Dim Sum in the noble Beijing Jockey Club - Thank you Sid & Claudia! / Dim Sum im noblen Pekinger Jockey Club - Vielen Dank Syd&Claudia!
Friends from University days.... Mishell & Sid / Freunde aus Universitäts-Zeiten....Mishell &Sid
Their very cute daughter Caitlin / Ihre süsse Tochter Caitlin
After lunch we went separate ways: Mishell went to an art exhibition where she met up with Adlyn again and Pasci went to the hairdresser where he got a decent haircut to be prepared for the travels. The train to Xi'an was scheduled for 22.00pm, so we made it to the station at about 20.45. Since we both did not really know what to expect at the Beijing East train station!
Crazy traffic outside the Beijing east train station! / Verrückter Verkehr in der nähe des Pekinger Ost-Bahnhofs
Can we fit all our luggage in our compartment??! / Können wir unser ganzes Gepäck in unserem Abteil unterbringen??!
The train was fully booked - there were only soft sleeper on this train / Der Zug war voll - es hatte nur 'weiche Betten' in diesem Zug
Crazy traffic outside the Beijing east train station! / Verrückter Verkehr in der nähe des Pekinger Ost-Bahnhofs
To get into the train station one has to present the ticket a first time and put the bags through a scanner. The waiting hall was, as expected, packed with people. After a short wait (and showing the ticket the 2nd time) we were allowed to go to the train. To enter the train, one has to present the ticket again - very strict security here!
We were positively surprised by the spaciousness and comfort of our cabin (soft sleeper). Unfortunately sleeping there was a different challenge - the train was fine, very modern and not too much noise or shaking. But our downstairs neighbours were a bit more distracting. The uncle kept snoring the whole night! *AAaaarrrgh*
Can we fit all our luggage in our compartment??! / Können wir unser ganzes Gepäck in unserem Abteil unterbringen??!
The train was fully booked - there were only soft sleeper on this train / Der Zug war voll - es hatte nur 'weiche Betten' in diesem Zug Hopefully we can sleep o.k. here.....we got a beer that should help us falling asleep! / Hoffentlich können wir gut schlafen.....wir haben je ein Bier gekauft, um gut einzuschlafen!
The luggage space was tight....but everything fit! / Der Gepäckstauraum war knapp, aber alles hat gepasst!
Hmmmmm......."seems to be comfy" / Hmmmmm......"macht einen gemütlichen Eindruck"
Eeeeeeeaaaaaawwwwwww......only squat toiletts on this train! / EEEEeeeeaaaawwww....nur Chinesische Toiletten in diesem Zug!
Surprisingly very modern and comfortable train / Überraschenderweise ein sehr moderner und komfortabler Zug
The bathroom / Das Badezimmer
We both had the upstairs beds....they are even a few kuai cheaper! / Wir hatten beide die oberen Betten....die sind sogar einige Kuai günstiger!
The weather in Xi'an was not very welcoming - RAIN! It was raining down quite hard and the stream of people was pouring out of the station and we were following them....until we realized that where they go there is no taxi. So we made another round in the rain back to the exit of the station where we finally found the taxi stand.
There was a long que for the taxis...but we eventually managed to get one that took us straight to our hotel. Having checked-in in our room (which had NO windwos) we first had to take a nap to make up for the missing sleep due to the snorring of the old man fellow.
The luggage space was tight....but everything fit! / Der Gepäckstauraum war knapp, aber alles hat gepasst!
Hmmmmm......."seems to be comfy" / Hmmmmm......"macht einen gemütlichen Eindruck"
Eeeeeeeaaaaaawwwwwww......only squat toiletts on this train! / EEEEeeeeaaaawwww....nur Chinesische Toiletten in diesem Zug!
Surprisingly very modern and comfortable train / Überraschenderweise ein sehr moderner und komfortabler Zug
The bathroom / Das Badezimmer
We both had the upstairs beds....they are even a few kuai cheaper! / Wir hatten beide die oberen Betten....die sind sogar einige Kuai günstiger!
