I was looking forward to leaving Beijing, but to be honest, I wasn't too enthralled about going to Xi'an. With Xi'an having a pretty central location in China I was originally going to use it as a base to visit the rainbow mountains of Zhangye in the north-west, and Chengdu to the south-east. However, once again the Chinese National Holidays and fully booked trains put an end to those ideas.
Actually, I tell a lie.. the train to Chengdu wasn't 100% fully booked, I could have taken the 15 hour overnight train, but if I did I'd have to do it standing. Guess which two words I used when I found that out?!
I got myself up early on Thursday morning in Beijing feeling a little groggy from the previous night after probably having a few too many scoops than I should of had. I headed to the Beijing West Train Station to catch my first high-speed train which departed just before 7.00am. Although I was sandwiched between two Chinese people, the journey was pretty sweet to be fair, apart from the fella's breath to my right being so stale it almost melted my face! It was seriously rapid too.. the screen in the carriage had the train topping out at 308kph!
I arrived in Xi'an just over 4 hours later at the North Train Station. The city may be less well known than the likes of Shanghai and Beijing but the size of the station would suggest otherwise.. it was massive!
I jumped on the subway for around half an hour before hopping off at Bell Tower, the centre of Xi'an. It was grey, dull and smoggy. A few minutes later I'd arrived at the Han Tang Inn Hostel where I'd spend the next 2 days.
I'd arranged to meet up with Lizzy and Olivia who I'd met on the Great Wall of China Tour and were also staying at the same hostel as me. However, they had arrived earlier in the day and were already out seeing the sights.
While pondering over what to do with my time in Xi'an, and thinking it will most likely be pretty quiet, a big rowdy tour group marched into the hostel, and five of them would be sharing a dorm room with me.. all Brits! Happy days!
After barely meeting a soul who could speak English during my time in China so far, other than the likes of Lizzy and Olivia, meeting Nick, Shannon, Tia, Grace and Emma was a breath of fresh air.
They were on a package tour of China, only going in the opposite direction to me, which was a shame because it almost felt like I'd integrated into their tour group by the end of the next two days.
It was mid-afternoon when I met up with Lizzy and Olivia in the hostel bar. It was great to see them again, and sitting with them was a random Chinese guy who looked at me and blurted out, "Fatty".
"You cheeky %#¥$!" I thought while looking down at my waistline. I've barely put on a pound while I've been travelling, if anything I've lost a few.
"No no nooooooo! That is my name", he went on to explain in broken English with a typical Chinese accent.
"Really?" This is the second time I've met a "Fatty" on my travels. Apparently, this was his English name which he actually chose for himself. When I asked him why he chose this name, he responded by saying, "because it's cute."
"Ok pal." Raising an eyebrow and shaking my head in disbelief.
The guy was harmless and sound to be fair and proved to be amusingly entertaining with his efforts of learning English.. and he proved to be a great translator when the four of us headed down to the Muslim Quarter where the food markets were.
We wandered past both the Bell and Drum Tower's on route to the markets, and of course the streets were heaving.. it was still "National Holidays!" Blahhhhhh
Lizzy and Olivia went ape-s*** for the markets which were full of tat. The food markets in the Muslim Quarter were far more interesting and probably the truest reflection of what living in China is all about.
The interchanging built up streets, no bigger than an alley-way, were bustling and packed to the rafters, to a point where you'd have to tip-toe around. Everything was in full view - meat being hacked apart, offal being separated, huge cow livers boiling in ginormous bubbling pots the size of wheelie-bins. Pigs heads, chicken heads, chicken feet, octopus', and hanging carcasses were all on display. There were tons of folk attempting to ride clapped-out rusty scooters through a sea of immovable bodies.. the damn horn doesn't make a difference! The smell of spices, stray dogs, exhaust fumes, raw meat, and meat being seared on hot plates amalgamated in to one intoxicating confusion.
I breathed a massive sigh of relief when I emerged from the opposite end, it was a suffocating immersion into Chinese life condensed into a couple of hours. The spicy potatoes I got tempted into buying were a right touch though and left my tongue numb with flavour.
We headed back to the hostel for the remainder of the evening where we grabbed a bite, had a few beers, and played some pool and table tennis.
I had a top laugh with Lizzy and Olivia.. they're two great girls, so it was a shame they were leaving the next morning. There's a possibility I may catch up with them both in Adelaide when I go back to Australia in December so I wished them farewell and headed to bed.
The British rabble were still awake so there was no chance of getting some shut-eye anytime soon. Some hilarious bedtime natter and horrendous "would you rather" questions kept us awake past midnight.
The whole room woke early the following morning. We were all paying a visit to see the Terracotta Warriors, only I'd be making my own way there since it was part of their tour.
The Terracotta Army protects the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di. Platoons of clay soldiers were buried with China's first emperor to accompany him during his eternal rest. The whole site was discovered in 1974 when workers came across a life-size clay soldier poised for battle, while digging a well. They found not one, but thousands of clay soldiers, each with unique facial expressions and positioned according to rank.
