Spunkygirl Monologues

When I was going through my things recently I found my lovely green notebook. I love this notebook. I have everything in it from recipes to trip planning. In fact it’s not even half full (I keep misplacing it!) so it’s the same book I’ll be using for New York City and my road-trip in August. Anyway, back to the title of this post!

As I flipped through the pages of my notebook, I thought it would be fun to do a post on my notes from China and pair them with some photos. The excerpts below are typed as they were written back in 2008.

** Note: I had to stop myself from making corrections and sticking to what I actually wrote.

April 6, 2008
A bit of a sensory overload today. The smog and dust are starting to effect my lungs. The flight was good, but very long! I decided to take a taxi from the airport, rather than the subway.
The airport is a fair way from Central Beijing. Upon my arrival at the hostel I was told I didn’t have a reservation, when I know I booked one! However, they were able to squeeze me in. I’m staying in the courtyard of the Far East Youth Hostel.
The hostel is nestled in the narrow streets of what I assume is old Beijing. After settling in I grabbed my camera and went for a walk. I thought I was walking to Tiananmen Square, but I now know I was walking in the wrong direction! I managed to wind my way through the streets. The only white person in sight, which leads to a lot of stares. Somehow I found my hostel, which was comforting.
Right now all I want to do is sleep, but I need to stay up a bit longer first. Tomorrow morning I’ve booked a trip to the Great Wall. It seems very promising and leaves at 9 a.m.
My roomies are from Saskatchewan and the bed is hard as a rock! So here’s hoping I can sleep tonight. I need it!
Maybe tomorrow night I’ll go to the Opera.

April 7, 2008
4 a.m.- I slept well enough, although my bed is very hard. I was wide awake and decided to get dressed and get up any way. I was greeted by the musty polluted Beijing air this morning. The air is cool though and very refreshing. I’m still getting use to the idea of being in China. It seems so surreal at the moment. Today I travel to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The trip itself is a bit of a splerg, but I think it’ll be well worth it in the end.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA- MUTIANYU
I now see why its called the Great Wall of China an why it’s a world wonder! It’s breathtaking! The mountains of China, scattered with cherry blossoms in inspiring. I just wish the sky was clear and not so cloudy. The steep path to the cable car was like running the gauntlet! Shopkeepers yelling and following you. I must find another way down to the carpark.
No other way. These people are more pushy than I thought. At ne point a lady blocked my path and I couldn’t go anywhere! It seemed like an eternity. That was the most frustrating walk of my life!
Tonight I go see the Acrobatics. It’s suppose to be fantastic, so we’ll see what happens.

April 8, 2008
Woke up bright and early this morning. I had to check-out because I’ll be taking the overnight train to Xi’an.
I decided to walk to Tiananmen Square as its suppose to be about 20 minutes from the hostel. Going the opposite direction then I normally do, I wandered down the other half of the street that the hostel is on. To my surprise it was a lot interesting (OMG, I seriously wrote ‘a lot interesting’. I need to start writing in pencil and proof-reading my entries!) That being said, I was still the only non-Asian and receiving a lot of stares!
I made my way to what I thought was the right direction to Tiananmen Square. I stood at the corner for 10 minutes, not sure if I was in the right spot before realizing that yes, it was across the street!! Duh!

‘Is it just me, or is it sad when you see a McDonalds, rush through its doors, buy a Big Mac meal and devour it!’

Nothing worse than being in a train station waiting room, being the only non-Asian and having every man staring at you! Oh, wait there is something… traveling ALONE! Maybe I should have taken my vacation in Vancouver.
Tonight is my first experience on an overnight train overseas. I’m in the hard sleepers. Thankfully I have a bottom bunk, I would have never made it to the top one.

April 9, 2008
I really need to find a soft bed to sleep on. All these hard beds are killing my back. I finally woke up at 6 a.m. to watch the scenery roll by. I’m just bummed that I can’t take any pictures as my camera and the dirty windows don’t do them justice.
I love Xi’an so far. My guide, Rosa met me at the train station, free of charge, and drove me to the Nan Fang Hotel. I’m not sure how, but the room rate is 368 RMB per night, but I only paid 360 RMB for 2 nights! My room is absolute heaven! Twin beds with mattresses, TV, washroom with a toilet AND shower!

‘Only in China can you find Sadam Hussein playing cards!’

TANG MUSIC & DANCE SHOW
Housed in the Xi’an Grand Opera House, for 278 RMB you can enjoy dinner and a show! Come hungry because they feed you a lot of food! The usherettes are stunning in their gowns. The opera house was decorated in reds and golds. Absolutely gorgeous!

