From a Secret to a Dream Come True: Lanzhou to Xiahe

We awoke this morning to leave our extra expensive, exclusive hotel to catch a taxi to the bus station and make our way to Xiahe (like a j/z sound in front of "shy" and like asking "what?" j/zhy-hu), where the Labrang Monastery waited. After bargaining our taxi down in price, we rode over to Lanzhou South bus station for our 9:30 bus. Upon arrival, we walked up to the station where we were greeted by a man asking if we were heading to Xiahe, which of course we were, and he pointed us in the direction of the “ticket counter,” where he ordered the worker to hand us over 2 tickets to Xiahe for under 100 Yuan. For once, simplicity was on our side.

We had a bit of time to kill before our bus left, so we grabbed some seats in the station to wait. Along with the simplicity, luck allowed us to run into some fellow travelers from San Francisco while waiting for the bus (fellow "Canadians"). Turned out they were also heading to Xiahe. After some small talk, we boarded the bus to start the 4 hour journey southwest to Xiahe.

The bus ride was anything from mundane. First off, the route had us going up from 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) through the mountains so that we could reach the 3000 meter (10,000feet) city. Second, we passed along some of the most impressive scenery we had yet to encounter in China. Mountains rose up from all sides of the bus, towering over us as we speedily made out way. I say speedily because our bus driver thought it necessary to use his lead foot and pass anything he could to get us there. This was to be our first encounter with insane bus driving, but that is for later. Finally we made it into Xiahe at about 2:30pm where we were dropped off on the side of the road. The next mission was to find a place to stay.

A mosque in the distance

Shortly after we had been standing there looking confused and lost, our San Francisco friends (Phil and Judy would be their names) and the two of us decided to team up and search out some hotels. After checking out the Overseas Tibetan Hotel (160 Yuan/night), the RedRock Hostel (120 Yuan/night), Tara’s Guesthouse (160 Yuan/night) and the Labrang Hotel (200 Yuan/night), we decided to stay at the Labrang simply for the fact that the rooms had bathrooms and the mattresses were not rock hard.

After throwing our bags in the room, we set out to explore this Tibetan city. And Tibetan it was! I am not just talking about the architecture, or the food, or the people, but EVERYTHING. This was the Tibet we had wanted to go to, but could not because of the permit restrictions and price. Monks were walking down the street in their maroon robes and shaved heads. Kids with dark red cheeks were running on the sidewalks. Women wearing traditional chubas sat outside their stores waiting for customers. Men raced past on their dual-sport motorcycles. All of this was right outside our hotel; not to mention the Labrong Monastery sitting a block away from the hotel as well. This is what we had hoped for, and the Tibet we were looking for was what we found.

After a while of “window” shopping (there are not windows for these stores, merely their merchandise is out on the sidewalks) we searched out some food. Gesar Restaurant (located across from the prayer wheels, next to the Nomad Café) was where we landed. This was a small, two person run restaurant that contained a small room where all guests can enjoy their food. Traditional would barely be able to begin to describe this quaint restaurant. We quickly ordered our 5 dishes, and waited. One by one they came out, and by “one by one” I mean that exactly. Everything was made fresh and in order of when it was written down. So fresh was it, that the beautiful lady running the place went out to grab a cucumber to make our cucumber and garlic plate. After stuffing our faces, talking with the guy also working who spoke perfect English, we made our way back to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow would bring Buddhism and the Labrang Monastery. 

Shh...It's a Secret: Lanzhou ❤s Foreigners

When we went to purchase our train tickets from Xi’an to Lanzhou, we were told the train we requested (a fast, D-train of about 6 hours) was no longer available, so she gave us tickets on a slightly later, slightly longer train. No big deal, 8 hours vs 6 wouldn’t make much of a difference, we figured. Well, we figured wrong. We had opted for seats instead of sleepers, since it was a day train. There were no soft seats, only hard. Hard seats on a train means either 3 seats or 2 seats facing 3 or 2 other seats, which are bolted to another set of seats that are then facing another set of seats. So, basically, you are sitting completely upright, with a very thin bit of padding under you, facing your travel companions.

Peace out crappy train..and fellow travelers

Strength to survive!

Not to mention the lack of luggage storage overhead, so one of our backpacks had to go under the seat, but there is a metal bar in the center of the set of seats, preventing the bag from going fully under the seats, so it was sticking out where our feet should have been. Steve was knee to knee with the Chinese guy across from him. The toilets were the worst we’ve encountered on a train thus far. And, the train was an hour and a half late arriving, and took over 9 hours instead of the 8 hours it was supposed to. All and all, this was the absolute worst transport experience to date. We were so incredibly uncomfortable the entire time.

