Category: 2018-10 US China

Strollday in Shanghai. We were able to buy the night train tickets with passport and cash, 2 streets away from our hostel, at the WuGong Hotel. There is a small Railway Ticket Office! Afterwards we walked a little through Shanghai’s streets, looked at people’s square and the promenade “Bund”.

It was fun just to sit there, wait for the sunset and watch people. One building after another is brightly lit and about 30 min after sunset you have a firework of colors. Just the Shanghai skyline.

Silke

Back on the train. From Wuhan to Shanghai 11:05 – 15:42, 807 KM! Right in the long-distance station we bought train tickets for our onward journeys in China! For the night trains we have to visit another railway ticket office tomorrow in Shanghai.In the evening we enjoyed deliciously stuffed pancakes at a street food stand! Then I got my husband retreaded! (Reiner paid the hairdresser via WeChat!)

Our Hostel Phoenix is very central lylocated and has a nice roof terrace with bar, where we enjoyed the view a little while a night long.

Silke

Today we visited our nephew Ron in Wuhan. ( small town only about 10 000 000 inhabitants) He goes to the technical university here for a semester.

It was a very nice evening with delicious food (e.g. pureed sweet potatoes, vegetable rings, mushrooms, tofu, cabbage, turtle rolls and dumplings,…) and finally a cocktail by the river! Ron has set up a payment function on WeChat (sometimes tense) and given Reiner a few more China tips.

Thank you Ron until next year!! Our hotel room is located in the 26th. Floor

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