Author: Silke

Today we took a bike ride on the city wall of Xi’an.The wall, which is just over 12 km long, covers the old town in the rectangle, is well restored and wide enough for a nice bike ride. To get to the wall for one day you have to buy a ticket for 54 RMB. On the wall there are some shops with souvenirs and drinks, as well as toilet houses. Directly on the wall are several bike rental stations where you can rent a bike for 45 RMB (and 100 RMB Depot) for 3 hours.This is also possible with cash! The rental bikes in the city can only be rented cashless. The Chinese pay almost everything with their smartphone via an app. For example, via WeChat. We were able to download the app and use it for chatting, but we haven’t been able to get the payment function activated yet. Credit cards are rarely accepted. Only Bares is True – and WeChat!

Silke

Today we went to Lintong to the Terracotta Army. The approximately 210-209 B.C. was to protect the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang in life after death. The 8th. Wonders!

We travelled very well by bus 306 from central station. (drive about two hours 7 yuan/person) .

The excavations are still underway. There are three covered excavation fields and a museum to visit. The largest excavation field No. 1 is also the most interesting. You can watch the archaeologists live at work and get a good impression of the dimension of this 2200-year-old mausoleum. A large part of the potted army is already reassembled and stands in rows and limbs head-on to the exit. The three fields comprise a total of about 20,000 square meters and included about 8,000 different life-size terra cotta figures, hundreds of chariots and horses and over 100,000 pieces of bronze weapons. The army was discovered by chance in 1974 by farmers drilling wells. 

In the evening we ate hot pot in Xi’an. Skewers and noodles cooked in mushroom broth similar to our fondue. Quite cozy, but Reiner would have preferred Nasi goreng.

Silke

Today’s Sunday is the last golden week holiday in China. We are very excited about what the train stations and roads look like without a wave of return journeys and holidaymakers.

Today we strolled a bit through the city centre and were in the station to buy tickets.Fashion shots were taken on the city wall. The bridal and evening dresses looked great and were all RED!

In a flower shop there were teddy bears made of roses. And blue glitter roses.
There is no dispute about taste!

Silke

Big fright in the morning. We were punctual, but we had caught the wrong station! (Would have been better to have the ticket re-filled/read). We decided to take a taxi to the long-distance station because there were huge crowds in front of the subway station. Unfortunately, road traffic then made a dent in our bill.The train was already gone!Luckily, in the train departing 2 hours later, there were still 2 places available, to which we were rebooked without any problems.

Long-distance stations look more like our airports. To get to the station you need a valid ticket. The waiting halls are divided by train numbers. Only shortly before departure you get to the platform. The trains are cleaned from the outside and inside at entrance (including windows!). Food and drinks are served to passengers at the place. There is also a small bistro. The train was modern and clean.

We were greeted by a spectacle on the city wall with colourful lighting.

Silke

Luckily, Reiner was doing better today. We left early to get to the forbidden city. The Arenal is located in the middle of Beijing, but because of the celebration some Subway stations are closed. We were able to get 2 more tickets at just after 8 o’clock (although officially all were sold out!) and then looked around quite comfortably!

I liked the royal garden, where we had a tea break.

Silke

Today Reiner did not come out of the hostel room!Unfortunately, he probably didn’t get something so good and he preferred to stay close to the toilet! Hope that the electrolyte solution and sleep will get him back on his feet quickly! (Well, we were already on the wall yesterday and are not on the train right now!)

I then (after a few errands and washing clothes) ventured into the hustle and bustle on my own.The Lama Temple is a 10-minute walk from our hostel and very nice. Most of the buildings are from the 17th and 18th centuries with many colourful details and golden Budda statues. You get a bunch of incense sticks to join them and can support your prayers in front of the entrances to the temples.

Afterwards I went to the main station to pick up our tickets. No problem, there is an extra ticket office hall. I had pre-ordered the tickets through Travel China Guide, already paid for them via the Internet and only needed to show the booking number and passports.

Then I fought my way to Tiananmen Square. This is not so easy these days, because the Subway stations are closed nearby and you are diverted everywhere, even as pedestrians. You feel like you’re in an IKEA store (-; You know about where your destination is, but you have to walk a thousand detours. The square itself is decorated with a huge flower vase, the grounds and buildings are illuminated or decorated in colour. There was only a small drink and sweet cart. People just stood there, took a lot of photos and were happy. I was expecting a small program or something like that, but at least it doesn’t exist Thursday afternoon and evening. Nevertheless, the place was packed!

After a short stroll through Wangfujing Street, I returned to the hostel by bus and subway.

Silke

In glorious weather, we have today crawled a few kilometers of the Great Wall of China. It goes up and down quite steeply.

We would have liked to have experienced a sunrise or sunset here, but the Jinshanling section where we hiked is already closed at 18:00 and from the wall itself to the east entrance it is about 1 km of stairs to walk. In the morning the same, opens only at 7:00 o’clock so after sunrise.

Maybe that would work better in “Water Town.”Our guide told us that it would normally not be closed until 10 p.m. Because of the holidays, our booked bus tour has gone to the less populated section Jinshanling! We had our overnight items with us and would have returned to Beijing the next day with the new group, but a suitable accommodation was, probably also because of the holidays, no longer available.

In any case, it is an impressive building and definitely worth a trip!

Silke

For the Beijing Subway we bought a card at the counter for charging. The card costs 20 yuan (deposit) + top-up credit. Depending on the route, it will be debited. We used 2 rides today for 4 yuan each!

The Sky Palace is located in a large park, where we have also seen dancers and athletes. By the way, we had 26 degrees and sunshine today!

As holidays are currently underway because of the Chinese National Day, people are teeming with people everywhere!

In the park café we talked nicely with Jennifer, who spontaneously contacted us on WeChat and wants to help if we have problems with the language.

In an art gallery, the owner has made us acquaintwith the artists of an exhibition. Among other things, they print motifs of the wall on silk. They also work with children. The artists Jimi and Tennog signed a print on paper and gave us the picture that shows Mahjong players!

Near the pedestrian area Qianmen Dajie we then ate delicious in a Chinese restaurant. I had homemade tofu with fried rice and pure crispen duck wings in brown sauce with fried potatoes. We could also have ordered duck heads, duck feet or frogs!

Silke