We luckily knew ahead of time that there was only one hotel in Lanzhou that accepts foreigners, so we asked one of the staff at the Han Tang House in Xi’an to call ahead for us and reserve a room. It's popular chain hotel in China called the Jinjang Inn. It's pretty close to the train station, though easiest just to take a cab. The price of the room reflected the exclusivity: 240Y a night. (We were informed, on the hush hush, that the largest secret military base/training facility in China is located here) But the plus side is that just around the corner from the hotel (out the front doors, take a left, another left at the corner, cross the street—this should be at the cinema—then a right at the first side street you come to) are a couple of great street-food stands. We got some of the best noodle bowls for 7 yuan each! He put lots of fresh veggies in, as well as a bunch of different spices and sauces, and had 2 different types of noodles. It was a fantastic dinner.

Stuffed crust veggie pizza. YUM!

The other good news is that the 500^th Pizza Hut in China is in Lanzhou (but there are no McDonalds), so we had to check it out. Turns out the Chinese have Americans beat when it comes to stuffed crust pizza! I know this is blasphemy, given that I come from the ICT, but...it's true. It was pretty expensive, but we thought we’d splurge since this would probably be our last Western meal for a while.

Other than eating and sleeping, we don’t have much to report about Lanzhou. I’m sure there are things to do, but after a semi busy time in Xi’an, and a horrible train ride, we were ready to do not much of anything for a day. So we gladly rested and headed over to the bus station somewhat early to catch the 9:30am bus to Xiahe (like ‘shy’ but with a ‘z’ zhy-hu).

Came for the Warriors, Stayed for the Mountain: Huashan

The next day, we got up early and made our way to Xi’an North train station to get the 40-minute train to Huashan Mountain. It must be said here that this train station is AMAZING. It is brand new, and boy you can tell it! It is the last stop on the in-progress subway line 2.

***note here that the ticket machines sometimes work and sometimes don’t when it comes to taking bills, so have some 1Y coins on hand if you want to take the subway. Starts at 2Y and if you want to go pretty much from one end to the other, it will cost you 3Y. You can get change from the ticket booths, but the lines can be long, so best to have some on hand so you can use the auto-ticket machines.***

Xi’an North is also the biggest train station in China. It felt more like an airport than a train station when we arrived. Once on the train we could not stop commenting on how nice it was. We were sad that this would be our shortest and cheapest train ride (35Y) probably the whole time we are here.

Which way do we go George, which way do we go?

Good eye Steve. Look out!!

In 40 short minutes, we arrived at Huashan train station and got our rip-off of a taxi ride (30Y, but he started at 40Y) to the west gate to start our climb. After some debate as to whether this was in fact the way we really wanted to go and some help from an English speaking parking attendant, we started our hike around 1pm. We reached the first peak, North Peak, around 4:30pm. After a break, we began making our way to West peak for the sunset.

Made it for sunset

We made it just in time! It was beautiful. As dusk set in, we began our trek towards South Peak. It was dark, the path was unlit, and it was cold when we finally reached what we thought was South Peak and a guesthouse to stay in for the night. They had no beds, but we could sleep in a tent for 100Y (about 35US). No thanks. It was COLD! So we kept going. But we made a wrong turn and ended up not at South peak, but back at the fork in the path from West, to East and South.

The "hotel" by daylight, after a not-so-restful night

After asking another hiker, we found out that South Peak was not safe to be hiking at night, so best to head to East Peak and find shelter for the night, then get up for the sunrise and try for South Peak after the sun was up, so that’s what we did. We got a bunk for 100 yuan p/p at a “hotel” just before East Peak, facing east. Though it wasn’t late when we arrived (maybe 8:30pm) we were so tired from all the hiking of the day, so after some hot water and hot ramen, we turned in just after 9pm so we could wake up at 5am for the sunrise. The mattresses were rock hard though, so though we went to bed early, we didn't get much rest at all and 5am fell harshly upon weary, unrested bodies.

Dawn

We were mislead as to how long the hike would be to get to East Peak from where we were, as well as what time the sun was actually coming up. So between the two miscalculations, we were about 25 mins early to East Peak…which might not sound bad, but with 30mph wind gusts and just barely above freezing temps (ok, maybe it was closer to 40 than 32, but whatever) 25 mins seemed like an eternity! But it was well worth it. We ended up getting a sweet spot, above the assembling masses, so we could very clearly see the sun come up. It was beautiful. I can say, this was my first sunset and sunrise viewing on a mountain peak, back to back.

There it is! We've been waiting for you!!

Well, that was worth it.

Still rising.

The day has fully begun now.

After a bit of a warming up time back in our bunk, we headed out to South Peak, the highest peak. We got some photos, took in what we had just done and seen in the last 20 hours, and then we began our decent. It only took about an hour or so to get to North Peak from South Peak, but our legs were shot and we were tired, so we opted for the cable car down. Then it was back to the train station and on our way to Xi’an. Needless to say, we slept really well that night! Which was good because the next morning brought with it yet another train, this time to Lanzhou. We weren’t quite ready to leave Xi’an, but this train would mean that we would officially be on the Silk Road; a very exciting prospect.