The weather in Xi'an was not very welcoming - RAIN! It was raining down quite hard and the stream of people was pouring out of the station and we were following them....until we realized that where they go there is no taxi. So we made another round in the rain back to the exit of the station where we finally found the taxi stand.There was a long que for the taxis...but we eventually managed to get one that took us straight to our hotel. Having checked-in in our room (which had NO windwos) we first had to take a nap to make up for the missing sleep due to the snorring of the old man fellow.
Our hotel room with no windows.... / Unser Hotelzimmer ohne Fenster....
There is no window behind that curtain! / Es hat kein Fenster hinter diesem Vorhang!
At about 14.00 we woke up again, took a shower and finally hit the streets of Xi'an. We had three days allocated to Xi'an which is fair but quite ambitious since Xi'an itself has a lot to offer (e.g. Muslim Quarter, Pagodas, City Walls etc.) and around Xi'an are some of the most spectacular and essential sights in China, such as the Terracotta Warriors and the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi.
There is no window behind that curtain! / Es hat kein Fenster hinter diesem Vorhang!
At about 14.00 we woke up again, took a shower and finally hit the streets of Xi'an. We had three days allocated to Xi'an which is fair but quite ambitious since Xi'an itself has a lot to offer (e.g. Muslim Quarter, Pagodas, City Walls etc.) and around Xi'an are some of the most spectacular and essential sights in China, such as the Terracotta Warriors and the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi.We decided again that the best way to discover a new place is by trying its local food. Therefore we went straight to a place recommended in the Lonely Planet which offered the local speciality: 'Yangrou Paomo'.
This soup dish involves crumbling a flat loaf of bread into a bowl (which you have to do yourself) and the adding the noodles, mutton and broth. We as well tried the 'Majiang Liangpi' (cold noodles in sesame sauce). Both dishes were delicious - although the restaurant itself was a bit of a let down and the waitresses a bunch of unmotivated monkeys! And they did not have cold beer (as so often in China)....
Yangrou Paomo: before the noodles, mutton and broth are added one has to crumble the loaf of bread / Hammelfleisch Suppe: Bevor man die Nudeln, Hammel und Suppe hinzufügt, muss man dieses Stück Brot zerbröckeln
Majiang Liangpi - a delicious dish out of cold noodles and sesame sauce / Majiang Liangpi - ein köstliches Gericht aus kalten Nudeln und Sesam Sauce
Still crumbling the loaf....but SOOOO hungry! / Immernoch am zerkleinern des Brots....aber sooooo hungrig!
....the final result! / Das Endresultat!
The restaurant was severely lacking in atmosphere....but most of the restaurants in China do! / Das Restaurant hatte keine Atmosphäre...aber die wenigsten Restaurants in China habe das.
With lunch in our stomach we marched direction to the Muslim quarter which took us past the bell and drum tower of Xi'an. The muslim quarter of Xi'an is a quartier full of stalls that either sell: Kebab, (HUGE) red dattes, roasted nuts, sweets, dried fruits etc.
Mishell's favorite shot of Xi'an: Some dudes playing chess in a wheelchair next to a homeless and 'selling' balloons / Mishell's Lieblingsfoto von Xi'an: Einige Typen am Schach spielen und Luftballon 'verkaufen'
Willkommen in Xi'an!
Every bigger city has its' bell tower / Jede grössere Stadt hat ihren Glocken-Turm
and of course a drum tower / und natürlich einen Trommel-Turm
Arrived at the Muslim quarter / Angekommen im Muslimischen Quartier
Some dessert made of coconut flour / Ein Dessert aus Kokosnuss Mehl
It comes in different flavours / Es gibt verschiedene Geschmacksrichtungen
Pasci was not sure if he likes this one: seasoned with red-dates paste / Pasci war nicht so sicher ob er diese Geschmacksrichtung mag: Rote Datteln
Have you seen such huge dates before? / Hast Du je zuvor solch grosse Datteln gesehen?
The muslim quarter was very crowded / Das Muslimische Viertel war sehr bevölkert
Roasting walnuts / Am Baumnüsse rösten
Fancy some mutton knuckle? / Lust auf Hammel Haxe?
