China Part 4 - I ate like a king

Ok, I'm starting today with a confession: day 5 didn't actually finish with me walking but but I quite liked the ending so I left it like that.  Also, the rest of my evening wasn't hugely exciting: I went shopping in the Muslim Quarter for presents for my friends/family and had a couple of snacks as well. The first was a deep-fried breadcrumb banana which was interesting as the breadcrumbs added NOTHING to the banana nor did the frying. The banana was exactly the same as it would have been straight out of the peel. The second was one of the most Moorish snacks I have ever had. Going down the street, I had seen some people hammering with giant mallets some form of paste with lots of sesame seeds in it and wondered what it was. Turn out it was some sort of sesame biscuit thing that was unbelievably delicious...it was even still warm when I got back! I found myself eating as much of it as I could.  There we go, the actual end of the day.

Now then, onto Day 6 properly and it's not the most exciting as it started off with an early rise and a 6 hour train journey back to Beijing with the aforementioned snoring man. Once there, I returned to my previous hotel, checked in and contemplated my next move.  I had originally planned to go to the National Art Museum but it was already 3pm and it closed at 5pm plus I didn't know how far away it was from the hotel so I was in a bind.  Eventually, I decided to make a beeline for Jingshan (Coal) Park: a small hill behind the Forbidden City and find the Art Museum on the way (which I did).  I eventually made it to the park whilst again munching on a coal-roasted sweet potato for lunch and then began the short climb up to the temple on the hill, after refusing the many rickshaw offers to take me up (on hindsight, I'm pretty sure I only saw steps up to the temple). Shaded by the trees covering the path, I made it to the temple and was treated to a birds-eye view of the surrounding area, including the Forbidden City.  Being able to see it from such a vantage point really conveys the size of the place as well as all the park land around it.

Once the cold got too much for me, I head back down the hill to walk around the park area, eventually finding the spot 'where the emperor hanged himself'. The story goes that after an army of 400,000 peasants attacked the Forbidden City and sensing defeat, the Emperor took his Empress, concubines and daughters to the hill. He then forced the empress to kill herself and killed his concubines and daughters himself. After writing his final edict in blood with the aid of his eunuch assistant, he then hung himself.  All that's left is a sign and a few trees to mark this macabre moment. Continuing with my wander, I came across a group of elderly women practicing some movements with decorative swords, another group playing hacky-sack, some playing cards and one lady writing calligraphy on the stone pavement. I sat and watched them for a while (no pictures though) and just enjoyed seeing an aspect of normal life in China...one without tourist routes and street vendors.  Just people living their lives.

With an hour to kill before my massage, I wandered along the Forbidden City moat for a while before stopping in an empty teahouse for a cup of Jasmine tea to warm my hands.  After tea, it was time for my massage! Sixty blissful minutes of both my head/shoulders and legs/feet being massaged and rubbed. I could feel the tension and exhaustion slip away from my body as the minutes ticked by. After this, I conveniently popped across the road and headed into a nearby local restaurant for some Yinxian shredded pork and rice with a cool beer, followed by an egg tart (like I could say no). After dinner, I headed out to pick up some more gifts for people and then back to the hotel for a beer and some blogging.

Day 7 which meant another busy day for me, with lots of running around (I'm somewhat of a masochist when it comes to holidays), this time starting with a cooking class. After some pastries for breakfast and then a period wandering around in the cold looking for the class, I enjoyed visiting a couple of local hutongs whilst killing time. A Hutong is a small street which seems to be to the focal point for the community. You see people wandering around talking to their neighbours, shopping for fresh vegetables or sitting with a cup of green tea and watching the world go by. You get a real sense of Chinese daily life when you visit a Hutong and whilst they may not be a tourist site, they are well worth a short wander.

