Well I did it! I made the solo weekend trip out to Xi'an to see Huashan and the Terracotta Warriors. The worst trick Murphy played on me was hiding my cheat sheet. All I had to rely for bus numbers and general information was my memory, and my Chinese; it was truly an adventure. I kept a daily journal directed towards my parents which is how I will be posting this trip, and with my Papa's pack, they never truly felt that far away. My trip it isn't over yet. Right now I am on a lay over in Beijing, waiting at LTL for my overnight train to Shanghai ... and I haven't showered in four days!
 |
| Papa's trusty pack making the trip with me. |
I had originally planned this trip with a friend, but she backed out on the hope that she could make Tibet. I gave up on the idea of getting to Tibet this fall due to the logistical problems involved with getting around Chinese bureaucracy. And with all of the other destinations China has to offer, I can bide my time and wait till Spring while my friend could not. Despite this initial glitch I still decided to go ahead and make the trip myself. A true test of my Chinese and ability to survive in China. LTL is even going to Xi'an next weekend, however their trip does not include Huashan on the itinerary, and costs 2450 kuai. Since Huashan and the Terracotta Warriors are all I really want to see with the possibility of the City Wall of Xi'an and the Forest of Steles; the cost was just not worth the convenience.
Huashan is called the most precipitous mountain under heaven, and is the highest of the five Holy Taoist Mountains. Its five peaks, named for the four directions and center, from a distance resemble a lotus flower. Or for those of us with an American heritage, a baseball diamond with North Peak being Home Plate, Center Peak being the Pitching Mound, West Peak being First Base, South Peak being Second Base, and East Peak being Third Base. (Go Cards!) There are four or five common ways to scale the mountain.
 |
| Map of Huashan |
- A switch back walking trail
- Soldier's Way
- North Cable Car
- West Cable Car
- Night climb -- I am uncertain if this uses on of the previous mentioned foot paths or not
Getting to Beijing West Railway was a difficult enough start to my trip. The metro route I had chosen failed to inform me that my transfer was not yet open, requiring a six station and two transfer detour to make it. Once there it got even more confusing. All of the signs say exit, but none said station entrance. You have to exit the station proper only to re-enter through a ticket check point and security. A radically different situation than just about any I have seen in Europe or the US where your ticket is either checked at boarding or on the train itself. Once again, the reason behind this becomes apparent when you enter the terminal hall. Two stories of restaurants, quickie marts, fruit stands, and book stores broken only by waiting hall entrances. Each waiting hall is self contained, and there had to be 2,000 or more people in mine -- or so it seemed with no empty chair or floor space to bee seen. You can also image the amount of hawkers that would congregate here making even more chaos if they could, and you are thankful for the Chinese Way of doing things. I grabbed some McD's and a few snacks before making my way back to Waiting Room 7. I chose a spot up against a sign that directly faced my boarding gate across the hall and settled in for a good wait.
They aim to get the train boarded and moving in 30 minutes which looking at the number of people it seems impossible, but that is what happened. While I was waiting the gate directly to my right stopped boarding, and the next train appeared. Boarding would commence in two hours, but almost as soon as it was posted people were staking out floor space directly in front. They turned their suitcases into tables for instant noodles and sat on newspapers calmly chatting to each other. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say the majority of the rush comes from those not in the sleepers who want to get a prime seat. I have heard - though never seen - train cars where are seating and standing tickets in addition to the hard and soft sleeper tickets on the overnight trains. In Europe, there may be sitting over night trains, but usually only crazy students take them to save money, not families. Usually these trains didn't fill up and we could turn our benches into sleepers or take over a whole cabin and sleep on each other. Never have I heard of anyone buying a standing ticket anywhere but China.
I am taking a hard sleeper out to Xi'an and a soft sleeper back to Beijing. I have heard mixed reviews about the quality difference between the two and weather it is really worth the money or not. The hard sleeper has open air cabins - no doors to separate them from the hall way. Each cabin has six beds with a small table at each end. I have the bottom berth, most coveted because it has under bed storage and you can use it as a bench during the waking hours. The family holding the three berths across are grandparents, their daughter, and granddaughter. She may be cute, especially when she stuck the chicken foot in her mouth, but she constantly makes noise -- and later decided that since her mother had taken off her diaper, it was the perfect time to poop. Persona non grate right there.
One cute anecdote before I sign off. On the metro getting to the train station one of the beggar boys who sells maps of Beijing approached me and bowed low his ragged, faded red Minny Mouse backpack sliding forward precariously. He complimented me and asked if I needed a map. I told me that "right now, I go to Xi'an." The look on his face was part intense curiosity and part impatient anxiety. I thing he wanted to stay and ask me more questions, but he had maps to sell and couldn't be distracted. The young Chinese man across me though stared at me for the next two stops as if trying to see the image in one of those 3D puzzles. You get used to the curious stares on the street, but this one made me wonder: "Do you stare because I can speak passable Chinese, or do you stare because I was polite to the beggar child?"
And now faithful reader, a teaser to keep you through:
 |
| Sunset at Huashan |
No comments:
Post a Comment