Xi'An

Walking the city wall

Today as a mixed bag of tricks. Hubby pulled an all-nighter attempting to solve some software glitches so he could resume training his team (the main purpose of our trip). We spent the better part of the day at the office and then in late afternoon headed down to the old part of the city. And by old I mean ancient. Xi'An is over 3,100 years old and is considered to be one of the birthplaces of civilization.

We walked the brick clay city wall that runs 16 kilometres and encircles the city. It is much wider than the Great Wall and features toilets every 120 metres!  I'll try to contain my excitement. There is a festival of lights going on and the city is decked out in elaborate lighting and carnival-like decorations. The wall gives you a bird's eye view down to the busy backstreets on one side, and a parkette that runs along the moat, on the other. It was odd to see people using exercise equipment that is stationed in the park - much like a playground for adults. People bending, twisting and even using treadmill devices alongside wizened old men playing majong and ping pong. The sight of an older man, his wheelchair parked beside him, using a stretching apparatus was very moving. It was the first time I had seen local people engaged in recreational activities. Their work week is 6 days long -- if they are lucky.

The winds turned bitter and hubby only had his windbreaker on so we took a pass on the stroll of the downtown markets and shops and tried to hail a cab to go for dinner. Our Chinese host is a bundle of happy energy about his culture and country and has delighted in surprising us with his choice of meals. He refused to divulge even the teeniest of details until the food is laid out before us. Occasionally he consults with, "do you like mutton or beef?". We all agreed that because hubby hadn't had any sleep that we should keep the evening brief. So after 20 minutes of not being able to hail a cab in rush hour, frustration began to seep into his good nature. Suddenly one of those odd little vehicles - motorcycle covered with a tiny cab and a few extra rear wheels - pulled up and the driver started yelling that there would be no taxis for hours. We all exchanged dubious looks and then piled in, hubby centering himself on the bench seat to balance the load. Our host kept apologising and hubby told him not to worry ... if we lived to tell the tale, it would be a good one. Needless to say the drive was harrowing; our driver honked vigorously and even drove up onto a sidewalk and sped along that way for a full block - trusting pedestrians to clear out of the way. In another instance he pulled out of the four lane traffic and used the oncoming traffic lane and again, honked and yelled, forcing the oncoming cars to veer out of our way.

We ended the evening with a traditional meal - for which our host said had no English name equivalent - that consisted of breaking up noodles cakes into a bowl and pouring broth, meat, vegetables and glass noodles over top. He also ordered us appetizers of sliced mushroom salad (a refreshing vinegary taste with rubbery texture)and cold Schezuan beef in a thick spicy oil topped with peanuts and chilies. The problem I have with the meat is that "beef" can mean any part of the "beef", if you catch my drift. Just as the chicken in the soup comes fully clothed in bone and skin. I struggle with that aspect of the meals and suddenly the tofu starts to look tantalizing!

It has been a good day in Xi'An. Stay tuned for future posts on "squatter vs. toilet", signs of the times, and "right of way".

Typical design

Festival time on the City Wall

Game on! 

Exercising in the parkette

Taxi alternative

Cold Szechuan beef topped with peanuts

Mushroom salad

Pickled garlic, chili sauce and cilantro to garnish

Noodle cakes

Supper time!

Hotel Musings and Rants

Team in training

I am sitting here accessing all of the guilty pleasure Internet sites I want through hubby's proxy server, as he trains his Chinese team. While I was waiting for the connection I tried every site that I frequent to no avail - Pinterest, Twitter, blogs, Google +, Gmail, Hotmail and even some news sites. That's why I was surprised yesterday when I was able to reach Kidlet on Skype.

We are not loving our hotel; it is actually pretty dreadful - which translates into comical. The door of the bathroom barely clears the toilet (so thankful for the western toilet) and the counter so you have to bend like a pretzel just to get in behind the door to close it. If I continue on my current path of snack food (that I brought along), me and the bathroom might soon not be a good fit.

