive up to the very village where the previous Dalai Lama (I think the 13th but I find numerics of rulers always confusing) pointed his reincarnation. And believe me it was all worth it - even the ten kilometers of road under reconstructions with a 50 kilos of a Norwegian female on you knees (as the cab was built originally for four passengers). Village is totally unexplored and untouched by tourism. The nature and mountains around offer magnificient opportunities for hiking and biking with so many trails you would need weeks to explore them all. Although villagers are little shy and afraid of foreigners walking around (guess why...) if you behave withing limits you would not be disturbed. House is although off limits for foreigners. Luckily there is no chance for 'kiss of death' of Chinese tourism and hopefully same priscine nature will be available when I will return here to do some serious hiking (literally this is the place with the best hiking potential I have seen so far in China).
Afterwards we successfully waived the bus for Xining and further to Ta'er monastery so we could explore further our spiritual side. Ta'er si (monastery) is one of the holiest places for Tibetan budhists. In fact it consists of complex of monasteries occupied by the same looking monks. Approximately at this time forces of ying and yang withing me started to fight (I am still not sure which one is represented by Shaoshan and which one by Ping'an county) and I got seriously sick resulting in general weakness and fever. To solve this problem I jumped onto overnight bus to our next destination - Zhang ye - and swallowed all-solving medicine - pink pills imported from Central Europe. As I sweated through the mountain passes of 3795m (the highest point I have driven so far) the balance of the force was restored and my body got better. Actually I still suspect heavy breakfast we had that day as food poisoning source. My conditions improved so dramatically that at 11.45pm in a pitch black dark of night I was able to purchase delicious and freshly baked pastry. This just proofs only thing sure about this country - if anything, food is worth exploring no matter how sick you are :)
After our arrival to Zhang ye with the help of our driver (people are so much friendlier here then eastern cost it is almost unbelievable) we found accommodation in local pride of a hotel. We stayed there overnight in order to recharge our batteries for exploration of Gansu province. Gansu adventures of four explorers from Norway, Czech Republic and Slovakia will be posted soon - stay tuned :D
6/29/2009
6/25/2009
Once upon a time in the West
As our party of four boarded a westward train to Xian, our epic summer journey began. Below you can find short description of what we had done up until Xining (capital of Qinghai province). Xining is the starting point for most travellers intending to spend some time in Tibet and it is also called the gateway to the western part of China (the same is also said about Lanzhou, but as they are just three and a half hours train ride apart, who really cares?). Please read on!
In Xian we were welcomed by already familiar heat wave torturing China with temperatures well over 30 degrees of Celsius. After dropping bags at the Xian Railway station luggage room we immediately hop on bus (no. 306) to the first Qin emperor tomb and his guarding army of terracotta soldiers. This trip is made very convenient to accommodate huge demand of Chinese visitors. Bus no. 306 connects three main sites (Hot springs palace, Qin emperor tomb, and Terracotta army museum).
We visited only Qin emperor tomb and Terracotta museum due to lack of time and also because of our lack of enthusiasm to visit hot springs at 35 degree heat. Both sites of course belong to the UNESCO World heritage (and righteously so). Qin tomb is relatively calm place with plenty of pomegranate, pine, and other trees protecting emperor´s brain from brain-sucking birds (legends...). Tomb palace is not archeologically explored but it still offers incredible look at 2,000 years old irrigation systems and ceramics of Qin period of Chinese history. Whole 'hill' (burial place covering tomb and palace) is poisoned by mercury from protection mechanisms implemented against tomb raiders (there goes Lara...).
On the other hand, Terracotta museum is commercially explored to the utmost detail. New parking lots and stalls with shopping malls offer many souvenirs along the 500 meters long walk up to the museum. Three pits go from the smallest (pit 3 - called command center and including just few high ranking officers) to the biggest (pit 1 - including the whole army prepared to march) and are indeed awesome and worth every mao of 45 kuai student entry fee :) Museum also includes exhibition hall with nice exposition of bronze artifacts (still not sure whether real or fake), gallery of UNESCO sites around the world (for 'ticking' friendly travellers), and cool air of air conditioned halls as compared to outside hell. Of course, as an uncultural barbarian, besides the warriors (I hereby confirm that indeed each of them is different - at least in face details) I liked the most the 5-7m high marionettes from the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics.
