We leave for Tibet by train on Tuesday, Halloween; its a 36 hour ride, hard sleeper for $ 90 each and a required special permit, $140 each.(Ouch!) We learned some more about the train. It isn't pressurized but all the cars are fed oxygen to ease passage over the some passes that go 5000 meters plus. Apparently only the the kitchen car is pressurized because water boils at such a low temperature, at those altitudes they can't cook much otherwise. Lhasa is at 3700 meters. Cross our fingers we can adjust to the altitude. Other travellers who have made the trip are encouraging and reassuring.
Xian (6.6 million) has lots of culture and history to experience; the Army of the Terra Cotta Warriors is extraordinary and the no expense is spared by the Chinese in the interpretation and presentation of the 8000 strong ceramic army discovered by a farmer digging a well in 1974. Three massive but tasteful buildings cover the sites amidst gardens and shopping malls. The army of Chinese and foreign tourists dwarfs the ceramic army.
Had our first bus adventure on the return from the site (which is 50 km out of the city) After choking on diesel fumes most of the way back, the engine finally quit in a cloud of smoke. Fortunately we were into the city by then and the 18 of us foreigners were able to flag down cabs to complete the trip.
We note that Asians often introduce themselves with their "English names" We met "Lisa" the university student counsellor on the train and it is nice to be able to remember her name and probably nicer for her that we don't butcher her Chinese name in attempting the pronounciation. We haven't figured out how they determine their English names (maybe gerry s knows) but the manager of our hotel is either really lucky or really clever (probably the latter) in having the name Jim Beam. The taxi drivers all know the address and the tourists don't forget the name when word of mouth of this fine budget hotel is passed around.
The city has a sizeable Muslim quarter (from the its days as crossroad on the silk road to Persia and Rome) Fun to wander the old streets and the food is an adventure. We exaggerated the beer prices in an earlier email. Been drinking them in the hotel at 5 yuan, 70 cents each, still not bad, and at 4%, we can handle more than a few.
Time to check the scoreboard. Can the Riders surprise??
1 comment:
We have a fresh blanket of snow here this halloween day. The temperature is hovering somewhere between -3 and -5. As the ground freezes there is increased access to good firewood. I intend to get the outdoor boiler fired up today.
I can't wait to see some of the images from Xian!
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