The beds are three quarter width and as "firm" as a slab of rock. There is no box-spring, just a low wooden frame mounted with a vintage coiled mattress. I found an extra down duvet in the closet and used it as a mattress  topper to help soften the impact. Hubby insisted he didn't need it (but I think he has since changed his mind) but his bed is worse -- and very musical. Whenever he rolled in a certain direction, a loose spring in the bed would vibrate like a guitar string - I think in the key of G. I actually laughed out loud in the middle of the night. It all struck me as surreal.

The bathroom door is a little thin and lacking in privacy so when hubby heads in there, I pump up the volume on my favourite Chinese soap opera that features a female Kung Fu fighter. That all wouldn't be so back except for the window in our room that doesn't quite shut and the traffic below that honks and hums all night long. Ther is a steady stream of cold from the window and when the indoor cigarette smoke coming from the vents got more than I could take, and I opened it wider for some fresh air - it turned out to be "not fresher".

I took a shower and washed my hair and headed down to the lobby suit store (yup) to buy a bottle of local water to use for brushing my teeth. On the way back up I waited for  the elevator door to open and a guy walked out, butting his cigarette just outside the door. Needless to say I smelled like a tart from the local honky tonk by the time I got back to my room.

And to top it all off -- there is no way to chill my Pinot Grigio as the hotel doesn't have an ice machine.
That being said,  these experiences are all a part of international travel - eating new and different foods and sleeping in beds built for smaller people. In my experience, it is the challenges and uncomfortable moments that make the best stories and lasting memories - and that is my mantra of encouragement to hubby.

The evil side of me watches in amusement as hubby attempts to navigate the breakfast buffet. And so it goes.

We are making the most of our China adventure and tomorrow we will be visiting the old part of Xi'An - a welcomed relief from the new city full of technology parks. I'll keep you posted.

Hubby's breakfast of rice and eggs and steamed bread.

Remnants from my breakfast of sweet potato, egg, sausage and toast.

Trying to Breathe Easy

UPDATED POST

We flew from Beijing to Xi'An this morning and settled into our non-touristy hotel. This means two twin beds, no clock, no fridge/mini bar, a scratchy vintage TV that is devoid of CNN or anything else English, and smoking everywhere - even in the elevators. Sadly there is as much pollution here as in Beijing; or maybe not - but I still can't see the sky through the haze. In fact I can't see the buildings across the four-laned road in front of our hotel.

Tonight we had beef hot pot - a very delicious meal that reminded me of fondue. You have a pot of boiling broth and you cook raw vegetables, noodles, beef, shrimp with spices of your own liking. Hubby plopped a carrot into the broth and our Chinese hosts broke into laughter. Apparently the carrot was pickled and meant for eating as a relish. Ditto when I dipped my spoon into the delicious broth and started sipping ... more snickers and laughter at the Canadian eating the cooking broth. Still - bright spot for today.

A few things we haven't seen -- people walking dogs (we've only seen three random dogs so far), joggers, nor wildlife that would be typical in our city - squirrels, birds (only the odd pigeon).

This post will be short as hubby needs to use the proxy connection that I am using to access Blogger, Facebook, Google and Hotmail. The government blocking is very frustrating. I will post more pictures tomorrow.

UPDATE: Here are some food pictures of our night at the" beef hot pot" restaurant.

Dipping sauce of your own creation - pureed beans, chilies, cilantro.

All that remains!

Great Walls of Tire

It was wonderful to awaken completely refreshed this morning after 9 hours of sleep. Hubby and I - after going to sleep without dinner - went for it at the breakfast buffet! I am missing my morning coffee but I am trying to curtail any reason to make more pit stops than I have to.

When I looked out the window of the hotel, I was certain it was raining - it was so dismal and gray. It turns out that  Beijing, unfortunately, always looks this way. It reminds me of a Mad Maxx futuristic world. It was chilly and by the time we got to the Great Wall of China, it was even snowing. OK-- after the climb we did today, my @ss should be tighter than a drum. We climbed like troupers - just stopping to wheeze and gasp occasionally and mostly that was due to the thick polluted air (not possibly because I haven't been to the gym this past month!).

