Plank walk and clay dudes – Xi’an

Posted on September 19, 2014 by admin

A while ago a blog caught my attention. Someone mentioned Mt. Hua Shan near Xi’an and a path on timber along a cliff. The plank walk or path to heaven. A must do it. Some people around the hostel including Gary I met in Mongolia at the train station were up for it. With the help of the hostel we got private mini bus and there we went. Entering the visitors centre we got a bit shocked about the fees they were charging. 180 yuan for entrance, 40 for the bus to the bottom of the mountain which was quite a bit to go and for cable car usage each way another 80 yuan. They know how to make money out of tourists!

The views were not the best ones on that day but at least it was not raining. Walking from the north peak to the south peak also meant to climb a lot of stairs. The whole mountain is full of them. Narrow and steep staircases up the peaks and down on the other site. Not giving you much space to take over the slow ones which basically meant the Chinese visitors.

Compared to them we were rushing through the not visible scenery. For a few moments the clouds opened up but most of the time it was misty. After less than three hours we found what we were looking for. The plank walk and it seemed like it became more popular. There was even a queue to do it and for sure you had to pay for it. A police officer ensured that everybody got a harness and safety gear before entering the track.

What we didn’t know was that the path was ending at the other way and everybody was coming back the same way. It basically means you walk in a vertical cliff on a narrow piece of wood and have to climb over each other. Kind of fun but at the same time frightening if you see how unexperienced Chinese with no logical thinking handle the gear. Taking both hooks of the cable instead one by one. Or posing with both hooks in the hand for a selfie.
The walk itself was just a few dozen meters and the end was less spectacular. Just a small temple in a cave. On the way back the cloud opened once more and gave us a quick look down the cliff. A whole trekking path like this would be fun but only if there wouldn’t be as many people as at the Mt. Hua Shan.

Perhaps more popular around Xi’an is the nearby terracotta army. An army build of clay to protect the grave of a former emperor. Quite impressing to see how many warriors they build and put in those tunnels. Most of them were destroyed by the damaged arches and also by thieves. There are still some people busy in putting them back together like a huge jigsaw. But thats it, there is not more except the Chinese tourists which are also kind of an attraction.

Another adventure we had back in Chengdu when we wanted to get our sleeper tickets. Once more we had to figure out that train tickets can be sold very quickly. And so we had to figure out that our favourite train was gone by the time we wanted to book it. The only option was to wait for the nightly maintenance cycle which blocks the booking system and frees locked tickets. The next morning we had to be at the station before 7am. Two tickets we got but not mine since I left my passport home. Worrying about not getting it I hurried back to the hostel were I got it booked online with the help of the staff. Chengdu we are coming …

Traveling with the speed of a bullet

Posted on September 15, 2014 by admin

Next on the list was Xi’an with a stopover in the ancient town of Pingyao. To save some time and to see the region during daytime I decided to take one of the new trains. A bullet train. And those beasts are fast. It felt like flying through the rainy and foggy landscapes. No bumps, no vibrations nor any other distortion. Just smooth like a swiss train. The only loud source was the air conditioner and for sure the Chinese people. They shout into the phones, watch movies without earplugs and kids run around. Nothing unusual!

At the time we arrived I was a bit shocked since the station was not as expected in the centre of Pingyao but somewhere in the middle of a corn field! Pingyao? The ‘new’ bullet trains are not yet on the map and the station were built somewhere out of the centre or in the middle of nowhere. When I entered the bus to the city my 50 yuan bill got refused and I had to find some change. While I was doing that some Chinese guy offered me to pay my ticket. Really? I was quite surprised but accepted it. Later on someone else had five tens and wanted to change with my 50, so much help at once I wouldn’t have expected. It took more than 10 minutes to get to the centre and another 20 minutes to walk to the hostel in the ancient part of the city.

Coming from Beijing which is more modern and touristy this place felt much more relaxed. Offering some historical looking buildings with wooden house fronts and traditional interior.

The city shall also have the best preserved city wall of China. Preserved might be the best word since most of it looked like it was recently reconstructed.

After just one night I was back on the high speed rail to keep traveling with the speed of a bullet. The trains and the stations are really modern but there was one thing which surprised me a bit. The Chinese really must love their squad toilets. The only western style bathroom was the one for handicapped passengers.

