Our next destination was the town of Suzhou; a 12-hour overnight train ride away.  Being our first sleeper train experience in China, we braced ourselves for the unexpected... we would soon discover that the toughest part would be boarding the train itself.  At first glance, the designated waiting lounge for our train appeared to be a calm and orderly queueing area; however, at exactly 30 minutes prior to departure time (when the boarding gates to the platform opened), the civilized crowd transformed into a stampeding mob, every child, businessman and grandma were determined to be the first on the train!!  After months of honing our train-boarding skills in Russia, our 'crowd-management' instincts quickly kicked in, we strapped on our 20-kilo plus backpacks, hoisted up our handluggage, stuck our elbows out and plowed through the throbbing masses...proudly showing the locals that the laowai (foreigners) should not be underestimated. 

The Chinese sleeper train turned out to be very clean and well-run.  Our 'hard-sleeper' carriage contained 20 compartments, each in turn containing 6 bunks (3 on either side of the doorway).  Luckily for us we were the first to arrive in our compartment and soon filled up the prime overhead luggage space with our bags - much to the disappointment (and swearing) of one of our fellow passengers who seemed annoyed at having to store her small handluggage under a bed.... another score for the laowais'!!! 

Twelve hours and a rather bumpy sleep later we arrived in Suzhou.

Suzhou
Location: Eastern China, Jiangsu province; 1-hour from Shanghai.
Famous for: Classical gardens and silk trade.

We planned to make a brief stop in Suzhou on our way to Shangahi in order to see its famous classical gardens, renowned to be some of the best examples in China.  The town is criss-crossed with canals and tree-lined streets which along with it's gardens make it a pleasant town to stroll through.

 
Suzhou's romantic canals.

 

We spent the majority of the day visiting two gardens - the Wangshi Yuan garden and the Zhuozheng Yuan garden.  Chinese garden design concentrates on achieving a harmony between architecture, art and nature, which in reality means they consist of small wooden buildings, rock sculptures and a central water-feature. 

The Wangshi Yuan garden was small but full of detail.

The Zhuozheng Yuan garden. 

The Zhuozheng Yuan garden had a massive lotus plant pond and colorful flowers.

Chinese gardens encourage people to view nature and art from all angles.

After our garden visits, we wandered back through the town to our hotel.  Along the way we came across an animated queue outside a bakery where people were excitedly buying some buns being freshly cooked before the crowd.  Curiosity (and Eric's stomach) got the better of us, and we too purchased some buns.  They turned out to be quite tasty and seemed to be filled with a mixture of meat and red bean paste - we'd love to recommend them but we still haven't worked out what they're called.

Suzhou was a tranquil town and a great place to spend a day or two; however, there appeared to be a shortage of quality brakes when we visited, as every vehicle on the road from small bicycles to large thundering trucks all emitted ear-piercing shrieks everytime they had to slow-down. 

Our trip to Suzhou lasted one day, the following morning we boarded the 7:10am train to Shanghai.

Shanghai
Location: Eastern China.
Famous for: Currently undergoing one of the fastest economic expansions the world has ever seen; recapturing its position as east Asia's leading business city.

We headed to Shanghai to meet up with some of Eric's best friends from L.A. - Matt, Daniel and Greg - who are living and working in the city.  Upon arrival at the hectic and bustling Shanghai train station, we quickly jumped into a taxi and headed to Matt's apartment.  Eric soon struck up a banter with the cab driver who seemed in awe of Eric's hairy legs - to the point where the driver reached to stroke Eric's knee much to the astonishment of Eric.  The driver then proceeded to pull up his own trouser leg to expose his knee - apparently in a proud gesture of showing-off his 9 or 10 hairs.  While the cab driver and Eric continued to bond over their 'good-fortune' at having hairy knees, Nikki could hardly contain her hysterics in the back seat. 

Our stay at Matt's was a heavenly escape from our backpacker experience... laundry (using a real machine!!), an endless choice of DVD's, use of a kitchen, an expat supermarket next door selling 'treats' such as cheddar cheese as well as the use of a private telephone where we called home for the first time in our trip.  Matt guided us through the nightlife in Shanghai - a city with an abundance of roof-top bars and Western restaurants; for a few days we ceased to be backpackers and became normal people.

The impressive and ever-growing Shanghai skyline.

Eric, Nikki, Greg and Matt enjoy a drink at a popular rooftop bar. 

Bar games were played throughout the evening...Eric and Nikki team up for a game of shuffle-board.

Cheers!! 

We also escaped the city on a roadtrip to the nearby towns of Zhouzhuang and Hangzhou.   

