China, Part2

Wednesday: Back in Beijing, setting off for the main tourist attractions: Tiananmen Square, Mao's Masoleum, and the Forbidden City. It was a smoggy day, so we bought some schnazzy masks to protect us from PM2.5 lung damage before heading out.

Glamorous, eh?

Observations:
The Tiananmen Square is huge, and mostly concrete.
The Chairman strikes me as an imposing man, even in his waxy, preserved state.
Starbucks is a great place to hide from the pollution and use a western-style toilet.
The Forbidden City is huge, and impressive, and full of red walls and hidden courtyards that could take hours to properly explore.
WE followed this up with rooftop drinks and a local dining experience that was delicious - lamb on a spit, amazing sides, and cold beer.

Thursday: Great Wall at Mutianyu.
Stretching off into the mist, winding and climbing, broken by square towers.
I'm tired just thinking of the effort it took to build it, snaking along the ridge line as it does.
We don't even have to walk up to it, taking advantage of the cable car.
Gazing into the distance, I'm sure these hills are filled with color at some points of the year, but right now the bleakness and haze give an impression of perpetual gloom... an impression not dispelled by our journey here, through rows of bare trees in all directions, villages in monochrome, and deserted road-side rest areas.
A thorough exploration, waiting for a break in the traffic for the best picture opportunities.
Back down via the alpine slide, wishing for greater speed.

Friday: Last day in the city.
Slow start over coffee and the best breakfast ever, some sort of egg-cilantro crunchy pancake concoction, bought for almost nothing on the street. For the second time in 3 days. (I'd fly back for that pancake).

Temple of heaven.
Sprawling, surrounded by beautiful shady park.

Pearl market: 4 floors of insistent salespeople and almost everything you could want to buy.

Last dinner, crispy duck carved at the table and folded into delicate pancakes.

It was a great trip with some great ladies. But I was happy to return to the clean and breathable Japanese air, and appreciate China's history from afar.

China, Part1

Six women converge in a Beijing hotel. Friends and friends-of-friends. Reunions and first meetings.

Coffee and breakfast before hopping in cabs to PanJiaYuan market, where flea market wares set out on the ground flanked the permanent shops and rows of vendors. Antiques, carvings and old money, Chairman Mao alarm clocks, buddhas, wooden doors, teapots, shiny brass, beads, vases, name stamps, musical instruments, paintings...

A late afternoon wander though a hutong revamped with cafes and shops, before catching the overnight train to Xian (in first-class sleeper cars).

I woke in the morning to a bleak landscape, rocky ravines and dark twisty trees, broken with occasional fluffy white cherry blossoms. Sipping train coffee in paper cups as we roll into Xian.

Xian was a major stop on the Silk Route, and we wasted no time before setting off to explore it's historical sites with Eric, our excellent tour guide.

Exploring the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, before setting off around the old city wall on rented bicycles.

 Into the Muslim quarter. A delicious dumpling lunch, after watching the dumplings being made before our very eyes by three quick-fingered ladies.

A mosque tucked away on the back streets, completely different from any mosque I'd ever seen; a lovely oasis of silence in the city.

Night-time wander back through the Muslim quarter. The main street is bustling, lights twinkle in the trees. Steam rises from noodles and dumplings, street carts hawk meat on sticks and dessert concoctions. Fresh bread, nuts and dried fruit piled in brightly-lit storefronts.

Tuesday: Terracotta Warriors.
So much time and energy, so many lives, for something that was never meant to be seen by living eyes.
The farmer who first made the discovery sometimes sits in the gift shop, signing his name. (And charging extra for photos.)
In the uncovered but un-excavated sections, the chaos is incredible, and there's no question why, after 40 years, only some of the soldiers have been pieced back together and reformed into ranks.
The detail is remarkable, the differences between the faces are striking.

And here are the lovely ladies:

Full set of photos here, if you're so inclined.