Once again, I thought I had things sussed by catching an early bus and arriving at the site before 9.00am. Nope!! It was already choca, even at that time of the morning.
I've visited many historical/cultural hotspots already on my travels and similar to those, this place was another massive tourist trap, maybe even more so than any of the others.
There's quite a walk to the entrance from the car park/drop-off area where it's just flooded with stalls upon stalls of food, drink and anything remotely related to the Terracotta Warriors.
There are 3 "pits" were the Warriors are on display, Pit 1 being the biggest, and it is absolutely massive, like an aeroplane hanger. However, it was absolute carnage! The amount of Chinese people in there was just insane, and all trying to push their way to the front to take some photos in the ill-mannered way that they do. It was dog-eat-dog!
I found fighting fire with fire was the best method. They seemed shocked to see the white English boy stand his ground and push them back even harder. Move!
I'd like to say I enjoyed it, but I can't. I can appreciate how impressive these things were and the history behind it, but I'd had enough. I got myself out of there, jumped on the bus and was back in Xi'an for 11.00am where I treated myself to a slap up Chinese meal of sweet and sour pork, with salt and pepper potatoes.
I later found out that approximately 100,000 people were visiting the Terracotta Warriors site every single day throughout the National Holidays.. absolutely crazy!
Once the guys came back from their tour, we got on the drink in the evening. Being showed how to make dumplings by the hostel staff was fun.. we helped to make a large batch which were cooked for us to share between ourselves. The silly boy came out in me by attempting to break the rules and create an oversized dumpling, which of course I got my hand slapped for by their gay Chinese tour guide. Soz!
We sank more alcohol, and their guide laced us with shot after shot into the early hours of the morning. Great laugh!
The guys were up at the crack of dawn as they were on the move to their next destination.. with a fuzzy head, I said goodbye to them all. It was sad to see them leave because I had an absolute scream with them in such a short space of time.. they're a great bunch of people with a proper English sense of humour, something I've missed so far during my time in China.
But "the show must go on" as they say.. not until I had a few more hours kip like. I had a train booked out of Xi'an just before 12.00pm so I had plenty of time. Sleeping through my alarm took a big chunk out of that though.
I woke up at 10.30am.. still plenty of time to make my way to the North Train Station about 30km's away you'd think? Nope, not in Xi'an! My heavy head didn't fancy the subway, so I ordered a Didi to pick me up, the Chinese version of Uber.
Horrendous traffic didn't see me arrive until 5 minutes before my train departed. Scurrying around like an idiot didn't help, nor did the security bag checks or having to collect my ticket. Added to the fact my inability to read a Chinese train ticket to know which platform to head to, in what felt like the world's biggest train station.. I had no chance!
I was supposed to be going to Huashan, only a half-hour trip on a high-speed train. However, needless to say, I missed it. With my tail between my legs, I had to catch the subway back to the centre of Xi'an and work out a new way of getting to Huashan since all the trains were fully booked because of, yeh you guessed it, "National Holidays."
A few hours later following a grotty bus ride, I'd arrived in Huashan, a small mountain town east of Xi'an. I'd never heard of it until it was recommended to me by Emma, my "go-to" travel guide who I met at the start of my travels in Brazil all those months ago. She said the five peaks of Mount Huashan were a "must-see", and since the National Holidays had scuppered my original plans, I decided to put all my trust in Emma's advice and stay for 2 nights.
Mount Huashan is one of China's Five Great Sacred Mountains and is known to be one of the most dangerous treks in the world due to its near-perpendicular cliffs, narrow steps and steep ladders carved into rocks.
The town was tiny and very little to it. There was one long, straight road on a slight incline with many Chinese restaurants and shops on either side, one after the other, which lead to the foot of the mountain. I'd booked into a cheap hotel there purely for its location which was only accessible via walking through a small mini-mart.
I didn't see another white person for 2 days, nor did I speak any English. Pointing and using "Google Translate" was my only means of communication. And I was stared at a lot.. but in a more harmless and intriguing way by comparison to the likes of Beijing.
A lovely family in the restaurant next door cooked me a tasty Kung Po Chicken and fried rice dish before I decided to crash for the night. They were so nice to me.. probably the nicest Chinese people I'd met, yet neither of us understood one another. Ha!
I got myself up early the following morning to begin my trek of Mount Huashan. I'd stocked up on snacks, sugar, energy drinks and plenty of water, and I was at the foot of the mountain at the beginning of the trek at 6.45am.
There are cable cars which can take you up to the peaks from nearby east and west points but I fancied walking.. unusual I know, especially as Emma told me it was a tough climb from bottom to top with a lot of steps.
I set off in the dark amongst the haze, a little bummed due to it being so cloudy as I'd been told the scenery is breathtaking. I couldn't see further than 20metres ahead never mind even see where the mountain was. Ah well, it will at least be a good workout I thought.