Sight seeing in Beijing

Posted on September 12, 2014 by admin

Usually I would wait for the best bit till the end but since I started in Beijing the trip to the Great Wall was my first excursion. My roomy and I got coordinates from a french guests. Shall be a partially broken part of the wall with just a little tourism. And if you keep walking on it you end up at the postcard part of the wall. Perfect.

The way there was fairly easy and just took about 90 minutes one way. And after another 45min hike up the hill through the forrest we arrived at this sign. Thats about China, somehow you are not supposed to be here but on the other hand there were little shops at the beginning of the trek, the trek was marked and even at the end is a guy sealing water! Who cares …

First confusion on the wall was in which direction to go. We got told to the left but a local guy told us to the right which made more sense. Confused as we were we started to climb the first tower. Arriving up there we were welcomed by some local teenagers. Looked like they do this exercise everyday as quickly as they were climbing around. The further we went the more difficult it became. Finally we ended up doing rock climbing which was pretty cool. But at this point we were once more wondering why we didn’t get warned about it!
At the time we reached the repaired part of the wall we realised what happened. These people got on this part of the wall at the end of it. For some reason our taxi driver brought us to another location. Now we were sure that we kept moving towards the touristy wall. To our surprise there were not as many people as we expected. To finish the day with some fun we decided to take the ‘Rodellbahn’ to get back down. We weren’t that lucky with the people in front of us, they went slow. Super slow.

Few days later it was time to see the place I almost got scammed before. Back at the forbidden city [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City]. What once was the home of two Chinese dynasties now became a major tourist attraction in Beijing. From top of the nearby hill in the north it looks quiet and peaceful but if you once hit the streets between the walls you won’t be alone again. Tourists everywhere, pushing each other around and standing in front of you.

And the security, takes it easy and has a look around. Business as usual. Thought there would be more non Chinese around such a sight but its hard to sight another white person in China. Chinese tourism is big!

After all the crowds in the centre I decided to see another major tourist attraction of Beijing. The summer palace [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace] which is a bit out of the centre. Since the place spreads around some lakes people have to walk quite a bit for some parts. And since Chinese tend to walk just the minimum they have to was the far site of the lake a calm area.

The bridges over the water channels shall all be different. And after some exemplar it kind of looks like they were trying to optimise some designs. One makes a huge arch which you have to climb to cross the water. Others have small temples on the top. And some are just ‘simple’ designs where people let their kites climb the sky. Some are serious about it!

Near the hostel I stayed was the house of performing art. Kind of a theatre which is only accessible through the underground. On the surface the building is surrounded by a artificial lake which reflects the building amazingly especially during night time.
The thing I missed is the olympic village and the bird nest stadium. There was even the very first Formula-E race around this area just at the day I left Beijing. Nevertheless, Beijing is filled and surrounded by sights which are easy to access by public transportation. However, for a big city it feels like there is not that much to do¨I know, sounds weird but on the paper Beijing looks much bigger than it feels!

First Day in China – Beijing

Posted on September 9, 2014 by admin

After Russia and especially Mongolia the train station in Beijing felt so huge but empty. Coming out of it I found the crowd on the square in front of it. Getting around it I decided to walk instead of taking the subway to my accommodation. On the way there I passed a few sights.

One of them was the Tiananmen square ‘just’ around the corner of the hostel. Every morning and evening they pull the flag up or take it back down which is quite a ceremony. The whole square will be occupied by thousands of Chines.

A roommate and me wanted to visit the forbidden city that afternoon. Unfortunately, we were late. While we were standing in front of the closed entrance and discussing about whats next we got approached by a Chines girl. She offered us to walk a bit and finally to go to a tea house. Not knowing whats happening we followed and went to a nearby place. A coca cola for 30 yuan and tea for 300 yuan. Shall be normal she said. With some common sense we refused the tea and went with coca instead. Finally we also had to pay for 50 yuan service charge. Since we didn’t take any tea she paid for it. Few days later I remembered that the staff pointed out to read something on the white wall. It was about the tea house scam!

