HaLong Bay, Vietnam

This is our last few hours in China… Counting Hong Kong, we’ve spent 24 days exploring China.

Hong Kong to Beijing to Xi’an then Jiuzhaigou , Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guilin, Yangshuo… Now we’re on a bullet train ( love these trains!) to Guangzhou in order to catch a flight to HaNoi, Vietnam.

Bobby wrote the previous post ( after Hong Kong and Beijing) while we were on a bullet train to Xi’an, one of China’s most ancient cities and one of the most archeologically rich in the world. Xi’an is home to the remarkable TerraCotta Warriors. The clay sculpted army was unearthed in the last 40 years or so… discovered by a farmer drilling for a well. The Emperor Qin Shi Huang employed artists in a secret project to recreate his army – soldier by soldier, chariot and horses as well.. In battle formation.  Each life size statue was modeled after an actual soldier serving in the Emperors army. Historians believe the Emperor planned this subterranean army Inorder to protect his kingdom in the afterlife. To maintain utmost secrecy, He had every artist who created the warriors killed after the army was completed  It is an astounding  sight – every statue is unique and extremely detailed. The excavation details are equally astounding. Some years following the emperor’s death, his angry subjects heard of this hidden army and were enraged at the extent of the taxes the had Emperor levied on the farmers. When they found the underground vaults containing the near thousands of figures, they destroyed them. Centuries passed. The warriors forgotten. Flash forward.. 1974, the rediscovered TerraCotta Warriors were actually shattered in piles. Archeologists have pieced them together … And continue to do so. Many hundreds of figures are still impacted in earth and await the painstaking excavation.

NEXT STOP -JUIZHAIGOU :

Zach heard from a Chinese friend about a beautiful national park located in Tibetan Valley in western China.

In the morning light, we saw that the village was squeezed tightly between towering mountains. It Turns out our hotel offered an excellent location near the entrance to Juizhaigou National Park. The only entrance. No vehicles except the National Park’s busses were allowed on the roads. Trekking only permitted on the raised wooden paths. No lodging available inside the park.  The valley surrounded by magnificent peaks and dense green forest was no less than spectacular … And China has set it up like an art museum. Visitors can look but not touch. There are uniformed ‘sweepers’ — yes! Just like Disneyland! —that are posted in all scenic locales cleaning up that stray plastic bottle. We Literally couldn’t find a spot to dip our toes in those bluest of blue waters. The established walkways are set up with separating rails. We couldn’t get near a rock to feel it’s cool rugged surface or pause a moment on a mossy fallen tree trunk. The din of 7,000 Chinese tourists drowned out the roaring sounds of the rushing waterfalls. We escaped the mass of other sightseers by hiking a wooden path on the backside of the lakes. China is succeeding in protecting this stunning part of their country,  but I missed the way (like in the US or New Zealand) we can interact with fabulous nature not just file past it.  

SHANGHAI: This sophisticated city is easy to fall in love with! We took a super bullet train from the airport to a central metro station and from there we breezed through a couple of metro stops to our hotel.  Of course, Zach was with us and he is a metro master. Shanghai is teeming with vibrancy. Some of the highest architecturally renown skyscrapers on one side of the river contrast with the elegant World Heritage historical buildings on the other side, known famously as The Bund. Striking in the daylight, but show-stopping at night. The three of us got a really good feel for the city and its neighborhoods on the ‘Hop On Hop Off’ Sightseeing bus.  Many of the cities we’ve visited have these reasonably priced tourist busses… They are double deckers and usually air conditioned with audio guides in the language of your choice. As the bus passes a notable sight the audio is simultaneously explaining it. When there is an area you want to see more up close and personal, just HOP OFF. When you are ready to resume the tour, catch the next bus… Thus HOP ON!  You can do this around a city for 24 to 48 consecutive hours for the one initial price.

Zach left Shanghai for his own adventure in the  Philippines, we stayed in China for another week. It was so special having him with us for those 2 weeks!

On our way south to Guilin, we stopped  in Hangzhou to see the picturesque WestLake with it’s ancient pagodas dotting the lake’s islands and shores. Created in the 8th century, It was described as a place of ‘leisurely charm’. We didn’t find it relaxing at all… It’s another destination where the people from the smog- choked cities migrate in droves on the weekend to a scenic sight with a little natural charm.  Bobby and I got such a kick out of the crowds of Chinese tourists surrounding trees enthralled with the antics of garden-variety squirrels. They were taking videos and snapping pictures galore! Every part of the boardwalk encircling the lake was lined with happy, strolling Chinese tourists. There were amateur singing and dancing performances popping up all along the walkway. One aspect of China I will remember is the people’s love of music and dance. In every area we visited, we came upon city squares and courtyards in the evenings where men and women were ballroom dancing or women of all ages were line dancing to music over a loud speaker. They have a genuine bond with their community.

GUILIN: I liked Guilin immediately. Despite our flight’s 2 hour delay, the hotel driver was patiently waiting for our arrival. It’s a gift when, fresh off a plane, we don’t have to haggle with the taxi drivers or mess with public transportation. The hotel was superb… right across the street from one of Guilin’s signature sights- Elephant Trunk Hill. Plans in Guilin fell together smoothly. We arranged for a guide to take us the 2 hours to Longji Terraced Rice Fields. It turns out our visit to the terraces made my favorite day in China…at least tied with our day at The Great Wall. We left behind the stifling humidity for cool mountain breezes. The air was the purest we’d breathed in China. Our guide asked if we wanted a little hike… So we climbed and climbed – every step the view increased in beauty – to the very top and it was invigorating! Along the hike, we met members of the long- haired tribe. The women born to this tribe do not cut their hair. They have thick,black, gleaming hair reaching past their knees. Even the older women do not show influences of gray. We were told they wash their hair in aged water that has also been used to wash rice. This is a gorgeous sight frequented by tourists, however our guide led us on a trail ‘off the beaten path’ so to speak, and we were blessed with solitude to absorb the wonderful views.