At the top--South Peak

Gold locks & Red cloth strips for good luck

Made it! The highest peak--South Peak

Gold locks for sale

Special tree tied with red cloth for luck

Another tree growing out of the rock

To sum up Xi’an I would have to say, what we came there for was the Terra Cotta Warriors. What we found was a beautiful mountain hike and a lovely city, much slower and kinder than Beijing was for us. The mountain topped the Warriors, and even the Great Wall in beauty and awe-inspiring effect, hands down, making Xi’an and Huashan, our highlights of the trip thus far.

20Hrs to Xi'an for the Warriors and...

"this is why it takes 20hrs..." stopped for an HOUR here.

We love this 20hr train!

Are we going? Nope, optical illusion: just another train flying by.

The 20-hour, overnight train was surprisingly not horrible at all. We sat at the tiny table in the fold-down chairs for a few hours, looking at the scenery and talking, and then after it had gotten dark, we retired to our bunks and eventually fell asleep. We have decided it’s better to go to sleep when everyone else does (around 10pm) because if we stay up later, it makes the morning difficult and frustrating since they all then wake up and start bustling about around 6am. But with earplugs or headphones in, we managed to scrape out a few more hours of sleep before we had to wake up. Shortly there after, we arrived in Xi’an.

Happy to be in our room complete with soft, comfy bed(s)

The directions to the hotel we’d booked were easy enough—get on the 603, three stops, then get off and…I leave the rest off because on the bus we met a couple staying at the same place (Han Tang House) and they said that someone from the hotel was coming to the stop to meet them, so we just waited with them. All the reviews we read about the place were spot on. The beds were amazingly comfortable, the staff is beyond helpful, and the food is delicious, but expensive, so best to find somewhere else to eat. Plus, all their food is Western. 

There is a woman across the street that has fantastic and cheap (5Y) pork stuffed steamed buns, as well as veg stuffed steamed buns (2.5Y) and sometimes some noodles (4-5Y). There’s also a little coffee stand at the opposite end of the block (Missy Milk) that has pretty good coffee for 5 or 6Y. She doesn’t open early in the morning, but is open till around 11ish at night if you need a night fix.

In the Muslim Quarter, just takin it all in

We didn’t feel up to tackling the Terra Cotta Warriors the day after arriving, so we just hung out and tried to figure out the coming days and how to go about getting done whatever it was we might want to accomplish. We also visited the Muslim Quarter for dinner that night.

This isn't far from the ticket area...

The next day we got up early to head to the buses for the Warriors. Easy enough, take the 603 (2Y) from near our hotel to the train/bus station, then look for the 306 to the Warriors. There were no 306 buses, but there were (5)306 buses. We just missed one and the next didn’t look to be leaving any time soon, so we kept walking along the row of buses and not too long later a woman scooped us up onto a green us with Terra Cotta Warriors written on the front and sides. This bus cost 8Y. It got us there in about an hour. Then we got the student discount (half price) on the 150Y tickets to enter the museum. With the 8Y green bus ride back, we spent 96Y. The prearranged tours were around 268Y p/p. Also, there is a 5Y car you can take to the entrance of the museum, but you don’t HAVE to. You can walk around the ticket area and then towards the entrance. Just walk back the same way you came in and then turn right once you’re out of the ticketing area.

But here's why I REALLY took the picture :)

After entering the “park” there are multiple buildings. One museum for the artifacts that were removed and preserved, one that is the history of the museum, and three pits with soldiers and horses in them. Pit 1 is the most impressive, with lines and rows of warriors standing at attention interspersed with horses also at the ready. Pit 2, known as the Command Center, was much smaller in size, but still impressive with the warriors uncovered beneath you. This is the pit that I left my mark in. Let’s just say that I will more carefully secure my belongings from now on thanks to that experience. And Pit 3 was the least excavated pit, but was oddly my favorite. I felt it gave visitors a greater picture of just where these soldiers came from, buried beneath meters of clay and dirt, in their eternal resting place, to guard the Emperor for all of time.

It took us about 90 mins, without a guide, to go through all the buildings. We arrived at about 10am and by 11:30am the place was swarming with visitors. So go as early as you can so you don’t have to push and shove to get in to see them.

They're pretty big, that's for sure!

Layin down on the job. "I quit. You try doing this for eternity."

Shit son. We got a water bottle down, we got a water bottle down!!

Yeah, that blue spec is mine. My little mark in the Command Center pit. 