Getting A Train Ticket in UlaanBaatar

Posted on September 6, 2014 by admin

So far it was always kind of easy to get a ticket at the station for the next part of the TransSiberian. Not in Ulaanbaatar. First time I went to the international ticket office they told me ‘no ticket’. One week later I could have got some. Later on I found out on the Russian webpage that the sunday train still had space. Not able to book online I went back to the station the day after. Where I got told that I shall come back ‘tomorrow at 3pm’. ‘maniana maniana’ like South America.
For the transit Train from Moscow to Beijing you shall only get tickets the afternoon before departure after the train left Ulan-Ude the last big Russian stop. So I was back at the office on Saturday at 3pm. And at once it was 4pm and office ‘109’ around the corner. Anyway if you asked that girl she sent you back to the counters. We played this game a few times till we sat down and waited till 4pm. Once more I stood up went to the girl at the counter and was sent to ‘109’. Booom… big shock. In front of the office were about 20 people waiting. Lucky us that the girl sent all of us back to the counters so back in front of the line.
Forget nice queues no it doesn’t exist in Mongolia and for sure not in this situation. People were rushing the desk and instead of a line everybody was facing the accountant. Putting his/hers arm through the gap in the window to presents his/hers passport. First all the people which registered got a voucher for a ticket and next all the rest. First she ignored my passport together with another. She picked some local once instead. Had a look at it and refused one, two and more. And there we went, back in the game. Lucky us we got a little paper with seat numbers but the price increased. The day before we got told it shall be 130k MNT and now it shall be 217k MNT.
Three of us were running for an ATM which we finally found nearby. By the time we were back in the office most of the people were gone. They ran out of tickets we were told. Even two backpackers didn’t get one. Bit afraid of our tickets could have been gone since we left the place.
We started to queue again. A Chilean guy in front of us payed 217k MNT but we only got asked for 184.5k to our surprise. A short negotiation with the girl didn’t change anything. Happy but tired from all the stress we left the station and were looking forward for the morning after to catch the train.

The real Mongolia – Horseback ridding

Posted on September 4, 2014 by admin

Ready to leave UB with our 8am bus I got up before 6 in the morning. With the last instruction from the hostel in our pockets we left the hostel and headed to the bus station. Which actually was more like a parking space with some counters and a big mess. We quickly found our Kenwood bus and the first adventure. Artur, the polish guy, got pickpocket after just 10min at the station. Lucky him he felt it and could trace down the guy and managed to get things back. With a bus full of Mongolians and packed with rice bags, containers with liquids and much more we headed to Tsetserleg. The further away UB was the worse the road became.
After nine hours on the bus we were at our destination. After two hours of waiting for the horseman we got to know that we will be picked up by him the day after and got coordinates for our accommodation. The morning after at the mentioned time he showed up with 10 horses. Not really the weather we wished. It was raining all night and it didn’t look like its gonna stop soon. Covered in rain suits we climbed our horses and headed out into the wilderness. The trailer consisted of the horseman and his buddy, the three of us, a carrier horse and 4 spare horses.

Our first stop was around some hot springs. The source was steaming hot and everything else than welcoming for a bath. Since we just started we didn’t feel like we wanted a hot shower. So we headed of to our first gir family somewhere out there. Arriving at the place in the afternoon I wished the horse part would be already over. Having muscle souring and feeling my back as well as my ass.

The family was living a simple live out here producing yoghurt, cheese and other things from yak milk. So simple that it seemed to us they are quite dirty. The gir was occupied by hundreds of flies summing around. Beside that they were really friendly and their hospitality was great. They offered us hard cheese, fresh cheese, yak meat and other Mongolian food. The ending was the vodka made from fermented yak yoghurt. Since I didn’t have any camping gear with me they gave me a spot next to the oven. Didn’t sleep very well and at some point in the night my stomach couldn’t handle the food anymore.

Getting up with a sick stomach I soon figured out I wasn’t the only one in the group. Back on the horses we moved on with two being sick. Living the dirty family behind us and moving to the next place. The morning wasn’t really a pleasure but in the afternoon things went better. We even started to enjoy being on a horse. Although, for some time I was walking and figured out that I go faster than the horses except they were galloping. The family we spent the second night together was totally different. The gir was almost spotless and everything was in place. The man of the house was not around at the arrival just his wife and the two daughters. Where as the older one had to saw wood, bring the horses back and to feed the goats. The younger one was busy in posing for our pictures and taking pictures with my camera.

