Chinese New Year and Xi'an
Hello
and happy new year
Two important things....
this is quite something being here in Beijing at New Years
It sounds like a war zone if I knew what one sounded like...from 6:00 until midnight apparently the fireworks are just a blazing....we went out for a walk and saw about 15 different families or groups setting off fireworks.....and not just one or two bangs...a whole series of them...high in the sky....low to the ground...fizzlers......shooting stars.....exploding stars...firetruck patrolling the perimeter of the village....dogs barking.....cars alarm systems going off because of the noise....and they keep lighting them up right beside the vehicles....small little kids holding unusual types....colourful....
Second thing....I have had nothing but problems with Rogers and my cell phone and I think fate has finally interevened...I washed it and I think it is KAPUT.....so long and good riddance.
Good news and bad news...good news the phone still works...bad news....I still will be dealing with Rogers until the November anniversary date...
Merle and I went into town on Sunday to take our trip to Beijing...thought we might do a little shopping as well....left a little early and then found the Silk Market was not open...so we had dinner at a place called Steak and Eggs...it is run by a fellow from Nova Scotia, I think....and you get good Canadian meals.....at a little more than Chinese prices....we splurged and even had dessert...
Left by subway...a bit of a learning experience.....and arrived fairly close to the train station where we caught a cab to the train station....it is good to carry my That's Beijing book so we can point to where we want to go and the book has it in Chinese...arrived early and caught up on some nap time.....we left on an overnight train to Xi'an....on a four bed soft sleeper so to speak...it was very difficult to sleep on the train.....the other tow people in our compartment were from Austrailia and we had a couple of hours of talk before we tried to go to sleep...next day I noticed a guy's hat from Chicago...yep he was a White Sox fan...he even knew where Saskatchewan was
Funny....Xi'an is a place of about 5 million people and I don't ever recall hearing of it as a big city in the world and there are many like that here......but 5 million in Canada would be our biggest city and yet the people know about our Torontos and Montreals and Vancouvers...heck even Calgarys.....our tour guide in Xi'an (Liu) said that there is a city in China of about 35 million....all of Canada in one city....puts things somewhat in perspective....
Arrived there and the guide remembered me from our previous trip...I promised I would not get lost this time..he really is good...I think he is starting up his own company....had some good suggestions and contacts from him if I decide to go to Mount Everest and also the Yangtze River tour....he said he will give me his web site and will contact me about the best times etc so we will see what transpires in the next few months.....he also took me to a merchant who sold me some of those big Chinese lanterns that hang from the stores...I bought 4 of them...he did the dealing for me...he was funny.
We toured the wall and walked on top of it.....it is about 10 metres wide....got a little history of it...you could actually bike around it....if you had the time...then we went to eat...at a very good restaurant....then off to see the Terra Cottee warriors and Horses...and it still is impressive (even a second time)...I was able to get a second set of figures for 5 RMB ...the last time, I paid 30 for the same thing....am I a bargainer or what.....but I really did not want a second set but said if he has going to sell, it would be at my price....I sure fooled him....then the rest of our tour all got theirs for 5....they learned quickly....last time it started at 50 and worked down to 10...this must be the winter season.......
Came back to eat at a dumpling restaurant and had about 15 different types.....I was able to fill up on dumplings...there were some that were more tasty than others.....a good meal though...then we took a taxi to the Water Fountain to Music display in the town square...it lasted about 40 minutes....water shoots in the air in all sorts of combinations over an area about 1 square block.....all choreagraphed to music...the two people we went with to the area were from Finland and Sweden....had a good chat with them about hockey.
The next day we went to theWild Goose Pagoda where there were actual monks living and "working"...they have a story for everything here...a dead goose falls out of the sky and all of a sudden there is a legend that develops.....and it happens a lot.....then on to the Museum and even though it was half closed for renovations we could hardly see all of it in a quick walk around...lots of interesting pieces of history...they, at one time had the Peking man on display but when the Japanese invaded, the artifact went missing.....still shooting off fireworks here.....it's how many days after NEW YEARS....after dinner we toured a Mosque and then took in the Muslim section of the city...bought some dried Kiwi and some pistachios at the open market....got the big lanterns onto the airplane and got home about 9:30 on Tuesday (could see some fireworks still going off from the airplane)....Eric was there to meet us....he is a reliable driver
Today was an R and R day...Merle was able to contact her son and talk with his family and give him the details of her return on Saturday...she is going to need an Airbus to take back all the stuff....just kidding......did some wash...slept in....will go out for a Korean hotpot tonight with Jennifer and her parents and Jill and Kris who are back as well....Don and Eve Skyped us and will arrive back Saturday or Sunday....Bob returns on Thursday I think...can't get my pictures to go onto the computer and want to get the other one I brought to be our stereo but can't seem to get it up to speed...remember I said I was not computer literate....going into town one more time to do some shopping...and then that should be it....