....or rather some bread? / Oder lieber Brot?
This one is another speciality: Red dates 'doughnut' / Dies ist eine weitere Spezialität: Rotte Datteln 'Doughnut'
Mmmmmhhhhh...this one was very nice :) / Mmmmmhhhh...dieses war sehr gut :)
Still crumbling the loaf....but SOOOO hungry! / Immernoch am zerkleinern des Brots....aber sooooo hungrig!
....the final result! / Das Endresultat!
The restaurant was severely lacking in atmosphere....but most of the restaurants in China do! / Das Restaurant hatte keine Atmosphäre...aber die wenigsten Restaurants in China habe das.
With lunch in our stomach we marched direction to the Muslim quarter which took us past the bell and drum tower of Xi'an. The muslim quarter of Xi'an is a quartier full of stalls that either sell: Kebab, (HUGE) red dattes, roasted nuts, sweets, dried fruits etc. We walked around the streets, tried a few things here and there, observed the people and enjoyed the atmosphere of the Muslim Quarter until it got dark.
There were quite a few food stalls in Xi'an / Es hatte viele Essens-Stände in Xi'an
Mishell's favorite shot of Xi'an: Some dudes playing chess in a wheelchair next to a homeless and 'selling' balloons / Mishell's Lieblingsfoto von Xi'an: Einige Typen am Schach spielen und Luftballon 'verkaufen'
Willkommen in Xi'an!
Every bigger city has its' bell tower / Jede grössere Stadt hat ihren Glocken-Turm
and of course a drum tower / und natürlich einen Trommel-Turm
Arrived at the Muslim quarter / Angekommen im Muslimischen Quartier
Some dessert made of coconut flour / Ein Dessert aus Kokosnuss Mehl
It comes in different flavours / Es gibt verschiedene Geschmacksrichtungen
Pasci was not sure if he likes this one: seasoned with red-dates paste / Pasci war nicht so sicher ob er diese Geschmacksrichtung mag: Rote Datteln
Have you seen such huge dates before? / Hast Du je zuvor solch grosse Datteln gesehen?
The muslim quarter was very crowded / Das Muslimische Viertel war sehr bevölkert
Roasting walnuts / Am Baumnüsse rösten
Fancy some mutton knuckle? / Lust auf Hammel Haxe?
....or rather some bread? / Oder lieber Brot?
This one is another speciality: Red dates 'doughnut' / Dies ist eine weitere Spezialität: Rotte Datteln 'Doughnut'
Mmmmmhhhhh...this one was very nice :) / Mmmmmhhhh...dieses war sehr gut :)
One could buy all sorts of food and things to nibble / Man konnte alles Mögliche zum Essen kaufen und sachen zum Knabbern
Cooking with serious fire here / Es wurde auf grosser Flamme gekocht
After trying all these desserts we were not too hungry anymore, so we just went for a quick spicy beef-noodles soup in one of the stalls.
Pasci trying even another dessert! / Pasci versucht noch ein weiteres Dessert!
After trying all these desserts we were not too hungry anymore, so we just went for a quick spicy beef-noodles soup in one of the stalls. Just in the street where our hotel is there was a guy selling boiled veggies with peanut sauce....of course we had to try and make up for the lack of vegetable today!
Boiling our noodles....they were very spicy! / Er ist am Kochen unserer Nudeln....sie waren sehr scharf!
On the way back to the hotel, we saw that the drum tower is very nicly lit / Auf dem Nachhause Weg haben wir gesehen, dass der Trommel-Turm sehr schön beleuchtet ist
To make up for not enough veggies during the day: boiled vegetable with spicy peanut sauce / Um die ungenügende Portion Gemüse durch den Tag zu kompensieren: Gemüse mit scharfer Erdnuss Sauce
The next day we took a bus to the Terracotta Warriors. This subterranean life-size army of thousands has silently stood guard over the seol of China's first unifier, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, for over two millennia. Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife.
The Terracotta Army was discovered by chance in 1974 in the eastern suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province by local farmers drilling a water well 1.5 miles east of Mount Li. Although discovered in 1974 not all of it has been unearthed until today and most likely will not be unearthed anyway.
