Homeland China

While we were in Xi'an Sunny reminded us that we could pay a visit and check out the Terracotta Warriors and Soldiers Museum. Surprisingly there are over 7000 life size Terracotta warriors with their horses and it looks like they're lined up for battle. This turned out to be the most expensive tourist site we visited in China so far, but we found it interesting and definitely worth a visit. Unfortunately flash photography was not allowed so we ended up with some pretty crummy pictures.

But annyyywaaayyyss... After spending a couple hours touring the sight we decided to check out the KFC which was walking distance away from us. It was kind of an awkward feeling chowing down on popcorn chicken knowing that we flew thousands of miles to try and escape those westernized things. After seeing the Terracotta warriors we decided to get a little more active and make our way by public transit to Xi'an City Wall to rent a bike and cruise around the wall. The total wall has a distance of 14km but we decided to bike only 1 of those kilometres. Probably not nearly enough to burn off all that bird that we ate earlier; but at least we were able to get a great view of the city from every angle. The uneven brick paths are challenging to bike over but it was for sure a unforgettable experience.

Having had an exhausting day, what better way to wind down then go out on the town. That night, us boys headed down to the Tang Dynasty Dinner Show that played music and dances that originated in the Tang dynasty (which was over 1000 years ago) Lucky for me I decided to purchase the tickets at the hotel beforehand. We paid just under 900Y for 3 tickets. We were placed at a table quite close to the stage, and soon we had all kinds of dumplings served. The food was only ok, but nothing special. If you don't like dumplings then this dinner will not be for you. Overall there was much to do and see in Xi'an. Our experience always seem to be more enjoyable when we're in a smaller and less crowded and cluttered city. Definitely would want to come back for a second visit.

Shanghai, it felt like we were walking in the future. All the buildings were all lit up. It felt like the city that never sleeps. In these few days we stay in Shanghai we visit the local attraction and partied wild. We went to the Oriental Pearl Tower first which was one of the tallest structures in China until 2007. We went to a temple in China; we went to the Shanghai Jade Buddha which is a famous Buddhist temple. The temple was built with two jade Buddha statues craved with whole white jade. The Buddha’s were amazing looking. They were sparkling and crystal-clear white jade, it was a nice and quite atmosphere to get away from the busy city of Shanghai. At night we went to the Bund to have a night view of Shanghai. It is magnificence site of all the various building of different architectural styles. It made it a perfect night scene with the colorful light floating in the river and flashing light on the far side of the river. What made it the best was having our beer in one hand enjoying one of Shanghai’s top ten night views.

Flying into Shanghai was memorable. The neon lights from downtown Shanghai were glittering in the cold night. Shanghai looked like no other city that we visited before. The lights and the futuristic architecture of the buildings really gave us a new outlook on China. As soon as we landed and collected our bags we took a local taxi to our hotel in downtown Shanghai. The taxi driver was very friendly and spoke English quite well… however I’m pretty sure that he screwed us over with his outrageously high prices.

But whatever, we felt like a million bucks in this vibrant metropolis. Since we arrived in the evening and were pretty tired we decided to hit up the bar in the hotel and have a few Tsing Tao’s between each other. Our egos got to the best of us and before we knew it 1 beer turned into 2 beers, and then into 3, and then into 4 and so on. You can tell where this is leading… A very rough and head pounding evening.

Its night and we have our evening to our leisure, so I thought I would update you on what we did yesterday and today. First we all woke up to an awesome misty sunrise in the hilly landscapes. The view is breathtaking, when you move through the gorges it feels so surreal. We had the choice to take a river excursion so we did on the Daning River. The crystal clear waters, bridges, statues and little towns along the river is something I have never seen before it looks almost like this should be in a movie. After docking for the river excursion the tour operator set up a little lunch where we could try authentic Chinese barbecue, this included basic chicken, pork, and lamb but all tasted great. After the excursion we went back to the ship where we had dinner and drinks with the rest of the passengers.

Today, we arrived in Yang Jia Wang, home of the Three Gorges Dam site one of the biggest construction projects that is amazing to see but very controversial. After disembarking the ship in Yichang, we had to catch our flight to Shanghai. The cruise operator had a shuttle which made it easy. Our time was short in Yichang but we had a bit of time to explore the airport, this airport I must say is pretty cool, the architecture is amazing.

We started our cruise yesterday; the cruise is fun; except Luka doesn’t feel all there he got a bit sea sick. That aside, the ship was smaller but I have to say pretty luxurious. People are friendly and I rather bigger ships to meet more people but the small group allows you to get to know the other passengers more. While travelling on the Yangtze River it’s been an experience, there are many things to see. The landscapes are amazing; the idea of this river being the longest in Asia and the 3rd longest in the world sparks the adventure in your mind. Seeing just parts of this river you could only imagine what else there is in the some 6,418 kilometers of glacier river.

Meals are included and are delicious, although they weren’t anything to special but gave us an insight of Chinese culture. We decided to go on one of the excursions offered through the cruise so we picked Fengdu, also known as China’s ghost city. In Fengdu there are numerous temples with statues all around of ghost and devil like creatures. Fengdu is home of 75 Buddha and Tao temples, most of which on the famous Ming mountain. We will keep you posted on what we do later today! Check out Luka and a few of the statues in Fengdu.