Eventually, it was time for my class at Hutong Cuisine and I arrived to find there was only one other person cooking with me, a girl named Claire who left halfway through as she had mischeduled her time (but more on this later). I was basically getting a private lesson for a group price! Yay! What we learned in class was to make different types of Dim Sum as well as egg custard tarts and our teacher was good, if strict. We got told off (nicely...sort of) if the vegetables weren't sliced small enough (both of us had to redo our vegetables) and I quickly learned that I am not great at wrapping the shrimp in dough. The big plus was the fact that she explained why she was being strict e.g. the vegetable wouldn't mix well if they were too large so we could actually learn from our mistakes. I also learned that to make the dough used in dim sum is very easy: much easier than I ever anticipated, so will be trying that in future (I needed the practice)!

After Claire left, we moved onto egg custard tarts which I now know how to make...this could go horribly wrong as I may now use my entire free time cooking and devouring these succulent treats. After we finished preparing the food, it seemingly fell onto me to eat everything that was made since Claire had left, or so my teacher told me. I like to think I performed valiantly but after a dozen or so prawn and water chestnut dumplings and 4 egg custard tarts, I was beat. Yes, I ate 4 normal sized egg custard tarts in a row and I would do it again. It could have been worse as there were actually 12 but I managed some restraint....barely.

Then, at the end of class, I bought two rather interesting items. The first was a hand-made Chinese meat cleaver to add to my collection of cooking knives but oddly, as great as it is, it was not the most interesting thing I bought. You see, the second item I bought is something that I've been searching for and have been doing so for about five years. Hell, it was part of why I came to China. After all these years, I found them...THE SCHIZUAN PEPPERCORNS! AHAHAHAHA THEY ARE FINALLY MINE!! You think I'm joking but I'm really not. After making a disastrous recipe with normal peppercorns, I've been searching for them to see how they were different and I finally found them! It only took me several years and travelling across the globe to get them!

After the class, and dancing down the street with giddiness from my find, I popped into the National Art museum for a look around which was enjoyable but heavily reliant on calligraphy. Regardless, it made a nice detour for a couple of hours before I headed to my next stop: Black Sesame Restaurant for dinner.

Black Sesame Restaurant originally caught my attention as it is included in the '1001 things to do before you die' book and it is also one of the top rated restaurants in Beijing (as per Trip Advisor). I had decided to check it out and had booked well ahead to ensure that I got a place and I'm pleased that I did. A bit of an overview of the place: it's a small restaurant (with only 24 seats) with a set 10 course menu that changes monthly along with some good wine. Nor does it particularly advertise. They have a website and that's about it. The restaurant itself has no signs at all directing you to it nor does have name sign above it. In fact, it's fairly hidden in a small unassuming courtyard down a small side street...in fact, it actually has a sign saying that the area was for private residents only and not for the public! It took me ages to find but they email you the directions and eventually you make it there. Secretive and brilliant.

The idea is that you dine with your new friends whilst enjoying a traditional home-cooked Chinese meal which is cooked in the same room and it really does feel like you've returned to home after a long time. I haven't enjoyed a meal like that in ages! After a little bit of awkwardness, everyone loosened up (good food and wine helped a little) and soon everyone was chatting and laughing like old friends whilst enjoying some of the best food I've had in Beijing.  Although I had been a little worried about there being 10 courses, I soon discovered that the food was placed in the middle and you could take what you wanted. Despite the great atmosphere and company, the food was the real star of the show. Made up of traditional Beijing dishes, they were cooked well and really highlighted the skills of the chefs and it was great to watch them cook it (I even picked up a new technique when watching them). The courses were:

• Pan fried Pork and Pumpkin Dumplings
• Fried Shitake Mushrooms
• Black Beans and Chicken
• Five Flavour Eggplant
• Beer braised pork ribs
• Garlic Broccoli
• Beef and Pine Nuts
• Snow peas and Chinese Bacon
• Changqing Spicy Squid
• Candied sweet potato and home-made black sesame ice-cream

In particular, the dessert was especially good and with flowing wine, it made a great evening. Afterwards, a small group of us (including the manager) went to a micro-brewery for some pumpkin beer. Delicious end to a delicious night.