Somewhen the husband showed up coming back from hunting. Sitting on the motorcycle with the gun on his back and a huge marmot fixed to the bike. Unfortunately not supposed to be our dinner. Anyway I had to refuse tonights dinner. The night was crystal clear so clear that you could see the whole milky way. But also so clear that it was freezing cold. In the morning we got kind of pancakes before we headed out. This time number three of us, the only one trying the cheese the night before, was sick. Meanwhile we got used to the situation being on a horse and could enjoy our ride much more. On the third day we were heading to Olchon valley for camping on a river.

Nice quiet place on the water including some nearby beach and a lot of driftwood for a fire. Getting the first bath after a few days felt so good even if the water was quite cold. Our guide had some noodles and western food with him which we were so thankful. Nevertheless he needed our help to make them. Artur was the only one having a gas cooker even if we were told its all inclusive on the horse trip. Quite funny. Later on I had to help them out with my bin bags to seal things for the night which could have been rainy. I made my own biwi out of bin bags and duck tape. A big fire kept us warm during the evening and since there was nothing to do we went to sleep early.
The ride the day after was a short one. For the last few days till the car pick up we went to the horseman’s family. After about two hours we were already there. I didn’t mind since I kind of head enough after all the days. Happy about getting our own gir we settled for a moment.

Since the ride was very short on that day we were taken on the horses to the nearby waterfalls. Back at our gir we got rice and some vegetable and yak meat for dinner served to our place. It looked like the family didn’t want to spent too much time with guests. The day after we visited the his buddies place going full speed there. Getting some more yak vodka which I had to pretend to sip from it since I couldn’t taste it anymore. The next two nights was nothing to do beside waiting on the pickup. Ready to change our 1hp to NAZ-452.

ByeBye Russia

Posted on August 18, 2014 by admin

Russia its a huge country with so many things to see. From east to west people are quite different. In the west around Moscow they are proud on the country and many people fully support the government and its decisions. If you once crossed the Ural at once you get confronted with questions like ‘Do you like Russia?’ and if you answer with yes they are somehow surprised.
In my opinion people in the east care more about the representation of the country. They want to show you the beautiful place out in the nature just to show you how beautiful it is. And that not all is about the politics in Moscow.

There were a few things I so far only recognised in this country.

Don’t park wrong. Never seen so many towing trucks in cities than in Russia. Sometimes it looks like they rape parking slots!
The Fast and Furious place in Krasnoyarsk was a class for its own
Becoming part of a wedding community in seconds
In Moscow, a barkeeper refilled a liquor bottle from a plastic container
In the east part 50% of the cars are right site controlled. Mixed traffic
Minibuses going like roller coasters through the nature

I really enjoyed my time in this country and hope to see more of it somewhen in the future. Looking back to great moments I could share with great people – locals, friends and random travellers. Going out, discovering a place or just having a talk on the train. I’ll be back 🙂

Siberia’s capital – Novasibirsk

Posted on August 7, 2014 by admin

After a 24 hour train I was ready to stretch my legs and to get fresh air. Although, I had a great time on this train. Met a young electrical engineer from Moscow who barely spoke english and is sent to the far east to built up some transmission lines. To translate our conversation we found a girl from Siberia who was ok to translate the conversation.
And once more I had to say Russians can be crazy! Some of them Travel 6nights and more to Moscow to catch a flight to Europe where they spent 10 nights on a tour. And later on all the way back home. So for 10 nights holiday you spent another 12 nights on a train! I guess you need another holiday just to recover from the train journey.

Novasibirsk is considered to be the capital of Siberia at least since the railway was built. Therefore it is quite an industrial place and like Ekaterinburg more like a typical soviet place. Lots of apartment buildings and concrete all around the centre. But the first thing I realised after I left the station was an accident between an ambulance and a taxi! A second ambulance just approached the scene to pickup the patient. Welcome in Russia, sometimes it feels nobody cares about others!

The city is also home to a really nice Opera house in the centre. And right in front of it is a massive monument of Lenin placed. It might be even my favourite Lenin monument. Nearby its also a really nice park with many trees in it but beside that there was not too much to see.