After dinner and visit to exquisitely Chinese Great Mosque of Xian we hopped on the train again for an overnight journey to Lanzhou (back in 90s considered as the most polluted city of the world - I hereby confirm, although still smoggy, it is not the case anymore). Lanzhou was supposed to be our transfer station for Xiahe, which is grassland, religious, and very Tibetan place outside of Tibet. As usual nothing goes smoothly and upon our arrival we discovered that the whole Xiahe region is off limits for foreigners (nobody actually knows precisely the reasons). Disappointed and angered we turned around and without even visiting Lanzhou famous museum (hosting exhibits of 10,000 years old painted ceramics, original wooden Silk road message carrying wooden plates, and Roman coins found in the area) we started our journey to Xining.
Today in Xining we managed to have our best cake in China west of Shanghai and the best barbecue dinner in China (anywhere). Also we visited Beishan (local mountain with plenty of Budhist caves and temples) and literally eat the dust of sandstorm and soak in the water of rainstorm. Tomorrow our plan is to visit Qinhai Hu (Qinhai lake) - the biggest salt water lake in China and the ground zero for avian flu in China (we miscalculated our visit by cca. two weeks since most of the birds already flew away to their summer territories). Further posts will follow in couple of days - still do not know from where :)
In Xian we were welcomed by already familiar heat wave torturing China with temperatures well over 30 degrees of Celsius. After dropping bags at the Xian Railway station luggage room we immediately hop on bus (no. 306) to the first Qin emperor tomb and his guarding army of terracotta soldiers. This trip is made very convenient to accommodate huge demand of Chinese visitors. Bus no. 306 connects three main sites (Hot springs palace, Qin emperor tomb, and Terracotta army museum).
We visited only Qin emperor tomb and Terracotta museum due to lack of time and also because of our lack of enthusiasm to visit hot springs at 35 degree heat. Both sites of course belong to the UNESCO World heritage (and righteously so). Qin tomb is relatively calm place with plenty of pomegranate, pine, and other trees protecting emperor´s brain from brain-sucking birds (legends...). Tomb palace is not archeologically explored but it still offers incredible look at 2,000 years old irrigation systems and ceramics of Qin period of Chinese history. Whole 'hill' (burial place covering tomb and palace) is poisoned by mercury from protection mechanisms implemented against tomb raiders (there goes Lara...).
On the other hand, Terracotta museum is commercially explored to the utmost detail. New parking lots and stalls with shopping malls offer many souvenirs along the 500 meters long walk up to the museum. Three pits go from the smallest (pit 3 - called command center and including just few high ranking officers) to the biggest (pit 1 - including the whole army prepared to march) and are indeed awesome and worth every mao of 45 kuai student entry fee :) Museum also includes exhibition hall with nice exposition of bronze artifacts (still not sure whether real or fake), gallery of UNESCO sites around the world (for 'ticking' friendly travellers), and cool air of air conditioned halls as compared to outside hell. Of course, as an uncultural barbarian, besides the warriors (I hereby confirm that indeed each of them is different - at least in face details) I liked the most the 5-7m high marionettes from the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics.
After dinner and visit to exquisitely Chinese Great Mosque of Xian we hopped on the train again for an overnight journey to Lanzhou (back in 90s considered as the most polluted city of the world - I hereby confirm, although still smoggy, it is not the case anymore). Lanzhou was supposed to be our transfer station for Xiahe, which is grassland, religious, and very Tibetan place outside of Tibet. As usual nothing goes smoothly and upon our arrival we discovered that the whole Xiahe region is off limits for foreigners (nobody actually knows precisely the reasons). Disappointed and angered we turned around and without even visiting Lanzhou famous museum (hosting exhibits of 10,000 years old painted ceramics, original wooden Silk road message carrying wooden plates, and Roman coins found in the area) we started our journey to Xining.
Today in Xining we managed to have our best cake in China west of Shanghai and the best barbecue dinner in China (anywhere). Also we visited Beishan (local mountain with plenty of Budhist caves and temples) and literally eat the dust of sandstorm and soak in the water of rainstorm. Tomorrow our plan is to visit Qinhai Hu (Qinhai lake) - the biggest salt water lake in China and the ground zero for avian flu in China (we miscalculated our visit by cca. two weeks since most of the birds already flew away to their summer territories). Further posts will follow in couple of days - still do not know from where :)
6/22/2009
Yet another relaunch!
In view of recent news, announcements, and restrictions I have decided it is enough, and engaged my brother in involuntarily posting posts on this site. In upcoming weeks you can find here summary of my travels (yeah yet another one :) around China - this time in scorching heat of summer. As the plan of the route is not yet settled, I will leave you lingering in limbo of uncertainty :) Enjoy!
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