The Wall is even more majestic and astounding up close and personal. As I coaxed my leg up yet another steep step, I couldn't help but wonder at the sheer audacity it took to envision and then build a monument of such magnitude. At first glimpse I felt the same way as I did when I first glimpsed out over the ocean and my grandfather explained that the water extended even beyond my line of sight. They say that every step in the Wall has a body buried beneath it -- the human price of building it. By the time we climbed the highest peak, I almost added my corpse to the list!

We ate a traditional meal of steamed pork dumplings and chicken soup. After the climb everything seemed delicious and the squatter toilets were almost welcoming. Gotta remember to lay off the green tea!

We ended the afternoon at the Olympic Stadium - the Bird's Nest that I saw on TV and remember so well from the opening ceremonies.You have to pay admittance fees everywhere you go - and often (charges continue the closer inside you go).  The place was practically deserted yet they had a full staff accepting tickets, guarding the place, cleaning, dusting (the stadium seats), and running the empty restaurants. The oddest part was the video of the opening ceremonies that played continuously on the large screen to an empty stadium. Did I mention that the actual structure is truly remarkable and beautiful?

After climbing more thousands of steps to explore every square inch of the Bird's Nest, we jaunted across the massive open plaza (from where hundreds of Chinese were apparently evicted for the big O), and explored the Water Cube .It was also equally as impressive - and empty. It makes me wonder how sustainable these buildings are. Hubby's great white bald head is attracting alot of attention. He has been hounded by the hat vendors trying to convince him he would look great in a Chairman Mao look-alike fur hat, but so far, he has resisted.

We decided to take a pass on the offer to go to the market "where all the westerners go" to buy fake designer duds. We have burned through our cash - not realizing that our Canadian credit card would not be widely accepted. I loathe the cheap and cheap looking souvenirs and was happy to retreat to our room instead. So it is with a nice full glass of Pinot Grigio (brought from home in a tacky but convenient tetra pak), a neatly stack of Pringles, and raw cashews, that I post this entry.

Don't get me wrong -- I am appreciating this adventure for all its worth -- I will just be happy to actually see the sky and inhale a deep breathe of air without the residue of pollution and ever-present cigarette smoke.

Nest stop: Xian.

Lots of green tea!

Steamed pork dumplings.

Some chili to mix with the vinegar to spice them up.

Forbidden Experience

It was a long day rooted in the fact that we woke at 4 am and didn’t fall back asleep. Our circadian clocks haven’t reset to Beijing time just yet. We settled on breakfast at the hotel - mainly for the convenience and the assurance that we would be starting off the day with something substantial in our stomachs. I skipped the coffee and tea to reduce pit stops – and by that I mean quite literally, pit stops; I am out of practice using the public squatter toilets but the upside is that my quads are toning up nicely.

BIG and sprawling was the theme today as we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It is hard not to overlay the image of the soul dissenter standing in front of the Chinese tank in Tiananmen Square during the student demonstration; and today, seeing the sheer size of that area gave me added appreciation for the scale of the event. Chairman Mao’s ginormous portrait hangs prominently at one of the Square and the lineup for people to view his glass encased corpse went on forever. The square was full of people posing for pictures, food carts selling corn on the cob and candied crab apples on a stick and vendors selling mock fur military hats, green Communist caps and flags. The Forbidden City was a series of rust and gold ornate buildings and archways - each leading into a large square and lined with living quarters. Only the king and his family lived in the Forbidden City and apparently, all the living he did was within the walls of this elaborate compound as he was forbidden to leave. Now all of those Chinese food restaurants back home that looked like temples make sense.

We hopped in a taxi and drove out to the Summer Palace – a completely artificial resort complete with manmade lake – that one of the last king’s gave his mother for her 60th birthday. Again – the complex semed to go on forever – endless archways and covered corridors – all intricately painted and carved. We climbed the million steps (who was counting??) to the utmost temple –like building at the highest peak to take in the vistas and get a better idea of the size of what I referred to as the king’s cottage. When I go to touristy spots I find my fascination in watching the people around me – how they respond, what they look like … Soon the sun sunk lower in the sky and cast a golden light that translated the wispy tendrils of the willow trees and the elaborate waterfront walkway into some beautiful shot. I am grateful that we have our Chinese friend to negotiate the language and cultural barrier for us, as it has made it easier on some level. On another, we don’t have complete freedom and choice of where we go; he is anxious to show us the highlights and I admit that as we sped past the dingy, crowded back streets of old Beijing today, I yearned to stop and walk these neighbourhoods, and duck into the mostly dark, windowless shops and see what goods they sold. I have little interest in the modern, emerging China that reeks of capitalism and smacks of home; it is almost impossible to get a sense of what working class China experiences.

