The overnight trip went well in our tiny little smoky smelling sleeper. The population density as you travel is incredible. There was never more than a few minutes between villages. We arrived to a cold and cloudy Beijing, with our new guide and his sign outside our train window. The pollution was nowhere near as bad as we were expecting. The air pollution in Xi’an was much, much worse. The traffic in Beijing was also much less insane than Xi’an.

Our little sleeper.

We’re interesting aren’t we!

Our first stop today was the Emperor’s Summer Palace garden. The history of the last years of the Empire was quite amazing. Seems the Emperor wasn’t the one that held the real power. His mother controlled everybody in the imperial court with an iron fist. When the second last Emperor died at a young age she installed her nephew as the new (and last) emperor.  The revolution of the early 20^th century occurred when she, known as ‘the dragon lady’, lost her grip on the power. I’ll be keen to re-watch the movie ‘The Last Emperor’ now that I can put it all in perspective.

Next stop was a short stop at the 2008 Olympic site. The ‘Birdsnest’ and ‘Watercube’ were both incredible.

Lauren at the Birdsnest.

Lunch was at a family home in the Hutong (Old Alley), transport by rickshaw. The guide explained the strict social class system in old China. The number of beams above the front door indicates your social level, which in turn determines most aspects of your life, including jobs you can do and who you can marry.

Next stop was the hotel for a free afternoon to catch up on postcards, washing, blogs and relaxing with a glass of ‘Great Wall’ Cab Sav.

First up today was a ride around the Xi’an  city wall. The wall is 13.7km long and takes about an hour and a half to ride around, allowing for photo stops. Carol’s undercarriage is still recovering many hours later. Next was the Muslim quarter, which had been recommended by an American couple we were talking to the night before.  This was a tight network of crowded back streets, still very Chinese, but no pork.

A Buddhist temple, the wild goose pagoda was next, which was Lachlan’s replacement for the school excursion to Nan Tien Temple which he is missing while he’s away.

Last stop for the day was a museum, then off to the station to catch our overnight sleeper to Beijing. This was somewhat of a highlight for the kids – very excited – as they haven’t done an overnighter in a train before.

Another early start for an 8am flight to Xi’an (which we finally know is pronounced she-anne).  Upon arrival we were met by our guide and headed off for the 1 hour drive to the Terracotta Warriors. I was expecting the site to be impressive, but nothing really prepares you for the scale of the site. The main pit, Pit 1, where the warriors were first discovered in 1974 measured 230m x 70m. It is still being excavated.

After a fairly thorough look around we headed to the hotel then to dinner – the local specialty, dumplings – and a Tong Dynasty show. Again, spectacular.

We woke to heavy rain and low cloud on the one day when we really didn’t want either. We were heading off on a cruise down the Li River, with its limestone karst scenery. As the boat was departing the rain was bucketing down and visibility was close to zero. As we entered the area of interest the rain stopped, the cloud lifted somewhat and we were left in a magically fairyland of wispy cloud and gigantic formations. Words could never do this place justice, and I doubt my photos will either. With all the recent rain the river was high and flowing quickly. The 4 hour trip took only 3 hours, with the boat going sideways at times, often close, very lose, to rocky cliffs.

In Yang Shou we hired bikes and rode out of the city into the countryside. Rice paddies, market gardens, water buffalo working the fields, and the Hunters on 1950’s vintage bicycles peddling along a country road beside the river, with towering karst formations all around. This was a ‘pinch yourself – is this really happening’ moment.

Next stop was a coffee and ice-cream in a side street bookshop. Once again, it could have been a scene from a movie. While Carol, Kate and James did some shopping, I climbed a nearby formation in search of a geocache – my first in China. At the top, I was talking to an American couple and their guide. The guide had a friend was visiting Australia who had sent him some photos that day. As the guide was showing the Americans the photos I said ‘That looks very similar to where I live’. Next photo was a sign reading “Hyam’s Beach, Jervis Bay”. Small world.

Dinner – best one so far! – then the ‘Impressions’ show, a 600 cast show on water, with a natural backdrop of the karst formations lit up. The show was produced by the same person who designed the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremony. Wow.

On the drive back to Guilin the rain started again. Some days you just get lucky with the weather.

After heavy rain overnight we were a bit worried about the trip to Longshen, a mountainous region with mountains terraced into rice fields, populated by an ethnic minority, the Yau. The Yau women never cut their hair after their 18^th birthday.