But...WOW....what you can see there is amazing! Especially when one thinks about that this has been built in BC time!!! The building of the Army and the tomb was longer than the emperors life! CRAZZZY!
An empty stomach is not a good tourist - therefore lunch first! Local handmade noodles with tomato and egg broth, fried vege with dried chili, and ...err..liver.. / Ein leerer Magen macht keinen guten Tourist - darum zuerst Mittagessen! Handgemache Nudeln mit Tomaten und Eier Suppe, gebratene Gemüse mit peperoncini, und...err...Leber!
Constant accompanist on our travels through China: Toilet paper / Konstanter Begleiter auf unseren Reisen durch China: Toiletten Papier
Entrance to the Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors: 90 Rmb per person / Eintritsbillet für das Museum der Terra Cotta Krieger: 90Rmb pro Person
Too lazy to walk - our tour guide talked us into taking the cab instead of walking the 10min / Zu faul zum laufen - unser Tour Führer hat uns überredet den Golfcart zu benützen anstatt die 10min zu laufen
A copy of a horse carriage that was excavated / Eine Kopie einer Pferdekutsche welche ausgegraben wurde
We startet our tour in Pit 2 which has cavalry and infantry units as well as war chariots, and is thought to represent a military guard / Wir haben unsere Tour in Pit 2 gestartet, welche Kavalerie und Infantrie Einheiten sowie Streitwagen hat. Diese representieren die Garde
Kneeling Archer being excavated / Knieender Bogenschütze der ausgegraben wurde
Overview of Pit 2 / Übersicht über Pit 2
Once assembled, intricate features such as facial expressions were added / Nachdem die Figuren zusammengesetzt wurden, wurden ihnen individuelle Gesichtszüge hinzugefügt
The terracotta army figures were manufactured both in workshops by government laborers and also by local craftsmen / Die Terracotta Krieger Statuen wurden in Werkstätten von Staatsangestellten und Handwerkern gefertigt
The terracotta army figures were manufactured both in workshops by government laborers and also by local craftsmen / Die Terracotta Krieger Statuen wurden in Werkstätten von Staatsangestellten und Handwerkern gefertigt
Some bronze statues outside the souvenir shop / Bronze Statuen ausserhalb des Souvenir Shops
Lots of these souvenirs available / Viele dieser Souvenire waren verfügbar
Pit one contains the main army, estimated at 8,000 figures / Pit eins beinhaltet die Hauptarmee, mit geschätzten 8,000 Statuen
The amount of details with which each warrior is equipped (expression, moustache, hair, weapon etc.) is as well very interesting. The sight is split into three 'pits': Pit 3, the smallest pit, contains 72 warriors and horses and is believed to be the army headquarters. Pit 2 contains around 1300 warriors and horses. Pit 1 is the most impressive one, it contains 6000 warriors and horses!! Pit 1 of course is the main force of soldiers including the vanguard.
Lots of these souvenirs available / Viele dieser Souvenire waren verfügbar
Pit one contains the main army, estimated at 8,000 figures / Pit eins beinhaltet die Hauptarmee, mit geschätzten 8,000 Statuen
The amount of details with which each warrior is equipped (expression, moustache, hair, weapon etc.) is as well very interesting. The sight is split into three 'pits': Pit 3, the smallest pit, contains 72 warriors and horses and is believed to be the army headquarters. Pit 2 contains around 1300 warriors and horses. Pit 1 is the most impressive one, it contains 6000 warriors and horses!! Pit 1 of course is the main force of soldiers including the vanguard.The existence of the Terracotta Warriors serves as a testament to the amount of labor and skill involved in their construction / Die Existenz der Terracotta Krieger dient als Beweis für das Ausmass an Arbeit und Geschick die zur Herstellung benötigt waren
Many archeologists believe that there are many pits still waiting to be discovered / Viele Archäologen glauben, dass noch mehr Pits entdeckt werden
Pasci got inspired and reminded of his Swiss army days :) / Pasci war inspiriert und hat sich an seine Zeit in der Schweizer Armee erinnert
Excavations are still ongoing / Die Ausgrabungen sind immernoch im Gange
We only reached back to Xi'an in the evening....time for dinner :) We went to try the Taiwanese Restaurant next to our Hotel. After dinner we were quite knackered of the day and went back to the hotel...to watch some more TV series (Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy).