Pit no.3

Sightseeing in Beijing: Walls, Temples, & Streets

All the interesting stuff happened once we met up with our friend Karen and her son Joe. We joined them on their touring extravaganza in and around Beijing, which was both fantastic and exhausting! In the span of 3 days we saw 7 major sites. That’s a lot for us!

Gate to the grounds of the Tombs

The grounds

Photo-op with the weeping willows

Mao-ing around (Photo to the left is Mao in that same spot)

We started the touring off with the Ming Tombs: the tombs of 13 of the 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. We found the grounds and statues, as well as the factual information that our tour guide Grace was giving us, to be the best parts of the Tombs. Most everything had been destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, so everything we were seeing was a replica or rebuilt. Going down into the tomb was also interesting, just to see how deep it was originally dug. There were 2 separate entrance fees (30 & 40Y I'm pretty sure) to get into the grounds, then into the tomb itself.

From the tombs we headed up into the mountains and had lunch at a small fishing village. It was one of the most delicious meals we ate thus far in China. After stuffing ourselves full, we had about 20 minutes until we reached the entrance to go up to the Mutianyu (Moo-tea-on-you) section of the Great Wall. 

The Wall from the chairlift

There were 3 options to go up and 2 options to come down: cable car (70Y?), chairlift (40Y?), or hike (probably not free though) and then luge (30Y) or walk down (free). The hike would have taken about 2 hours, while the chairlift was cheaper than the cable car, less crowded, and much faster than the hike, so we took that. From there, we broke to the right on the Wall because there was far fewer people that direction. We spent almost 2 hours hiking to the farthest point we could and taking pictures, then heading back to where we got the luge down. If it hadn’t been for the slow people in front of us, the ride would have been a blast, but it was still a good time nonetheless. At this point in our journey, the walking at the tombs and the steps and walking on the Wall was the most exertion we’d had in months, so we were beat by the end of the day!

Me, Steve, Karen, Joe, & Grace (our tour guide)

We decided to skip the tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City the next morning for many reasons, but mostly because we just really weren’t that interested in seeing it, and we needed a break from being charged for EVERYthing we do and see. So after lunch, we met back up with Karen and Joe and headed to the Summer Palace (30Y). This was a palace built in honor of one of the emperor’s mother’s for her birthday, then later became the summer home of the Dragon Lady, the puppeteer to one of the very young emperors. It was big and impressive, but only truly interesting because we had Grace giving us information about the different people who lived there and why. We spent a little over an hour there, but if not for Grace, it would have gotten a quick walk through and been brushed off. We took a dragon boat (15Y) down the man-made river to where the driver was waiting for us, and then we were off to drive by the Olympic Park (the Bird’s Nest and the Swimming Cube).

The next day was the last day in Beijing for the group, so we made it count! We got up early and headed to Jingshan Park (10Y) on a man-made hilltop from the clay that came out of the moat around the Forbidden City. Since it’s on a hilltop, you can look into the City and see all the buildings and passageways. It wasn’t a very clear day, unfortunately, so we couldn’t see very far into Beijing itself from the hill.

The Temple of Heaven 

From the park we caught a taxi to the Temple of Heaven. We bought a 4-part ticket (40Y) to get into the park and then all the sites within the gates of the park. We all agreed that it was pretty and neat, but would have been much more fulfilling and interesting if we’d had Grace with us. Given that we had no background on any of the structures we were looking at, we moved through the park pretty quickly. Then we were off to Loulichang (how with an ‘L’-lee-chang) street, that we had read was a really interesting place to walk around and we were hoping to find lunch there. Unfortunately, there were no places to eat and just a lot of repetition of brush/calligraphy shops interspersed with some “antique” stores. We didn’t even go into any of the shops, just kept wandering for food.

After scoring another really delicious meal, we decided to head to a street we had visited the first night back in Beijing called Old Pipe Street (well, that’s the English translation anyway). The street itself is shaped like a pipe, and it used to be the area of town that sold pipes and smoking tobacco, which now only a few shops of such remain. This area is on a lake and also has many little hutongs surrounding it. The walk through the actual Pipe Street is nice, but everything around it is enjoyable as well. The restaurants cater to Westerners with a lot more Western food and higher prices to match, so might be best to eat somewhere else and just enjoy it for a stroll. It’s also teeming with rickshaws and bicycles built for one, two, and even three people, so watch your step, or you might get run over during peak hours (around lunch and dinner times +/- an hour on each side). This is one of the areas they like to do rickshaw tours of the hutongs. You can easily walk it and get as much out of it.

This marked the end of our sightseeing extravaganza tour of Beijing. This also meant another goodbye, our most difficult goodbye for China (though it would have originally been a Korean goodbye). We said our farewells to Karen, then Joe came for dinner with us and it was then time to say goodbye to him as well. And then there were two. And we were beat! So we turned in to get rested and ready what was to come the next day: our longest train thus far—20 hours!