Zhouzhuang
Location: Jiangsu province; 120kms from Shanghai
Famous for: The 'Venice' of the East, a pleasant mix of stone bridges and tree-lined canals.

Our stop in Zhouzhuang began with a break for lunch in a local non-english speaking restaurant.  Despite Matt's good grasp of basic Chinese we were unsure of exactly what it was we were ordering.  Most of the dishes that arrived at our table turned out to be quite good, however, the 'chicken soup' was a little more extravagant than we expected....

The 'chicken' soup came complete with head and feet.

 

Zhouzhuang itself was an impressive network of waterways and small alleyways, lined with artisans and workshops.  We spent a few hours wandering the quaint streets and enjoying a boat ride along the canals. 

Eric guides the boat through Zhouzhuangs waterways.

Local shops sold goods such as baskets and dried teas.

We couldn't resist the expandable wooden hats sold locally.

Hangzhou
Location: Capital of the Zhejiang province.
Famous for: the stunning lake of Xi Hu, silk, tea and paper-making.

We arrived late in Hangzhou where we spent the night.  The following morning we strolled around the shores of its famous lake and scrambled some slippery rocks to see the 7-storey Baoshu Ta pogoda, which presides over a great view of the city. 

A light drizzle impeaded the views but not the crowds.

Unfortunately our visit coincided with one of the three biggest Chinese holidays of the year - National week - which meant the banks of the lake were teaming with people.  Our fellow tourists seemed to view us laowais'as a bonus attraction and many stopped to ask us to pose in photographs with them - much to our amusement.  Our new-found fans also included a stalker who found it far more interesting to follow us around for two hours rather than taking in the sights of the city.

Eric and Matt relax after a busy weekend of sightseeing. 
 

After our 5-day visit to the east coast of China, it was time to get back on the train and head west to the city of Xian. 

 

We arrived in China at 7:30 in the morning; our first stop was the northern city of Datong. 

 

Datong
Location: Northern China, Shanxi province.
Famous for: The Hanging Temple and the Yungang Caves.

 

Within 20 minutes of our arrival in Datong, we managed to book ourselves a room in a nearby hostel, to secure a place on a tour leaving within the hour, and to be put in a taxi heading for the nearest ATM so that we could withdraw some local currency.  There was certainly no chance of easing ourselves into China gently!!

 

Our tour began with fifteen Western tourists being squeezed into a mini-bus designed for Chinese tourists; the previous jostling for luggage space we were all used to was swapped for the struggle to fit fifteen pairs of long legs in between tightly packed seats.  Our first stop was the “Hanging Temple”; an extraordinary sight of a temple clinging perilously to a precipice on one of China’s five holy mountains of Taoism. 

 

The Hanging Temple.

 

 

The temple is located 14 meters up a sheer cliff face, propped up on long-wooden stilts anchored to ledges; it was originally built as a place of worship to the Gods to protect nearby villages from a ‘dragon’.  The valley in which it is situated was prone to flooding (before a dam was built); floods are a symbol of a resident dragon and hence the source of the locals need for religious protection. 

 

Exploring the temple.

 

Long narrow wooden walkways and staircases connect the various tiers and rooms which make up the temple. 

There are two Chinese symbols painted on a stone below the temple, meaning ‘great sight’; the understatement left by an eminent Chinese poet.

 

The temple jutting out of the cliff.

 

 

Our second stop was the Yungang Caves; a maginificent set of Buddhist grottoes carved into the side of a sandstone cliff.  Built around 400 A.D., the caves contain over 51,000 depictions of Buddha and are reported to be the grandest and best-preserved grottoes in China. 

 

This 27 metre high Buddha casts an imposing figure in his cave.

 

From the outside the grottoes are an impressive sight.

Some of the carvings were extremely well preserved despite their exposure to the elements. 

 

We spent the better part of the afternoon admiring and strolling through the impressive caves before returning to our hostel for a much-needed rest, shower and a change of clothes (our first since leaving Mongolia).  We dined that night in the closest and most accessible restaurant we could find, the ‘California Beef Noodle Bar’.  This is actually a chain of restaurants which borrows heavily from Mcdonalds and KFC branding - it has a logo that looks suspiciously like Chinese Colonel Saunders (aka KFC).  Ordering from the printed English menu was an adventure; attempts at getting rice dishes resulted in a loud ‘NO!’ from the waitress.  Eventually we worked out that after she had said NO about four times, she would then accept our order.  After our meal we gladly retired to our bed after an eventful first day in China, alarm clocks were set for our 8:50 train to Beijing the following morning.

