Traveling the World

The Great Wall is the single most touristy thing someone could do when in China. I tried my hardest to make it more intrepid, and I feel I succeeded. My hostel was trying to get us to book with them, but their trip involved a huge bus, food, and worst of all going to Badaling. This is the the most boring and crowded section of the wall, not to mention it would have cost almost $100 USD per person.

My friend Ewa from the hostel told us about another way to get there. This involved first going to the Dongzhimen long-distance bus station (located right off the Dongzhimen metro station). When we got off the subway, there was a Chinese woman waiting for people who wanted to go to the Wall. She showed us to the public 980 bus, which costs 14rmb to go to from the city limits to Miyun. She gave me a card and said her friend would be waiting for us at the Miyun Tai Yang bus stop and he’d take us to Simatai for cheap. I didn’t ask how much because I knew I’d do better to bargain with him.

An hour and 20 minutes later, we were rudely woken up to the shrills of a man screaming we had arrived at Miyun. When we got off we were immediately bombarded by touts, yet thankfully we found our man. Like most people in China, he didn’t speak a word of English, so I had to test my skills. He immediately started off with 70rmb a person each way. I told him his friend said it’d be cheap and I knew 70 was a ripoff. He said fine, 65. Then I said I was Chinese, not a tourist. He said it was really far from where we were and gas was expensive. Since I live here, I know he was lying, so I told him I liked him and didn’t want to screw around, and I only wanted to pay 30 per person each way.

Thinking he was slick and I would fold (he didn’t know he was dealing with a Jewish person), he went to 60. I told him there were many other people standing there who would give it to me for less, and he said none of them had a van for all 5 of us, but went to 55. I finally said the hostel would have been easier, but I chose this method because I thought it’d be cheaper, so he agreed to 45 per person each way. Total negotiation time took 6 minutes, and I know this because Melba timed it.

Another hour and 20 minutes later, we were at Simatai. We exited the van and he presented us with the entrance tickets, valued at 40rmb each. This guy seemed really nice and was on the ball with these things, so we were happy with our choice.

Map

Climbing Higher

As we approached the end and the highest point possible, we all sat down and took a photo. The wind was picking up, and the clouds were moving so fast, it felt like a fairy tale. As a species, humans are so accustomed to the sounds of electronics in their ears at all times, so that being in a place like this with absolutely no sound in your ears besides that of the wind is quite freaky.

Top of the Wall

Path of Doom

Terracotta Warriors

When we arrived at the Terracotta Warriors (bing ma yong 兵马俑) tourist attraction, I felt sick to my stomach. Despite living here and being quite interested in Chinese culture, I find that these kinds of tourist traps make me die a little on the inside. I was extremely bored and annoyed throughout the three hours there and was pissed about spending 90rmb to see it all. In addition to it all, English guides kept hounding us to use them as they felt we were all dumb tourists. I refused to pay for one, but Richard insisted so she tagged along for 100rmb.

Muslim Food

Fortress Wall

Tea

'Great Mosque'

After blowing my nose and demanding we leave for higher ground, we returned to the hostel, packed up, and thankfully got the hell out of Xi’an. Of all the places I’ve traveled to in my lifetime, I was the most disappointed, appalled, and whatever other words you can think of that describe mediocrity and disgust. This is one place I have NO interest in returning to ever again. Travelers beware, YMMV (your mileage may vary).

Richard hadn’t been feeling quite right from the bus ride, so we left him in the hostel to rest while we got food at the Havana Bar & Cafe. They have fraudulent advertising, as they were only good at Chinese food amongst their already sparse menu. Their 18rmb milkshakes were bad, my 8rmb french toast was good because I haven’t had it since before I moved to China and yet could still have done better if they added more cinnamon (if it was even on there at all). Lily’s green peppers, mushrooms, chicken and white rice for 22rmb was really good. Enough about food.

Balloon 1

Balloon 2

For dinner we ate at Chez Kelly (also known as Kelly’s Place). We had a few different dishes and they were good! The best part of this place is their milkshakes, and Lonely Planet was right to recommend them because it’s hard to get good milkshakes in China! For a bargain at 12rmb, you too can be the proud owner of an orgasmic double thick chocolate milkshake in an glass.

Bike Ride

Bike Ride 2

If you’d like to stay at Monkey Jane’s Guesthouse, leave the bus station and turn left. When you see a wide cobble stone street to your left, turn there (it’s called West Street, or Xi Da Jie). Walk through the pedestrian street and make a right into a tiny alley when you hit Xian Qian Lu. Monkey Jane’s will be on your right!. Their number is 0773-8820585 and their address is 24 Lian feng zhong xiang 莲峰中xiang24号.

Note: 4 Dutch tourists died on October 16th, 2009 in Yangshuo as a result of a hot-air balloon crash. RIP.

Among the things we ordered were fried bananas, dumplings, chicken, beef, pork, you name it, we ate it! Surprisingly, it was quite cheap! From what I’ve heard, it gets super spicy in the pot, so we opted for only a tiny bit of the peppers. I regretted it immediately after dinner, and still do to this day. I wish we had more peppers put in, because it wasn’t strong enough for me even though the others were complaining it was too hot. Americans really are weak-tongued, and it takes living here for awhile to get accustomed to the difference in cuisines. If you want to dine at this tasty restaurant, call them at 028-86639070. They are located on Chang Shun Street at the corner of Shang Ye Street.

The next morning we went for Tibetan food. China has a 4 passenger per taxi limit, and since we had 5 people, we had to use two taxis. As a result, I hailed both taxis and told them both in Chinese where to go. It’s normal to get drivers who don’t know where the place is you want to go. The driver took Melba and Richard to a part of town far away from where the restaurant was, and since they had no cell phone, they returned to the hostel after waiting for 20 minutes. We also tried to search for them but in the end ate at the restaurant called A Re Zai Can. For 65rmb total, we got three dishes: yak with potatoes, yak and tomato soup, and bread with yak and onions. It was honestly the best meal I’ve ever had in my life.

About the time we finished it was 11am, and we rushed back to the hostel, and then rushed to the train station. Along the way traffic built up so much we came to a halt for several minutes. We made the quick decision to leave the taxi and run to the station on foot. Alfred, Emma, and I met up with Richard and Melba close to the station. We got stuck at a light, and Emma tripped over a bike and fell face first onto the pavement in the middle of the street. I saw it coming, but didn’t say anything because I figured she’d notice the bike in front of her. Oh well. I kept the smile to myself. We quickly regrouped and ran full speed to the train, making it with only a few minutes to spare.