Then, without warning, it was my final day in Beijing and I had decided to take it fairly easy and just enjoy the city. After a bit of a lie in and a lazy breakfast, I took a slow stroll down to the Temple of Heaven: the final tourist stop of my holiday. Located out of the centre, the Temple of Heaven is a large parkland with several historical buildings and structures in it e.g. the Echo Wall and the Fasting Hall. Despite the buildings throughout, which were interesting enough, what I really enjoyed was wandering round all the trees, in particular the 800 cyprus trees and watching people just relax and unwind again. There were people singing, some people were dancing and twirling ribbons, and some people were just out with their children. Such a nice relaxing place away from the bustle of the city and a great place for my last morning.

After the park, I headed off for some lunch before doing some final bits of shopping in the area near my hotel. Once done, it was back to the hotel to pack and wait for my friend Leo to pick me up for dinner. For my last night in Beijing, I got to spend it with my old flatmates Leo, Betty and his girlfriend Caroline reminsicing about Dundee and eating some local Chinese food again. Once again, I let them order for me (with the exception of one dish) and once again, I was not disappointed. What was ordered was:

• Black Sesame Dumplings
• Shredded Pork with Chilli
• Tato Spring Rolls
• Fried Tofu
• Braised Pork Loin
• Shaved beef with chilli and pepper
• Steamed vegetables
• and, of course, plenty of tea

Not only this but Betty has brought me some tea and, in her words, 'all kinds of peppers' for me to take home. It really reminds of all the nice people that I've met throughout my years and was such a rare treat for me to meet with friends whilst on holiday (not including when I go back to the UK) and, despite not having seen each other for over 3 years, being treated like we had never been apart. A nice end to an enjoyable holiday.

So, that's it for my trip to Beijing and Xi'an. My final impression? Both cities are an interesting mix of the old and new, similar to Hong Kong. Despite modernity steamrolling over a lot of the traditional places, they still survive albeit in hiding. However, if you search for them, you'll find some local traditions and areas nestled between the 100 floor skycrapers and down the unassuming alleys. And I can happily say, they are well worth the searching. As a final point, don't be put off by the size of the cities nor by the population size. The cities is easy to get around with lots of transport and the population? Well, I can assure you that there is plenty of space unless you are on the underground at rush hour of the weekend and then, it's just like regular city life. If you get the chance to visit, do so. See the old and the new, eat lots of local food and just have a damn good time.  

Pick of the week

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - Bruce Springsteen covering Pete Seeger (an american folk singer).  What more do you want?  Great variety of songs, most of which will get you singing along.  I recommend Jesse James and Mrs McGrath.

Music of the Week

Today I give you Bruce Springsteen - Mrs McGrath...as what did you expect?

See you next week!

China part 3: The Hero's Journey Continues

After the debacle of yesterday, I pulled my sorry self out of bed at 5:15am feeling both shame and nausea...though I suspect the nausea was more related to throwing up in the middle of the night (cause unknown) than to the day before. After checking out, I soon discovered that either the hotel forgot to book my taxi or the person checking out before me took it.   Either way, I was down a taxi and ran to find one.  I made it to station in time (thankfully) and got some breakfast for the train. After a few minutes, I was settling into my seat on the high-speed train and I was off to Xi'an!  Six hours, one coffee, the discovery that I had lost my micro SD card and hundreds of smoggy miles later, I arrived and grabbed a taxi to the Xi'an Citadine hotel. My luck seems to be situated around hotels as I soon discovered that I now had two breakfast coupons with my rooms (I didn't before).  I went up to my room and was as pleased with it as I had expected: it was spacious, comfortable and bright.

After settling in, I headed to the Muslim Quarter, an old ornate street filled with tourist shops and Xi'an street food, in search of lunch. The street itself was beautiful which made it a real pleasure to walk down. Even better, the sellers in the street weren't in the least bit pushy. This way, I was able to enjoy my 'Chinese Pizza' (some sort of beef pressed in fried naan) in peace.