Many archeologists believe that there are many pits still waiting to be discovered / Viele Archäologen glauben, dass noch mehr Pits entdeckt werden
Pasci got inspired and reminded of his Swiss army days :) / Pasci war inspiriert und hat sich an seine Zeit in der Schweizer Armee erinnert
Excavations are still ongoing / Die Ausgrabungen sind immernoch im Gange
We only reached back to Xi'an in the evening....time for dinner :) We went to try the Taiwanese Restaurant next to our Hotel. After dinner we were quite knackered of the day and went back to the hotel...to watch some more TV series (Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy).Fried noodles with vegetables / Gebratene Nudeln mit Gemüse
Beans with minced meat / Bohnen mit Hackfleisch
Shacha Beef / Shacha (sauce) Rindfleisch
Mishell's eyes were small and tired at the end of the day / Mishell's Augen waren klein und müde am Ende des Tages
The next day we had another tomb on our program: The Tomb of Emperor Jingdi.
The set up of the Pits / Der Aufbau der Pits
This excavation site is very modern - one can walk over glas get a good look on the excavated items / Diese Ausgrabungsstätte ist sehr modern - man kann über Glas laufen und einen guten Eindruck über die Ausgrabnungsstücke erhalten
There were lots of items of the daily life buried in these pits / Es waren viele Gegenstände des täglichen Lebens in diesen Pits vergraben
Instead of man big statues this emperor was accompanied by lots of these so called figurines / Anstatt mit Mannes grosse Statuen, war dieser Kaiser mit diesen so genannten Figruinen vergraben
This is how the pits would have looked like originally / So haben die Pits im Original ausgeschaut
Traditional outfits / Traditionelle Gewänder
We were back in the city around lunch time and therefore enough time to go and explore some of the sights in Xi'an. First the 'Big Goose Pagoda'. Outside which there were some gardening work going on with around 15ppl working in the same lot - Chinese standards!!! :)
Shacha Beef / Shacha (sauce) Rindfleisch
Mishell's eyes were small and tired at the end of the day / Mishell's Augen waren klein und müde am Ende des Tages
The next day we had another tomb on our program: The Tomb of Emperor Jingdi. This tomb, as opposed to the Terracotta Army, is far less touristy and more modern. It is believed that there are in total around 81 burial pits here of which 21 have been excaveted. On some parts one is able to walk on a glass floor over the pits - really cool! One can get a good glimpse on everything that has been burried!
This tomb reveals more about the daily life than the Terracotta Army. One down side about this place is that you have to rent your own driver to get there (no public bus goes here)....
What will this tomb reveal about the life during Han dynasty? / Was wird dieses Grab verraten über das Leben während der Han Dynastie?
The set up of the Pits / Der Aufbau der Pits
This excavation site is very modern - one can walk over glas get a good look on the excavated items / Diese Ausgrabungsstätte ist sehr modern - man kann über Glas laufen und einen guten Eindruck über die Ausgrabnungsstücke erhalten
There were lots of items of the daily life buried in these pits / Es waren viele Gegenstände des täglichen Lebens in diesen Pits vergraben
Instead of man big statues this emperor was accompanied by lots of these so called figurines / Anstatt mit Mannes grosse Statuen, war dieser Kaiser mit diesen so genannten Figruinen vergraben
This is how the pits would have looked like originally / So haben die Pits im Original ausgeschaut
Traditional outfits / Traditionelle Gewänder
We were back in the city around lunch time and therefore enough time to go and explore some of the sights in Xi'an. First the 'Big Goose Pagoda'. Outside which there were some gardening work going on with around 15ppl working in the same lot - Chinese standards!!! :) Our lunch - cold beef noodles / Unser MIttagessen - kalte Rindfleisch Nudeln
Vegetables / Gemüse
....and dumplings / .....und Dumplings
....and dumplings / .....und Dumplings
Chinese standards: 15ppl working in the same flower lot / Chinesische Standards: 15 Leute gärtnern im selben Blumenbeet
The Big Goose Pagoda which is very, very old stands within a Buddhist Temple. Since we were already tired of the amount of sight-seeing we did since arriving in China we took a break and played around with our camera sitting in the park.