Weather is beginning to get warmer...so looks like spring and then the hot summer is on its way...haven't heard back from the fellow in charge of the Great Wall marathon...it's a tour operator's thing and I know they want to make money on it...as part of a tour...so am not sure if they want peasants entering the run....got an email from my referee friends in Moncton...they say that they still want me back to do some more games...nice to know...
and happy new year
Two important things....
this is quite something being here in Beijing at New Years
It sounds like a war zone if I knew what one sounded like...from 6:00 until midnight apparently the fireworks are just a blazing....we went out for a walk and saw about 15 different families or groups setting off fireworks.....and not just one or two bangs...a whole series of them...high in the sky....low to the ground...fizzlers......shooting stars.....exploding stars...firetruck patrolling the perimeter of the village....dogs barking.....cars alarm systems going off because of the noise....and they keep lighting them up right beside the vehicles....small little kids holding unusual types....colourful....
Second thing....I have had nothing but problems with Rogers and my cell phone and I think fate has finally interevened...I washed it and I think it is KAPUT.....so long and good riddance.
Good news and bad news...good news the phone still works...bad news....I still will be dealing with Rogers until the November anniversary date...
Merle and I went into town on Sunday to take our trip to Beijing...thought we might do a little shopping as well....left a little early and then found the Silk Market was not open...so we had dinner at a place called Steak and Eggs...it is run by a fellow from Nova Scotia, I think....and you get good Canadian meals.....at a little more than Chinese prices....we splurged and even had dessert...
Left by subway...a bit of a learning experience.....and arrived fairly close to the train station where we caught a cab to the train station....it is good to carry my That's Beijing book so we can point to where we want to go and the book has it in Chinese...arrived early and caught up on some nap time.....we left on an overnight train to Xi'an....on a four bed soft sleeper so to speak...it was very difficult to sleep on the train.....the other tow people in our compartment were from Austrailia and we had a couple of hours of talk before we tried to go to sleep...next day I noticed a guy's hat from Chicago...yep he was a White Sox fan...he even knew where Saskatchewan was
Funny....Xi'an is a place of about 5 million people and I don't ever recall hearing of it as a big city in the world and there are many like that here......but 5 million in Canada would be our biggest city and yet the people know about our Torontos and Montreals and Vancouvers...heck even Calgarys.....our tour guide in Xi'an (Liu) said that there is a city in China of about 35 million....all of Canada in one city....puts things somewhat in perspective....
Arrived there and the guide remembered me from our previous trip...I promised I would not get lost this time..he really is good...I think he is starting up his own company....had some good suggestions and contacts from him if I decide to go to Mount Everest and also the Yangtze River tour....he said he will give me his web site and will contact me about the best times etc so we will see what transpires in the next few months.....he also took me to a merchant who sold me some of those big Chinese lanterns that hang from the stores...I bought 4 of them...he did the dealing for me...he was funny.
We toured the wall and walked on top of it.....it is about 10 metres wide....got a little history of it...you could actually bike around it....if you had the time...then we went to eat...at a very good restaurant....then off to see the Terra Cottee warriors and Horses...and it still is impressive (even a second time)...I was able to get a second set of figures for 5 RMB ...the last time, I paid 30 for the same thing....am I a bargainer or what.....but I really did not want a second set but said if he has going to sell, it would be at my price....I sure fooled him....then the rest of our tour all got theirs for 5....they learned quickly....last time it started at 50 and worked down to 10...this must be the winter season.......
Came back to eat at a dumpling restaurant and had about 15 different types.....I was able to fill up on dumplings...there were some that were more tasty than others.....a good meal though...then we took a taxi to the Water Fountain to Music display in the town square...it lasted about 40 minutes....water shoots in the air in all sorts of combinations over an area about 1 square block.....all choreagraphed to music...the two people we went with to the area were from Finland and Sweden....had a good chat with them about hockey.
The next day we went to theWild Goose Pagoda where there were actual monks living and "working"...they have a story for everything here...a dead goose falls out of the sky and all of a sudden there is a legend that develops.....and it happens a lot.....then on to the Museum and even though it was half closed for renovations we could hardly see all of it in a quick walk around...lots of interesting pieces of history...they, at one time had the Peking man on display but when the Japanese invaded, the artifact went missing.....still shooting off fireworks here.....it's how many days after NEW YEARS....after dinner we toured a Mosque and then took in the Muslim section of the city...bought some dried Kiwi and some pistachios at the open market....got the big lanterns onto the airplane and got home about 9:30 on Tuesday (could see some fireworks still going off from the airplane)....Eric was there to meet us....he is a reliable driver
Today was an R and R day...Merle was able to contact her son and talk with his family and give him the details of her return on Saturday...she is going to need an Airbus to take back all the stuff....just kidding......did some wash...slept in....will go out for a Korean hotpot tonight with Jennifer and her parents and Jill and Kris who are back as well....Don and Eve Skyped us and will arrive back Saturday or Sunday....Bob returns on Thursday I think...can't get my pictures to go onto the computer and want to get the other one I brought to be our stereo but can't seem to get it up to speed...remember I said I was not computer literate....going into town one more time to do some shopping...and then that should be it....
Weather is beginning to get warmer...so looks like spring and then the hot summer is on its way...haven't heard back from the fellow in charge of the Great Wall marathon...it's a tour operator's thing and I know they want to make money on it...as part of a tour...so am not sure if they want peasants entering the run....got an email from my referee friends in Moncton...they say that they still want me back to do some more games...nice to know...
posted by 12thhobo | 3:37 AM
1 Comments:
Happy New Years to you to Gold Leader. Should you have a new name like Golden Sun Leader?
Post a Comment
<< Home