Stomach satisfied, I made my way to the Drum Tower: an ancient tower in the centre that used to be used for sounding alarms (via drum of course) and is now a beautiful centre piece for the entire square and also a house for a variety of Chinese drums. After walking around the outside for a while, I entered into the small museum and found out that I was just in time for a short drumming show, made up of 4 guys and 1 girl on a variety of drums. Hugely impressive and entertaining to watch whilst surrounded by ancient drums.

Next up was the Bell Tower (Advice: you can buy a combo ticket for the drum and bell tower) and so, I head off in the general direction whilst walking through a small park which made a nice change from the touristy areas. After getting lost in the underground labyrinth that leads to the tower...fine it's a circle but it has multiple exits and no English. After getting lost, I arrived in just time in time for a show. Summing up the remaining strength in my Great-wall weary legs, I ran up the stairs just in time for the start and again and was treated to a beautiful show filled with classical Chinese instruments and Chinese dancing. I can now proudly tell people that I've heard Auld Lang Syne on the Chinese Shimansen and trust me, I will. With a large smile on my face, I explored the tower a little, looking through the small art gallery that was built into it. This showed some traditional art works made with almost no colours and made with thousands of tiny smears. This is perhaps one of my favourite art styles and it was nice just to take a while and enjoy them.

Realising I had made good time (I had arrived late), I headed back to the Muslim Quarter to check out the Grand Mosque. I'm pleased I did this as I was treated to a quiet and serene courtyard away from the bustle of Chinese life, plus the walks and stonework had some beautiful carvings that were worth seeing. Sadly I couldn't enter the temple as there was a prayer session but I just enjoyed the calm of the courtyard instead.

After a quick refuel and a latte from Starbucks (so sue me, I like a coffee), I walked down to the City Wall: the same City Wall that meant Xi'an had never fell. I bought my ticket and head up in to the wall itself. Now, this won't make the best reading I'm afraid but I spent a great hour and a half just wandering along the wall itself whilst enjoying the small alleys below and the the ornate roof above. As I said, it doesn't make the most enjoyable read but it as a relaxing time as I sauntered along this ancient city wall. However, I hope that you enjoy the pictures at least!

Dinner time and I was in a quandary what to do! There are so many different options to choose from and I've always been awkward at choosing.  It doesn't happen much as we've learned by now but I actually made a good choice! You see, when heading to the Grand Mosque which was down another alleyway, I had noticed some tables with small gas hobs on each table. I remembered this and decided to check it out. Turns out the are for Mongolian hot-pot, a dish famous in the area and is utterly delicious.

First of all, you choose the broth you want, in this case you can choose either chilli broth or three seasoning broth. This is then delivered and put on the hob at your table to boil. You then choose the sesame paste you want, which is used for dipping your food in. I went for the chilli sesame paste which seemed be made up from sesame paste, sesame seeds, oil, chilli and garlic which you mix yourself. Third is the optional choices e.g. flat bread or noodles. This time, I opted for some traditional flat bread which you dip into the paste. Finally, you go to the refrigerators and pick up the items (on kebab sticks) that you want to eat: this ranges from fish to beef to vegetables to tofu. You then take these back to the table and cook them in your hot-pot for a couple of minutes, dip them into the paste with your chopsticks and eat. Repeat with however many items you pick. It has been a long while since I've had to be taught how to eat something but this just added to the experience (thank you to my waitress for teaching me). As for the cost, well, it cost less than £2.50 for the entire thing. It really goes to show that if you go off the beaten path when travelling, you can find something wonderful.

After the meal, I lazily strolled/rolled back down the Muslim quarter to the Drum Tower, where I sat for a short while in the park listening to a guitar player: a nice end to a nice evening. Last but not least, I headed for a bar near my hotel (the first I've found) and had a Tsing Tao stout whilst finishing this entry. Much better ending to the day than yesterday.

