Sep 2008

The main street Zhongyang Dajie is a cobbled street that has department stores, boutiques and souvenir shops. This was literally outside our hotel.

Below the street there is also an underground shopping square. It goes for blocks. It is quite amazing and you can easily get twisted around. Not long after we had entered the underground we were followed by two Chinese men. They were finding clothing and shoes for us and negotiating prices for stuff we didn't even want. We tried to lose them on several occasions but to no avail. Eventually we left and went upstairs. I think the underground shopping could have hurt the wallet if we weren't so put off by these two Chinese men.

We had been told that there was plenty to offer in terms of western food in Harbin. Well if there was we couldn't find them!

We found a good Chinese Restaurant - Lao Chang Spring Pancakes. We ordered the pork with coriander and dried hot peppers. The pancakes are flat tortilla like that you stuff with the filling and roll up. Very tasty. Service was exceptionally bad.

We also found the Orient King Dumpling Restaurant. They had an English menu which made it all the more easier to order. The taxi journey here was an event in itself. Firstly the taxi driver couldn't understand what I was trying to say. So then he rang the restaurant to get directions and then he sang Hare Krishna songs all the way. It was a little light entertainment for the night!

We attempted breakfast at SPR which was almost impossible. Everything we asked for they didn't have although it was on the menu. In the end we had coffee and a muffin. The next day we went to McDonald's for breakfast. I can't recall the last time I ate McDonald's.

Shanghai is the largest economic and transportation centre in China. It also enjoys a reputation as a famed historical city in the country. The city is striving to turn itself into the economic, financial, trade and international shipping centres in the world. The 2010 World Expo will be held in Shanghai. The expo will be held along Huangpu River between Lupu Bridge and Nanpu Bridge. Shanghai will become an important travel and exhibition centre in Asia.

Shanghai is real China but perhaps not the "real" China you were hoping to see. To me it is just another big city in another country.

It is hard to believe that 15 million people live in Shanghai. When the total population of Australia is 21M.

Inner Mongolia is a rich and beautiful area in China. There are 49 ethnic groups including the Mongols, Han, Manchu, Daur, Olunchun and Ewenke. The population is 23M. There is 0.88 million square kilometers of grassland in Inner Mongolia.

Inner Mongolia has beautiful lakes and pastures, thick ancient forests, the Gobi Desert as well as a century long history and culture.

The main attraction in Xian is the Terracotta Warriors. I felt to really appreciate this I should do a tour. The morning of my arrival in Xian I went to the China International Travel Service at the Bell Tower Hotel to book a trip. This was also very easy as the agent spoke good English. I booked the eastern tour for the following day.

The tour included The Big Goose Pagoda, Banpo Neolithic Village, Terracotta Warriors Factory, Lunch, Army of Terracotta Warriors, a silk factory all with an English Speaking Guide! The tour was Y350, however I believe it was good value for money. The guide allowed us ample time to explore at all sites. The tour started at 9 am and went through to 5 pm.

The Big Goose Pagoda is Xian's most famous landmark. It was built to house the Buddhist sutras brought back from India by Monk Xuan Zang. At this temple we received a souvenir card of your Chinese zodiac sign which is meant to definitely bring a blessing to you.

Banpo Neolithic Village is the first museum in China to demonstrate the lives of hominids in prehistoric China. The Ban Po Site is a representative site of the Yang Shao Culture.

The parking lot at the warriors site is about a 15 minute walk to the museum. We caught a golf cart for a mere Y5 each.

The lunch was very tasty. There was only 6 of us on the tour, which made it more personal. We got to know each other over lunch. I think there were about 13 dishes for the 6 of us. The dishes although were Chinese, definitely had a western influence. I quite liked it as after eating Shandong food for so long. You kind of like something different when you travel.

Within the museum area the warriors can be seen in 3 different pits which are active archaeological digs. The site is large.

The discovery of The Terracotta Warriors was by a farmer who was drilling a well for water. The farmer was at the site on the day that I was there and signed a book for me. When he was signing my book another man took his photo, which is not allowed. The man tracked me down and asked me for my email address. He has since emailed me the photo!

Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum is located 35 Km E of the city of Xian. Three large burial pits with various characteristics were found east of the Mausoleum. It is estimated that 8 000 terracotta warriors and horse would be unearthed from the pits. To protect these treasures, the museum was built. The Terracotta Army is the 8th wonder of the world.

The silk factory was the QinJinTang factory. They showed you the whole cycle and then the finished products. Ultimately they want you to buy their produce but really there was nothing there they I particularly liked and it appeared never did the others as we all walked away empty handed.