The 2 hour drive was in light rain and very low cloud. At several points we had to stop while earthmoving equipment cleared very recent landslides. Near the village of Longshen we began a 4km walk up the mountain, through the village to the top of ‘The Dragon’s Backbone” where we were meant to see a great view over the terraces. We saw cloud. As we descended the mountain we stopped in at a coffee shop – the first we’ve seen in days – for a cappuccino and hot chocolate. It was the type of place you could stay for months while you write a book, paint a picture or simply contemplate the meaning of life.


Next was a great lunch on the mountain (our guide ‘Tina’ is starting to get a feel for the types of dishes we like.) Most of the food prepared for tourists is SOOO bland.

At times the cloud cleared a little and we got a glimpse of what we were missing. But the lack of a view didn’t mean it wasn’t a great day. The people, the village, the colour and food all made it worthwhile.

Dinner was at the hotel – our first western food (except breakfast each day) since leaving home.

 With an 8.30 flight it was up early, breakfast on the run and off to the airport. Upon arrival in Guilin (Goo-lin) it was straight into it. Guilin is a city in the Li (pronounced Lee not Lie) river famous for its limestone karst landscape and formations. Our first stop was a limestone cave system, , which had great limestone decoration in huge caverns. It was lit by coloured lights, similar to how Jenolan Caves were when I first went there in the 1970s. The difference in lighting between here and Australian caves was interesting and speaks volumes about the difference in culture between the two countries.

After lunch we went to a touristy garden on the river bank and to a dance show. Nothing is quiet or peaceful. Even the gardens are busy and noisy. After dinner we went and watched a demonstration of how the ancient fishermen went fishing on the river on their bamboo rafts, using cormorants to catch the fish.

Today was day of contrasts. Old and new, rich and poor, Chinese and European.

The day started with a walk to a local street market that Lachie and I could see from our room. From our 5 star room we could see a shanty town street market. We didn’t see another westerner, and it was obvious from the curious looks that we got that not too many westerners wander through here. Fresh fruit and vegies, meat, live and not so live birds and fish, live frogs, turtles, eels. The smells (good smells) from the ‘food court’ area told us it was time to head back and meat the girls for breakfast. The contrast was amazing.

After we met our guide Zou (Joe) we headed for The Bund, the old British part of town from the early 1900’s. From here the view across the river to the new part of Shanghai was incredible. Only 20 years ago there was nothing on the other side of the river.

Next stop was the Yu Gardens, a 400 year old garden build by a retired army general. This was in the middle of ‘China Town’. Yes, that’s right, Shanghai has a China Town. It’s an area that modern Shanghai people go to see how people used to live in China. While in that area we had lunch of typical Shanghai fare (or so we were told).

After lunch we headed to a silk factory where we were shown the process of making silk. We found out that there are two types of silk cocoon. The small ones contain one caterpillar and are used to make silk thread. The large ones contain two caterpillars and two threads are tangled around each other, so they can’t be spun, so they are used to make doonas. The process of stretching the cocoon to make the doona is incredible. So we bought one.

Nanjing Road, the main street of Shanghai was the last stop. This is a shopper’s delight. One shop we checked out was the government toy shop – 5 stories of kid’s clothes, toys and games. And the Hagan Daas for an ice cream
Dinner was similar to lunch, but a half hour drive from the hotel.

Final observations of Shanghai: Lots of very well kept dogs. Traffic chaos, but it seems to work well. For a city of 22 million plus people, the traffic was always moving. 2013Road markings, pedestrian crossings and even traffic lights seem to mean little, but everybody keeps moving smoothly. The population density is amazing. High rises for as far as you could see in every direction.

The flight: Arrived early at the airport (Thanks Les), had a quick and easy check-in, and a relaxing wait to leave. The flight was uneventful, but seemed long to me, possibly because of one strange thing: even though it was a daytime flight, all the blinds were closed and lights off, making it feel like night.

First impressions:

1. The roads in Shanghai are amazing. There are huge overhead roads everywhere, often 3 or 4 roads looping above and below each other. I guess when a city is growing so quickly, the easiest place to put a road is above everything that was already there.

2. The traffic was light. I was expecting Bangkok style gridlock.

3. The size of the city: From the airport you couldn’t see the city centre. The drive in to the city took 45 minutes, all at freeway speeds. The city seems so spread out.

4. The Maglev train from the airport into the city is the world’s fasted train, travelling at 437km/h. The 45 minute drive would have taken 7 minutes if we caught the train!

5. The hotel room is the best I’ve ever stayed in. Just beautiful.

Lauren (or should I say ‘Kate’ – explanation later) relaxing.