I have to admit though, I'm pleasantly surprised by Xi'an and how nice it is. Yes, it's still busy and yes, it is still a little polluted but it has such a nice to feel to it. I arrived not knowing what to expect from it but the area that I'm staying has a nice bustling but not busy feel to it. In addition, there seems to be much more green space through the place and it seems more natural, whereas in Beijing, it feels a little forced. I've thoroughly enjoyed the entire time that I've been here and have enjoyed just walking through it as much as visiting the sights. I would highly recommend it.

So, I have some time to type as I trundle along the railway back to Beijing and as such, it's time for me to write about my second day in Xi'an: Day 5. That is if I don't kill the man directly behind me who is explosively snoring/snorting so loud, it is drowning out the train and my head phones..

Anyway, I digress. After getting up and enjoying an ok (but free!) hotel breakfast, I headed out to make my way to the Terracotta museum and tried to find a taxi, with little knowledge of where it actually is. I approached the first taxi: 400 RMB (about £40). 'Ah, I'm a silly foreigner, so they want to make some money' I foolishly think. I approach the 2nd one, this time for 500 RMB. Hmm something is amiss. I start to worry so I approach the Tourist Information Centre and they tell me it is quite far away and that I should get the 611 bus then the 306 bus. 'Ok, I shall', I say whereas I should have said 'Might I bother you with one more question but which direction should I go take these buses?'. Can you see where this is going? Indeed, I got the correct bus but the wrong direction. I saw the end of the line, where the buses go to die. Nobody should see the end of the line. I've seen thing no man, woman or child should see.

Regrouping from my disturbing trip, I eventually got to where I wanted to go (turned out to be very faraway, like next town faraway) and I was at the Terracotta Warrior Museum. Word of warning: the museum is significantly more expensive than any other I've been. For example, the Forbidden Palace was 40 RMB whereas the Terracotta Army is 150 RMB. Well worth it though. You enter through the gate into a spacious courtyard surrounded by buildings. There are signposts but really, you should just enter into each one.

I started off buy heading to the right-most building, which took me to a large museum displaying various items found from the pits themselves. Although not as dramatic as the actual pits themselves, it is good for getting an actual close-up of the Terracotta soldiers and chariots. It's amazing to see how much detail went into each soldier, especially as they were just being buried with the Emperor.

After the museum, I headed to Pit 2 (out of 3) which was a large but empty archaeological pit that was being worked on. Ultimately, it was to show you the various stages of the archaeological process and did a good job of it as well.

After looking around for a short while, I headed to Pit 3: a much smaller bit but the first I had seen with actual warriors in it. Some whole and some broke, it was easily apparent that each was formed into units and regiments, even with leading officers. These were beautiful to see and a good introduction but this wasn't the main show.

No, the highlight of this trip was Pit 1 and it took my breath away. The sheer scale of this pit was humbling and it was filled with row after row and column beside column of Terracotta warriors. It is easily in my top 5 sights that I have seen, this stoic and still army created to follow their emperor into the after life only to be discovered, near intact, thousands of years later. To think each one was individually designed as well and that so many survived. As I said, humbling. I've left some pictures below but I don't think they can truly convey the sight of the army nor can anything I say. All I can recommend is going to see them yourself.

After a quick lunch made up of some fried things and one of my favourite snacks, coal-roasted sweet potato, I took the bus back to Xi'an and then the next bus to the Drum Tower, so I could work out my next plan. I had originally planned to head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda but it was much later than I had planned and it was over an hour walk each way. I tried to decide what to do but my muscles ached from tiredness after all the other walking I had down and it was getting cold, but at the same time, I didn't want to waste my time in Xi'an. I thought back to the Terracotta Army and wondered what they would do. Well, if it meant following their beloved Emperor, they would follow him to the end of the earth! I couldn't shame them, so I began to walk.

