Ok...explanation for the video after the jump...
Another good week here in China! What were we up to?
Weekdays: We celebrate our friend Anu's birthday on Monday at Xiaoran. I have not been to that restaurant since before going to Guangzhou back in mid-April. While good, it seems to be missing something. Perhaps they forgot to include the ingredient of love in their cooking like a mother does. Or the breakfast lady, who makes the best breakfast wraps. More Chinese lessons, and later in the week we go to a Korean BBQ with our coworkers Breanna and Phoebe (or Phoebes). It is delightful, even if a few things don't seem to sit well in my stomach the next day (too much info).
A weekend in Xī'ān
We leave work a bit early on Friday to get to the airport on time. There I enjoy an overpriced (surprise surprise) sandwich. We fly to Xi an (only about 1.5 hours away) where we are picked up from the airport. We go to bed more or less when we get there...we are heading to Mount Hua Shan the next morning, so we need to be well rested.
Saturday:
Waking up far too early, we begin our journey to Mount Hua Shan, which consists of the following. Bus to railway station -> Take 2 hour bus ride to village near Hua Shan -> Take taxi to the entrance to buy tickets -> Take a 20 minute shuttle bus to get to base of the mountain -> Take cable car up to North peak. Very inefficient and obviously set up to cheese as much money out of people as possible. Luckily, we get student discounts, which are half off normal prices. Up over 2000m, it was nonetheless a very warm day. We climb for some time, with prices for water getting much higher as we go up (luckily i bought a big water bottle beforehand). Eventually, we come across an area on the east peak where for a small price, can climb along the side of it, with a spectacular view dropping 1000s of feet below. While safe the entire time with cables, it is nonetheless a bit nerve racking. I enjoy some peanuts afterwards and start asking everyone "Anybody want a peanut?" like Andre the Giant from Princess Bride. No one really seemed to get it, and I was disappointed.
Returning to Xi'an later, we go to the Muslim quarter to eat. Tons of street food around, and no beer. It is a Muslim quarter to be fair.
Sunday:
Another morning of waking up early, and we head to the Terracotta Warriors about an hour away from the railway station in Xi'an. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army gives some information about the warriors. Far less of a cash grab than the mountain, but it does not warrant an overly long stay. Nonetheless, it is a very cool place with a lot of interesting history. We enjoy a lunch after from a place that Lonely Planet recommends. Later, I indulge in a massage. Very relaxing to say the least.
What's up for this week? A weekend in Tianjin, for Iliada's last hoorah before heading back home.
Ok byebye.
Weekdays: We celebrate our friend Anu's birthday on Monday at Xiaoran. I have not been to that restaurant since before going to Guangzhou back in mid-April. While good, it seems to be missing something. Perhaps they forgot to include the ingredient of love in their cooking like a mother does. Or the breakfast lady, who makes the best breakfast wraps. More Chinese lessons, and later in the week we go to a Korean BBQ with our coworkers Breanna and Phoebe (or Phoebes). It is delightful, even if a few things don't seem to sit well in my stomach the next day (too much info).
A weekend in Xī'ān
We leave work a bit early on Friday to get to the airport on time. There I enjoy an overpriced (surprise surprise) sandwich. We fly to Xi an (only about 1.5 hours away) where we are picked up from the airport. We go to bed more or less when we get there...we are heading to Mount Hua Shan the next morning, so we need to be well rested.
Saturday:
Waking up far too early, we begin our journey to Mount Hua Shan, which consists of the following. Bus to railway station -> Take 2 hour bus ride to village near Hua Shan -> Take taxi to the entrance to buy tickets -> Take a 20 minute shuttle bus to get to base of the mountain -> Take cable car up to North peak. Very inefficient and obviously set up to cheese as much money out of people as possible. Luckily, we get student discounts, which are half off normal prices. Up over 2000m, it was nonetheless a very warm day. We climb for some time, with prices for water getting much higher as we go up (luckily i bought a big water bottle beforehand). Eventually, we come across an area on the east peak where for a small price, can climb along the side of it, with a spectacular view dropping 1000s of feet below. While safe the entire time with cables, it is nonetheless a bit nerve racking. I enjoy some peanuts afterwards and start asking everyone "Anybody want a peanut?" like Andre the Giant from Princess Bride. No one really seemed to get it, and I was disappointed.
Returning to Xi'an later, we go to the Muslim quarter to eat. Tons of street food around, and no beer. It is a Muslim quarter to be fair.
Sunday:
Another morning of waking up early, and we head to the Terracotta Warriors about an hour away from the railway station in Xi'an. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army gives some information about the warriors. Far less of a cash grab than the mountain, but it does not warrant an overly long stay. Nonetheless, it is a very cool place with a lot of interesting history. We enjoy a lunch after from a place that Lonely Planet recommends. Later, I indulge in a massage. Very relaxing to say the least.
What's up for this week? A weekend in Tianjin, for Iliada's last hoorah before heading back home.
Ok byebye.
RSS Feed