Category: China
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Nanwutai Mountain
Nanwutai Mountain is just North of Xi’an. It features a number of temples along its top ridge. A bus will take you partway up, but from there you climb a series of steep stone stairways. It is still quite far to the top.
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Legend of the Camel Bell
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Xi’an City Wall
Xi’an has an ancient city wall that you can walk or bicycle on. Along the way there are some small museums, but there are long sections with nothing to see. You can rent a bicycle if you want to cover ground more quickly.
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In Xi’an
I am in Xi’an for three days. Around the Bell Tower there is an entire industry of people dressing up and getting photos taken. A lot of photographers bring lights, and have refined how to take a good photo with the Bell Tower in the background, and the subject posed nicely. All of the ancient…
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Change of Plan
Plans change. My stomach was upset for a couple of days, so I have delayed my trip to Jiuzhaigou. Today, will go to Xi’an for a few days. Upon returning to Chengdu, I will venture to Jiuzhaigou. The high-speed railway system in China makes the travel time between Chengdu and Xi’an four hours spent in…
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Hot Pot
Here are some things you can put in the hot pot:
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Back in China
I am starting a six-week trip to China, focussing on Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. My starting (and ending) point is Chengdu. Tomorrow I take the bus to Jiuzhaigou. A high-speed train is opening very soon, but I will have to make the 7 or 8 hour bus trip there and back. Chengdu recently hosted the…
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Beijing Wrap-up
Beijing is a good mix between the old and the new. It has lots of interesting cultural stuff, like the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall, opera, acrobats, etc. But, it also has the facilities you expect to find in modern cities. Of course, once you’ve seen the tourist places, you probably…
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Shanghai Wrap-up
Shanghai is not really a good tourist city. It only has a few attactions for the tourist, and then all that is left is shopping. Add to that the “annoyance factor” of the constant “want to buy Rolex” and “we are art students”, and Shanghai hardly seems worth visiting. In a nutshell: Half a day for…
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Riding Busses in China
Here is one of my China posts, from my backlog of drafts. In China, busses are a primary means of transportation for most people. Busses range from city busses up to large coaches, similar to Greyhound. You haven’t really travelled in China unless you have ridden a local country bus. The kind that stops in…
Michael Chmilar's Travels 