The Big Goose Pagoda which is very, very old stands within a Buddhist Temple. Since we were already tired of the amount of sight-seeing we did since arriving in China we took a break and played around with our camera sitting in the park.The big goose pagoda in the background / Die grosse Ganz Pagoda im Hintergrund
How Mishell would look like after face lifting / Wie Mishell nach einem Face lifting aussehen würde
Photoshooting in the park of the temple / Photoshooting im Park des Tempels
How Mishell would look like after face lifting / Wie Mishell nach einem Face lifting aussehen würde
"Beam-me up, Scotty" / "Hochbeamen, Scotty"
From time to time Mishell likes to take a nibble on Pasci's ear! *AUA* / Von Zeit zu Zeit mag Mishell an Pasci's Ohr knabbern
The female version of the famous 'gay-lion' / Die weibliche Version des bekannten 'Schwulen-Löwen'
Lots of wisdom in the temple garden / Viel Weissheit im Garten des Tempels
Mishell the Yoga-master / Mishell die Yoga-Meisterin
Behind the Pagoda is this huge water fountain where there are water shows with lights and music in the evening. But we were not patient enough to wait until then.... :) and we still had some things on our program left.
Behind the big goose pagoda is the largest fountain in Asia / Hinter der Pagoda ist der grösste Wasser Brunnen in Asia
10 days in China....still soooOOOooo much to see! / 10 Tage in China....und immernoch soooOOOooo viel zu sehen!
Eco-friendly police men in China using golf cart! / Die umweltfreundliche Polizei in China benützt elekronische Glof Karts
From the Pagoda we took a cab to the city walls - Xi'an is one of the few towns in China where the old city walls are still standing. We decided against the climb of the wall (which would have cost ridiculous 40 RMB per person) and just kept walking towards city centre.
Very common in China - Taxi drivers behind bars / Sehr normal in China - Taxi Fahrer hinter Gitern
Eco-friendly police men in China using golf cart! / Die umweltfreundliche Polizei in China benützt elekronische Glof Karts
'Behind fences' / 'Hinter Gittern'
Traffic in Xi'an was really mad and very agressive / Es hatte viel Verkehr in Xi'an
Some details taken by Mishell / Einige Detail-Photos von Mishell
On the way there we came across some funky open-air roller-skates disco. Like in the 70ies (I know, we were not born yet - but that's how one imagines the 70ies) the people from all age came there, rented their roller-skates and began skating to some funky disco music! It was worth watching for a while!
On the way there we came across some funky open-air roller-skates disco. Like in the 70ies (I know, we were not born yet - but that's how one imagines the 70ies) the people from all age came there, rented their roller-skates and began skating to some funky disco music! It was worth watching for a while!Open-air roller skates disco / Freiluft Rollschuh-Disco
Check out the girl in green, her pantyhose is above the hot-pants level...very sexy....it took her about 15min to get ready for 10min of skating / Schau das Mädchen in grün, ihre Strumpfhose schaut bei den Hot-pants heraus....sehr sexy....sie brauchte ca. 15min um sich umzuziehen, für 10min Rollschufahren
....there she is again :) / .....da ist sie wieder :)
Tourist market street in Xi'an / Touristenmarkt in Xi'an
With a full stomach, we headed back to the hotel to pack our bags and get ready for the next move!
Tourist market street in Xi'an / Touristenmarkt in Xi'an
Then it was time for dinner. Pasci managed to convince Mishell that it has been too long since his last Pizza and therefore we went to Pizza Hut (which of course is a bad replacement for a real Pizza....but better than nothing man!).
"Where's my Pizza???" / "Wo ist meine Pizza?"
With a full stomach, we headed back to the hotel to pack our bags and get ready for the next move!Next stop: Hangzhou