Everybody might think Russians are in love with Vodka – which is a stupid stereotype – but the truth is they like Kvass. Looks like one of those huge tanks you keep water for cows but in those you will find a non alcoholic bread based drink. Quite popular and you can find them everywhere.

After another two nights I made my way back to the train station to get to the 12h away Krasnoyarsk. As usual I had to queue to get a ticket and as usual it took some time. And for sure there was someone jumping the queue. I also almost ended up to wait longer because of those stupid break times the counters do. Lucky me the girl in front of me and her boyfriend waiting in another line and I could take over her spot. Takes a lot of patience to get a ticket in Russia except you buy it at midnight!

On the TranSib – first stop Kazan

Posted on July 31, 2014 by admin

After 9 days of fun in Saint Petersburg and Moscow it was time to jump on a train to the east. I followed an advice of a local in SPB and chose the train to Kazan. Its the southern branch of the trainsibirian train leaving Moscow.

And thats how such a train from the front looks like. Massive locomotives pulling the 10 to 15 wagons from Moscow all the way to Peking or Vladivostok. And if something is broken the driver will fix it with the suitable tool. This time it was a junction plate.

It was just a 13hour ride to Kazan unfortunately I was not really able to talk to my two compartment fellows. Although, at the time we were approaching the city there were pointing at certain objects. One of them was the Kremlin of Kazan which is quite special. Inside of it is not just an Orthodox church but also a Mosque since the region and this city are the home of the Tatar people.

Since the place has quite a different culture it is a popular city to go for holidays. It shall be the the third best place for living standard inside of Russia. The whole center must have been renovated recently. One of the places I enjoyed most was the square / park in front of the palace of agriculture. Based between the river and the entrance to the palace with its huge tree covering the main hall.

A bit out of the center on the other site of the river a temple of all religions can be found. Not opened yet but you can get the first impression of the weird combination. Buddhism, Islam, Christian as well as orthodox and perhaps some others I didn’t recognised are represented.

Kazan its a nice place for a stopover of one or two nights. Depending on how active you are and what you would like to do. Its easy to get a train back to Moscow or further to Ekaterinburg the capital of the Ural region.

Damn Big City – Moscow

Posted on July 31, 2014 by admin

Just after my arrival I had the first confrontation with the size of this city. It took me about 15 minutes to find the entrance for the subway. The Metro building which was easy to spot only had exits where as the entrances were in the underground. Nevertheless, the usage of the metro was kind of easy and is clearly signed even for foreigners. The only thing I was missing was the big crowd using the underground. As I got explained later on it was holiday time and people left Moscow for a ‘nicer’ place.

Started my Moscow stay with catching up with some people I knew from my stay in Vilnius. Getting told what to see and where to go and was shown around the place. What you can do and what you shouldn’t. Like drinking in public but with that also a hint how to hide it …

During day time we -me and Alex- spent our time walking around and see as much as we could. Moscow is not the highest built city but has some jewels of buildings built during Stalin’s time. The seven sisters in stalinist style. Massive and impressive at the same time. There are seven around in Moscow where as one of them holds parts of the Moscow State University. Others are used by the government and one is for apartments.

Nearby the university a abandoned elevator can be found. Once built to make your way from the metro station up to the level of the university. The site shall have been left behind in 1983 and since then it is falling apart.

But the best known spot might be the Kremlin of Moscow. The place where from the Russia is controlled. Or at least parts of it. The red square behind the city walls is always busy. Even during night time you can find some tourists taking pictures.

Some place are hidden in the underground. The Moscow metro system has some of the nicest stations in the world. Most of them were constructed in a way to be also used as a bunker. For that reason you are actually not supposed to take pictures of them at all … oooops 😡

During my stay the metro was never really packed since it was holiday. Beside all the locals and tourists as well as some police squads seem to use the subway. Seems to be a safe place.

On one of the evenings I was taken by a local friend to this amazing victory monument. It seems to be a place for locals and less for tourists. A huge square leeds towards the imposant column which is in front of the a massive museum. Behind the building is a huge park located inviting locals for inline skating and other sports. From the square with its fountain you get also a great view to different parts of Moscow.

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