tbaroundtheworld

I don’t think I will ever tire of visiting the Terracotta Warriors - they are such an inspiring sight and each time standing before them promises new discoveries. Our second day began with the intrepid Lily and her amazing wealth of knowledge about the region and its history. This time she and I had a long discussion about the cave houses common to this region. I told her that I’d actually seen some still in use during my visit to Datong last week. She said she was surprised as here in Shaanxi they are most relegated to use as storerooms or pig sties. I didn’t quite get the significance of the latter but also didn’t ask. I suppose the pigs with their sensitive skin and acute intelligence would appreciate having a home out of the sun and sporting a year-around temperature of 65 degrees. We also talked about why the home province to Xi’an – Shaanxi – has two A’s while its eastern neighbor – Shanxi – has only one. The answer didn’t go beyond the explanation for the single A version which ...

Ah Xi’an, Pearl of the Orient! Well, that sobriquet is perhaps better applied to Shanghai or Hong Kong, but for me Xi’an will always be my pearl. It’s the ideal city in my book, home to a modest 8 million inhabitants and the center of the earliest civilized culture in China. As a history lover, Xi’an is like a theme park, with one grand attraction after another. And even though this was my third visit in 7 months, I could go three more times in the next 7 and be perfectly happy. Between the peaceful splendor of the Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the staggering majesty of the Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an has everything I like. We arrived and were retrieved by the intrepid guide Lily – no haggling with thieving Shaanxi cab drivers this time. I planned it this way because Lily had been bugging me to visit the Hanyangling Museum which is conveniently located on the airport road into town. On my previous visits I’d always been on the far side of the county so a visit was difficult. This time we...

We’d arranged a driver to take us out to the Great Wall and we went downstairs a few minutes early to see if he was there. I saw a Chinese man with one of those goofy Bluetooth earpieces and thought for a moment that it might be him but he made no sign of knowing us so we went outside to wait. The pickup time was set for 9:00 and at 8:45 my kid Gwynn asked me if that was my phone ringing in my messenger bag. It was, and when I answered it a Chinese person began talking and I got flummoxed and told him that he had the wrong number. While I can generally get things done face to face, phone conversations with strangers remain beyond my ken. I hung up and went back to waiting. Thirty seconds later it rang again and this time it was someone speaking a mixture of English and Chinese. I tried again and they told me to speak English which I did. The man on the line told me that my driver was here waiting in the lobby. I told him we were standing outside. Gwynn told me to turn around and there,...

My kid’s plane was due to arrive at 2:50 so after a double breakfast (I do this when traveling in order to skip lunch) I went out to wander the streets. I had no plan so the moment I cleared the hotel entrance I found an empty bench in the shade and sat down. There were plenty of options but none terribly appealing as it was hotter than Hades despite being only 8:30. The sun, an unusual sight here in Beijing, was beating down on my head with an intense fury making me wish I had a ball cap. Even if it painted me as a western tourist dweeb. Lots of young women in China wear them, tucking their pony tail through the hole in the back but the only men you see are either chain smoking tattooed Eurotrash in cargo shantz or American frat boy lacrosse players here for a demonstration match. I didn’t fit either bill so I filed that thought while I sat there looking up and down the 3rd Ring Road. One choice was to go and find Panjianyuan, the giant outdoor antiquities market. I’d been told about ...

Well here I am again off on an adventure. Tonight I’m sitting in the Renaissance lounge in Beijing, waiting for my eldest to arrive (tomorrow.) The main difference between this trip and the last is the temperature – it’s summertime here in Northern China and it’s pushing 90. What’s interesting is that just across the Bohai Sea where I live it’s still cold and rainy and we’re waiting for spring to arrive. The hotel is crowded with airline people tonight. Normally they spend their layover at the JW Marriott, a much fancier hotel that is closer to the airport. But tonight they’re downscale because Hillary Clinton is in town for strategic talks with the Chinese government and her contingent of 200 took over that hotel. So tonight I have the opportunity to listen to pilots talk about routes and overtime and where they’ve spent the night. One is sitting across the room running down his wife to a female colleague, and I’m wondering where that might be heading. It can’t be good for a guy to de...

The city of Datong is situated high on the western loess plains of Shanxi province, hard on the border with Inner Mongolia. It has played a significant role in the ancient history of China, starting first with the very beginnings of human habitation in the valley of the Yellow River. From there it was the seat of government for the Northern Wei dynasty, an empire created by a Turkic people known as the Toba who were committed Buddhists and responsible for what has become the major draw to the area - the Yungang Grottoes. Today Datong is the chief supplier of coal and electricity to the northern part of the country and because of this it’s a dirty, dusty town and not on the itinerary of many tour companies. And due to its location and its lowly status as a travel destination, there is but one flight per day leaving Beijing at 7:25AM and arriving an hour later. This meant a night in what’s quickly becoming one of my favorite cities – I’m now known by name at my favorite hotel and I’ll ta...