Xi'an and Cheng'du

Hey Guys!

Thanx for all the great responses! Nice to know that you follow and enjoy our stories :-)

So we arrived in Xi'an, completely exhausted and with massive bags under our eyes, trying to find a place with Wifi to get our directions to the hotel. With some much needed help we eventually got it and when we arrived at the hotel we both jumped on the bed to get some propper sleep. It was so nice to be in a private room for a change, that we decided to enjoy it to the max. So we got some food and installed us for the rest on the evening in the room to watch a weird Chinese movie. Hey, when in Rome....The next day we changed to a hostel where we just chilled and did some research to go to Mt. Hua Shan, where the plank walk is located. As some of you know it has been on my bucket list for quite a while now, so I was really looking forward to it. Because of the price and also because mountains are not really Fleur's thing, she decided to stay home. So the next morning I got up very early to join the tour to mt. Hua Shan and I had a fantastic day! The beginning was a bit of a downer, no english speaking guide (while prommised), only azian tourists, no lunch included (was also prommised) and extra money had to be payed because it was to busy. Redicoulous ofcourse, but I decided to let it go and handle that when I was back in the hostel. The rest of the day was amazing! The mountain has 5 peaks and is famous for its many stairs and dangerous walking roads, with the plank walk as the most crazy of them all. It is right under the highest (south) peak and it consists of a wooden plank, edged in the mountain wall. To get there you have to go down a crack between 2 rocks with only small iron bars to hold your grip. All of this with a continuous drop of 700 or more below you...what a rush! Ofcourse I was secured the entire way, but still a lot of people sweat there hands of while doing this track. The view, feeling and experience makes everything worth it though, and there was not a single moment that I was scared, just having a lot of fun! And as soon as the hostel heard that I had to pay extra, they refunded the extra money, so that was sorted. Fleur stayed in Xi'an that day, visiting some of the local sightseeings which were also really nice. Since we only had 2 days in Xi'an, we went to the Terracotta Army the next day, because you cannot miss that when you are in China. It is fantastic to see the statues, none of them look alike, because the emperor had the artist killed if that was the case. The first emperor of  china had them made so that he could rule in his afterlife. The builders of his tombe were also burried with it (sometimes alive) to keep its secrets. The tombe of the emperor itself has not even been opened yet, because we do not have the techology yet to savely get passed the boobytraps or to secure its original colours...How crazy is that?? Overall it is very impressive and a definite must see!

The next destination was Cheng'du and because we learned from the last time, we booked a hard sleeper. But as it turned out you can always learn more, because appearantly there is also a difference in which level bed you book. We did not know that, so we got the upper (third level) beds. Now picture yourself sitting in a space not higher than your shoulders, 2 meters above ground while your feet hang overboard when you lay down...Got it? So then you know that some improvement can be made here. However, a bed is always better than a seat, so we were happy with it. In Cheng'du we had a really nice hostel with good tours, so we immediatly enlisted ourselfs for the pandatour the next morning. They are sooo cute!! Because the tour was allowed in before the opening, we saw the Giant Panda's when the're most active, during breakfast. Then they lay on their backs with huge piles of bamboo on their stomach, eating the whole time. It is a pretty funny thing to see. The park is beautifull and all there money is put into the research and the breeding of the panda, really a good cause. In the evening we went on a bike tour through the city, we're still dutchies, and met a lot of other travelers. In China it is very common for women to dance in the parks in the evening, so when we came across a big group we decided to join. Let me tell you it is harder than it looks, but also a lot of fun. Can recommend everyone to try it when you're there. After the biketour we went clubbing with the same group and had a great night with even more dancing, but this time in the club. The day after was a typical "not doing anything but the nescesary" day: we fixed our tablet (only 1 hour at a repair shop of samsung, we can learn something from that in the netherlands!) And watched a serie. On our last day in Cheng'du we went to the Giant Buddha of Leshuan and the Buddha park. The way there was an adventure, because first we were seated in the wrong bus (almost ended up at Hua Shan again) and when we were in the right bus, we sat on an extremely loose bench with fish in plastic bags behind us. So everytime we went over a bump, you heard: squeeuk-ouch-haha-blup....really works on your laughing muscels. The park was really pretty with hundreds of Buddha statues, variating between 1 and 100 meters high or wide. Highlight was ofcourse the Giant Buddha of Leshuan, carved completely out of the rock. He was very impressive, you feel like a tiny ant standing next to it. After this visit it was time to say goodbye to Cheng'du and take the train (this time we did have the middle beds!) to Kunming.

And from Kunming Fleur will tell you more about the last days in China and the first weeks in Vietnam. Stay tuned!

Big hugs!
Janneke