I stumbled onwards, this lone warrior in search of his final goal: the distant pagoda. Time flew past me as I kept on, hungry and weary, never stopping except to find my bearings. Waves and waves of people clashed past me, attempting to stop me and drag me down to depths of the earth and prevent me from reaching my destination but I fought through them. I saw sights of wonder: the might and evil McDonaldsaurus reared it's ugly head; great metal beasts sped past me at a 1000 miles an hour; and mountainous castles loomed all around me but I did not stop. I kept walking on but my energy was drained...my leather boots had worn away and my sword had been blunted from battle. I kept on but after being lured by a siren pretending to be the pagoda, I fell to my knees and yelled to the skies. I was a broken man: both morally and physically exhausted. I couldn't continue but then I spotted it...a single sign but that was all I needed. I knew that songs would be sung about this day: either songs of victory if I made it or songs of failure if I didn't. Energy renewed, I stumbled to my feet and walked on for what seemed like miles and then, like an oasis to a man in the desert, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda rose out of the ground. I fell to my knees again...I had made it.

For those interested in a song about my heroic tale, I've wrote the first verse of 'The Ballad of Brave Basford and the Wild Goose Chase' for you:

Twas a brave hero indeed, to embellish such a tale

This young lad, in search of his fabled Pagoda knew,

That unlike other areas of his life, he could not fail,

He stumbled on and on, without a trace

Until his heart an' strength both went to break,

but hark, a sign did appear,

the way he had to go it did shine

*Disclaimer: None of these events actually happened. All Robbie did was walk for a long time and no songs should be sung about him. Ever. - Ed.

So having found the tower, I had a wander round the illuminated garden and fountains, enjoying the night ambiance as I did so. Although it would have been nice to have gone up the pagoda (it was night when I arrived), I'm pleased that I got to see it at night due to the lighting. Getting cold and hungry, I wandered through a nearby open-air arcade which included some of the smallest dodgems I had ever seen before heading to 'First Noodle Under the Sun' for dinner. Little did I expect another interesting dining experience.

'So, what did I have for dinner that night?' you may ask. 'Well, I had a noodle' I would reply. 'You surely mean noodles', you may enquire. 'Not at all, my dear friend' I would cheerfully respond. Indeed, I did have a noodle that night but seeing as it was 3 metres long and over an inch wide, I can be forgiven for just having one. Having ordered a beer and the noodle set, I was presented with two bowls of soup and one large bowl with the incredibly long noodle and shown what to do. Using your chopsticks, you pull some of the noodle into one of the bowls and then saw that section off: this gives you some extra flavour to each bit of noodle. Perhaps not the easiest way to have noodles but fun for the first time!

After the meal, I contemplated my return journey back to the hotel.   Did you know that if you continue far enough with a story or a myth of a hero, that they often perish or fail in the return journey? I began walking back...

Pick of the Week

Boston Legal - I don't often recommend a TV show but this 'zany' show is well worth a watch.  Introduced to me by Susan, it follows lawyer Alan Shore and Denny Crane (William Shatner) as well as the rest of the Crane, Pool and Schmidt law film.  Equal parts comedy and drama, it perfectly mixes hard-hitting court cases with the unusual personal lives of the lawyers and judges.  A clear highlight is Denny Crane: a lawyer living off his reputation and no longer gives a damn and is just having fun.  Get it watched.


Music of the Week

A video game track this week and one of my favourites from the entire series.  It brings back the memory of one Christmas when I was younger and I was sleeping on the floor as my Nan was visiting and had my bed. I was surrounded by decorations and felt snug against the winter cold when I played it:  Final Fantasy 8 - Liberi Fatali.

A quick announcement before we finish: I am going home next week!  However, I actually plan to have a post next week because I love you all so much!  Now, I actually have something planned for next week and if I can pull it off, there will be a brief delay in my China trip but it will be worth it.  If it doesn't work, then it will be the finale of China.  We will all know next week!  Until then!