 

Beijing
Location: Northern China (Bei - Jing literally translates as Northern - Capital).
Famous for: Capital of China, Tiananmen Square and Peking duck.

 

We arrived at the Xi Zhan station around lunchtime and were soon swept along with the bustling crowds; we took a taxi to a central guesthouse conveniently located 200 meters from Tiananmen Square.  We ventured out to explore the city and soon purchased a city map and an essential Chinese phrasebook.  The city center is a mix of wide busy boulevards and narrow crowded side streets (known as hutangs); on both, bicycles, cars and buses jostle for position whilst trying (or not) to avoid the mass of pedestrians who seem to appear from all directions. 

 

Night markets sell a variety of delicacies from frogs legs to starfish to goat's testicles; while Nikki opts for a simple bowl of dumplings!

 

The city has an extremely modern feel, with new buildings and skyscrapers towering over surprisingly clean streets.  There is a definite air of preparation for the forthcoming 2008 Olympics which we have no doubt will be a great time to be in the city.  Beijing streets are exceptionally noisy - and at times overwhelmingly so after the quiet deserted plains of Mongolia - but this adds to the feeling of energy and vibrancy which the city exudes.

 

We found a refuge from the bustling streets in the form of the Temple of Heaven - a garden area containing the altars and temples used by generations of emperors to worship the Gods and pray for good harvests.  Like our fellow tourists we tried out the famous ‘echo wall’, a perfectly built circular wall which allows you to have a conversation with someone fifty meters away as if they were standing beside you. 

 

Eric explores the temple and tries out the 'echo wall'.

On a misty gray day the Temple of Heaven provided some colorful scenery.

 

Our Beijing highlight was most definitely our trip to the Great Wall.  We elected to travel three hours outside the city to a less-visited section where we embarked on a 10-km hike. 

 

The Great Wall snakes it's way along the mountain ridges. 

 

 

Recommended as the best area to view the original wall as it climbs up and down the spectacular mountain ridges that once formed a border between the mighty empires of Mongolia and China. 

 

Great Wall as far as the eye can see!

 

 
Proof we climbed the wall... 

 

“Today’s surviving sections, placed end to end, would link New York with Los Angeles, and if the bricks used to build it were made into a single wall 5 meters high and 1 meter thick it would more than encircle the Earth.”

 

Our 10km walk took nearly 4 hours with almost no other tourists or people in sight.

 

 
The wall was very steep at times.

 

Our sightseeing in Beijing was put on hold for a few days after Nikki was hit with the first bout of ‘tummy troubles’ of our trip which left her in bed with a fever for two days.  Eric performed his role of nurse-maid very well, though being stuck in a room for three days with only one English language TV channel which seemed to show the same news in a continuous one-hour loop, he was glad Nikki recovered before he had exhausted our supply of reading books. 

With Nikki back on her feet (albeit for only a few hours at a time to begin with), we paid a visit to the Forbidden City.  This moated complex is filled with numerous courtyards, halls and palaces which were closed to the public until the turn of the 20th century.   The Palace was home to 24 emperors and their entourages.  

 

The murky gray skies didn't keep the crowds from flowing into the Forbbidden City's main square.

 

The emperor's adorned the palaces with various sculptures; the crane to symbolize 'long life', and the dragon-lion to protect the Palace gates.

A huge moat surrounds the Forbidden City. 

 

Our last day of sightseeing took us to the stunning Summer Palace; the summer retreat for the emperor and his court.  Strolling around the grounds was very peaceful despite the many tourists, we also enjoyed a ‘speed boat’ ride around the lake (speed boat in shape, not in speed). 

 

The Summer Palace.

 

Beautiful bridges provided access to islands on the lake.

The 'Long Corrior' provided a colorful, artistic promenade along the lake shore. 

The Empress' 'Marble Boat' was permanently docked and used as a splendid dining room.

 

The morning of our departure from Beijing, we queued up alongside hundreds of Chinese to view the preserved body of the late communist leader - Chairman Mao Zedong.  Unlike Lenin, Mao is preserved through refridgeration not embalmment - personally we thought Lenin looked far better, but don’t tell the Chinese that!!!!  Having passed silently through the solemn memorial hall of one of the worlds most famous Communist leaders under the watchful eye of many soldiers, we then exited by a long row of souvenir stalls manned by loud, aggressive merchants flogging cheap Mao trinkets in every shape and form…… Communism and Capitalism can be found side by side in China!   

 

Eric stands before one of the most famous sights of Tiananmen Square.

 

Tiananmen Square and Mao's resting place.