I am struggling with the constant smell of cigarette smoke and the heavy haze of air pollution. It is making hubby and sick with headaches and slight nausea. We agreed that if we were ever to spend extended time here, we would wear the masks that many wear to filter the particulates out of the air. Our hotel room has an ashtray and the room has trace odour of smoke. All I can say is that the travel sized bottle of Febreeze is coming in very handy!

When we got back to the room at 5 pm and finally relaxed, neither of us could be roused to leave for dinner. We crashed and by 7:15 pm we were turning in for the night. When I got up to brush my teeth (after my cat nap), I summoned enough energy to write this post – but as soon as I am done, I am off to bed! Too early really for us to acclimatize but – I am too tired to care.

Tomorrow we head to the Great Wall. And the adventure will continue.

Battered and Tired in Beijing

We are operating on more than 24 hours without sleep. And in amongst the 6800 miles travelled we have already consumed copious amounts of noodles, brothy soup and everything else they offered on the plane; enjoyed a very late night traditional Beijing dinner with our colleague and his friends and settled into our very touristy hotel. Before turning in for some much needed z's I wanted to post something short. To my surprise (or not) our free Internet does not necessarily mean free access -- Google, Facebook and Hotmail are being selectively blocked. Luckily I am married to a tech wiz and we have a work around.

The size of Beijing is unfathomable to me; the 40 million population of the city exceeds that of my own entire country! First impressions: a crush of people everywhere; towering buildings lit in vibrant colour - purple, pink, neon green; western labels - Tiffany, Calvin Klein, and food chains - Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Starbucks -  screaming into the night. KFC rules here, as does Porsche, Audi and Mercedes.

As we circled the airport there was an unmistakable odour of heavy fuel fumes; this smell intensified when we disembarked and began the hour and half foray into the rush hour traffic to get to our hotel.   The sky is coated in a thick layer of haze -- and how could it be any other way with the sheer volume of vehicles on the road.

I taste-tested pretty much everything this evening -- and enjoyed about half of it. Not a fan of the corn starch like thickener used in the soup and sauces nor the organ meat. But the fish was delicious and the tiny little pork balls weren't bad either. The traditional schnapps (my word) tasted like tequila but we used it for toasting so I was a trouper.

Off to bed as we will be early to rise. We are off to see the tourist sites - Tienanmen Square and the like - but I think we will forego the traditional congee (rice porridge) for a western style breakfast to start the day and then wing it the rest of the day. 

I am a pitiful tourist who can't pronounce "thank you"  xia-xia worth a dang!

Night folks.

China Bound

I'm packed and excited for our trip - despite the expression reflected on my Chinese visa. I am travelling heavier than usual with luggage loaded with gifts of of Nescafe, mini Appleton rums, 5 pairs of red Olympic mittens and  several tetra paks of Pinot Grigio (for me),  winter clothing: boots, scarves, hats and work out gear. I slipped the glass bottles of rum into the shoes. We have cashews, raisins, craisins, granola bars, almonds and even a jar of peanut butter in case the exotic food fare doesn't go over well with hubby.

I didn't tell him but I slipped a set of cutlery in amongst my pj's to carry in my purse just in case the chopsticks don't deliver for him. So now all I have to do is get a good night's sleep and wake up for our great adventure to China. It's a 13.5 hour flight; just enough time to watch a few movies, finish a book, brush my teeth a few times (thankful I got the root canal this week instead of waiting for a crisis), devour a few of those culinary delights the airline serves and maybe catch a few z's. 

So stay tuned for my posts from Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. I predict lots of pictures of food!