Hi everyone!
Just thought I'd you all the epic emails, and send out a smaller one, to let you all know what i'm up to (and that i'm ok, mom!!!)
I left Beijing the day before yesterday, catching an 11:30pm train to a town called Datong. I've foolishly entered into a '3 night trains in a row' schedule. Let me advise you ~ if you're thinking of doing this, DON'T. Or, alternately, if you do ~ schedule in a hot shower somewhere. This feels way worse than camping.
Anyways, Datong is in coal country ~ you can imagine the grime. But its main attractions made a visit worthwhile. The Yungang caves are massive, housing over 50,000 buddha sculptures, and date back as far as AD460. The cave complex is about 1km long and we walked the whole bit ~ intricate carvings, massive statues, devout Chinese praying ~ we saw it all. Pretty incredible stuff ~ there are caves with series of carvings explaining Buddhas pathway from birth to nirvana....born from an armpit? Not sure about that. Ancient beleifs had it that there were 4 places you could be born from, depending on caste ~ if you are a god or deity, you are born from the mouth. If you were a king, lord, or of noble blood, you are born from the armpit (wow, what an honour). If you are regular folk (that be you and me!) you are born from the belly. And finally, the poor lower caste are born from the soles of the feet.
You learn something new every day. That one was an eye-opener for me! The carving of Buddha, springing forth from his moms underarm, was wierd.
Secondly, the Hanging Monastary is a 1400yr old monastary that has been built precariously along the face of the Jinlong Canyon cliffs. Natural outcroppings and formations provided the base for the structure. All the halls and pavilions of the monastary are connected by bridges and boardwalks that feel LESS than stable once you're on them. Ah, the fear of heights is getting a workout on this trip. Thankfully (well, not for him...) Chris from the UK had a worse go of it than i did. So I wasn't the only one shaking on the way down!!
Its been good to be out of Beijing, and get to meet some new travelling friends. Everyone I've been travelling with on this trip has headed home already ~ I was starting to feel alone! haha. Even Skotty (beijing) has headed to Vietnam, soon to be back in Vancouver ~ (so all you Vancouverites, get ready...!!!!!)
Last nights train journey was a little better than the previous one ~ could I be getting used to sleeping on a hard, narrow cot, suspended above 2 other people, with NO head room? Think bunk beds, but add another level ~ no personal space, and lots of spitting. Thats something the Chinese are REALLY good at ~ mmmm, spitting. Hard to get used to hearing that throat clearing, hoarking noise 24/7.
Pingyao, where I am now, is a Unesco World Heritage site for its ancient city wall ~ one of the very last intact such walls in all of China. Within the walls, the layout has remained unchanged since the Ming dynasty, when the wall was built. We were told today that children won't venture outside into the narrow alleys after dark for fear of the Ming era ghosts! Apparently they navigate the alleys with ease, remembering them well!
The 'official' charge is Y120, but we managed to find a way to sneak up onto the wall ~ looking back down the steps we had just ascended, we saw the irritated face of a local man as he padlocked the dooway we had just come through. ooops!!! Walking around the city walls, you can see all the rooftops, courtyards and maze-like streets of the old city, and the newer city sprawling off into the distance outside of the walls. There are faded chinese characters sprawled onto the walls here and there, from what we were told they say "long live chairman mao". Apparently, Pingyao had a particularly rough Cultural Revolution. Amazing that this history is so recent. One thing that really strikes me about Pingyao, and China in general so far, is how GRAY and dreary it seems. Everything is shrouded in a layer of pollution and buildings off in the not so distant distance (does that make sense???) appear blue due to the smoky fog. Ew. Not someplace I would want to spend my life. There are so few trees within the walls, too.....I can't imagine it being too green, even in the summer. But who knows. Toronto and Oakville look pretty bleak in the winter months, too. Maybe I'm not being fair.
So, time for dinner ~ before catching the 3rd and final night train to Xi'an at 7:30pm. Tomorrow ~ HOT SHOWER and then TERRACOTTA WARRIORS!
I can honestly say, I'm not sure which I'm looking forward to more...
xoxoxo miss you all,
Laura