April 10, 2008
Am seriously in love with my bed and room. I slept so good last night. One more night though. Then I fly to Chengdu and stay in dorms again! I really love China. Its going to be hard to go home. Rosa is great, she’s made this trip even better with all her help.
300RMB for a tour of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Banpo Neolithic Village and the Terra Cotta Warriors was a bit of a rip off. I never should have taken a tour, I should have done it on my own. I really wanted to go to the top of the pagoda, but our guide wouldn’t do it.
I wasn’t thinking that Banpo would be in the city. It was just okay. The Terra Cotta Warriors was fantastic. I was amazed at how many there are. Although I’m not 100% sure of their purpose yet. I must find out.

** A few thoughts on the above excerpts.
1. I was really concerned about beds and way to excited about toilets and showers
2. My grammar needs SERIOUS help!
3. I left a lot out of my journal! When I think back on my trip to the Great Wall, I think of the sweet old man selling dried fruit and nuts, the scenery and the death defying car ride!

Going for dinner in Korea Town- Xi’an, China

When I made my initial plans for China, Xi’an was merely a stopover.  However, I quickly fell in love with this city and discovered many wonderful sights and activities. Here are my Top 5!

1. Terra Cotta Warriors – Dating back to 210 BC, the Terra Cotta Warriors were the brain child of Emporer Qin Shi Huang.  There are 3 different pits at the site, containing roughly 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses and 120 calvary horses.   The one thing that struck me the most during my visit, was that every warrior is different.  It’s an amazing thing.  Although I took a tour, my suggestion is to go alone.  There is a lot to see and having your own space can be a good thing. Admission Y90
2. Big Wild Goose Pagoda- Completed in AD 652 to house the Buddhist sutras brought back from India by the monk Xuan Zang.  The pagoda and surrounding buildings are beautiful.  Unlike some pagodas in China, you can choose to climb to the top of this one for Y20- something I intend to do on my next trip!  Take some time, there is a lot to see and even though it’s a very popular sight, it can still be very peaceful and inviting. Admisson Y25
3. Bell Tower-  (pictured at the top of this post) Originally located 2 blocks west of its current location, the Bell Tower once held a large bell that was rung at dawn each day.  There are musical performances held inside from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.  Entrance to the Bell Tower is located on the north side of the underpass.  The views are wonderful, especially on a clear day and yes, there are clear days in Xi’an when you can actually see a blue sky! Admission Y20
4. Great Mosque- I’ve written posts about my love for the Great Mosque and the experiences I had there with the locals.  It can be a challenge to find, so if you’re directionally challenged, take a map or guidebook with you.  The Mosque is beautiful, old and surprisingly peaceful for being in the centre of the city.  I met the most wonderful locals, I drank the most wonderful jasmine tea and ate some very spicy steamed buns.  Take some time, explore and enjoy the serenity. Admission Y12
5. Tang Dynasty Dinner Theatre- It’s not the cheapest activity, but it’s worth the money, trust me!  The theatre (located outside the city walls) is beyond beautiful, ornamented with lots of red velvet and gold leaf.  The hostesses were beautiful in their gold and white gowns.  Dinner consists of a variety of dumplings, and very filling.  The show was one of the best I’ve seen.  Lots of singing and dancing and gorgeous costumes.  Compared to other shows I saw in China, this one was by far my favourite. Tickets Y410

Xi’an has a lot to offer, and there are some great finds.  I was lucky enough to get to know some locals who turned me on to Korean Town, great shopping and more.  But that’s another post.

If you’re going to China, go to Xi’an.  But don’t rush it.  Take your time and enjoy what this wonderful city has to offer.

2 days after my arrival in Beijing I took a trip to the Great Wall of China at Mutanyu, where I purchased some wonderful dried fruits and yummy nuts from this sweet man.  One of my purchases was brazil nuts- I have no clue what they’re called in China.  When I buy them here in Canada they’re good, but there’s always bad ones in the mix.  The nuts I bought from this man were amazing.  They were fresh and oh so yummy.  I became obsessed.

I looked everywhere for these nuts.  I walked into every shop I saw, looking for brazil nuts and having no clue how to describe them.  In Xi’an I asked a local girl from the hostel I was staying at, she had no clue what I was talking about.  I spent the remainder of my trip looking for these yummy nuts and wishing I had bought more of them from the sweet old man.

Fast forward about 3 weeks. I’m sitting at home in Canada, looking through my photos of my trip to China.  I come across a photo of a huge mound of dried kiwi.  I remember taking this photo in the Islamic Quarter of Xi’an because the colour was so vivid.

Do you see what I saw then?  Right above the Kiwi are bags and bags of you guessed it… Brazil Nuts!  Oh, the cursing I did when I saw those nuts there.  I was so caught up in the colour of the kiwi fruit that I was too blind to see what I had been looking for all along!

Needless to say, when I return to China later this year I’ll be making my way to the Islamic Quarter in Xi’an to buy a whole bunch of Brazil Nuts.