I know Emma mentioned there would be a lot of steps, but I didn't realise there would be as many as there was. Not just any old steps.. slippy, narrow, and ridiculously steep steps which climbed way beyond my eyesight. They were insane and stupidly treacherous.. there was so many "F-ME!!!" moments. At certain points there was steps carved into big vertical rocks with only a chain to hold on to, to help pull yourself up and also stop you from falling. Just crazy!
Within half an hour sweat was streaming from my brow.. I was drenched! It was tough going but I marched on at a good pace.
I only saw a handful of Chinese people every now and again. There was a few others selling things at makeshift stalls, as well as a few park wardens dotted around, but that was it.. it was perfect.
The cloud wasn't budging.. I was already 2 hours into the trek and must have climbed thousands of steps.. I was getting my workout though.
But then I stopped for a moment on some steps and happened to look above. No way, blue sky! Like pure blue sky! I was buzzing.. and from then on I was on a mad mission to get up those steps as fast as I possibly could to get to some sort of vantage point.
I began to realise I'd climbed that many steps I was actually above the clouds, and above the miserable grey weather over Huashan town. With every step I climbed, the views were getting more and more impressive, until I finally arrived at my first peak, the North Peak, and WOW, it was just unbelievable! It was like walking out into a fairytale.. the morning sun was bright and warm, the skies were piercing blue, and the surrounding peaks of Mount Huashan were now visible, poking through the surrounding blanket of fluffy white cloud.
It was like I'd entered into a whole new world, like a fantasy world above the clouds, because there was nothing else in sight.. just pure blue and white.
It was just the most amazing reward for all those thousands of steps I'd climbed whilst having to deal with the pain of lactic acid constantly building up in my legs. It was totally worth it, I felt ontop of the world.. and I literally was!
I've always had a hatred for trekking, and to be fair I've done quite a lot on my travels so far. I'd always moan, I'd find it boring, I'd just want it to end, however, this was on another level, it felt like I'd earned it, and when the views are this stunning, how could I not enjoy it.
I'd already done the majority of the hard work but there was still four other peaks to see and a hell of a lot more steps to climb.
The steps remained steep, the peaks became higher, and the views became even more jaw-dropping. Every peak had an incredible view, however my favourite moment came when I arrived at the summit of the East Peak where I was the only person present. I grabbed my hoody, sat down on a rock, and tucked in to a packet of crisps while admiring the panoramic beauty of what was before me.. I was completely content. These are the moments I came travelling for. Goosebumps!
There is one particular section of the trek which I was disappointed not to try out. Due to high winds on the South Peak, the "Plank Road in the Sky" was closed because it would be too dangerous. Gutted!
The "plank road" is basically a man-made pathway of planks no wider than a metre, attached to the sheer-faced cliffs of the South Peak with only a chain to hold on to. There's a mandatory harness that you must hire which clips you to the side of the mountain, below is a 7,000ft vertical drop, and it's a two-way path.. clipping and unclipping is conpletely in your own hands. It would have been mental to give it a go and a serious buzz, however the decision was unfortunate taken out of my hands.
The South Peak is the highest of the five topping out at 2154m but by the time I'd made it, there was a large melee of people around the summit.
I quickly moved on to the West Peak, and then that was me done.. the five peaks of Mount Huashan conquered! It had been estimated that it would take 6-8 hours to complete the trek, however I absolutely smashed it in 4 hours which I was chuffed about, especially as I'd thought my fitness had waned somewhat since not being able to train properly for 8 months.
I had planned on taking the cable car from the West Peak back down to Huashan as Emma had told me it was amazing, but unfortunately due to the high winds it was closed. I either had to walk all the way back down that ridiculous number of steps, or walk half-way down to the North Peak and jump on the cable car from there. I chose the latter to give my poor knees a little respect. It was still a hell of a descent down to the North Peak though.
I caught the cable car back down the mountain, through the clouds, and back to the dull grey of Huashan town. I was back at my hotel by 12 noon, pretty knackered but still buzzing from what I had just experienced.
Never in a million years did I expect to see what I saw.. my mind was truly blown. It's probably one of the best things I have ever done/seen in my life, and something that I'll never forget. Thanks Emma for the amazing recommendation, you were right!
I grabbed a much needed shower, carbed up at the restaurant next door again, and then got myself an early night. I slept well!!!!
The following morning I caught a packed scraggy bus back to Xi'an which was full of Chinese people. There was only one seat left when I got on the bus.. right in the middle of the back row, sandwiched between a family. Christ!
I checked in to the Han Tang Inn Hostel again for one night, same room, same bed, and did absolutely nothing for the remainder of the day. I tell a lie, I paid a quick visit to McDonalds! I've eaten that much Chinese food over the past 2 weeks, I'm now sick of it. And I actually prefer the Chinese food from back home than I do here.. it's less fatty, it's not as oily, it's not full of bones that could choke you to death, and more importantly, it tastes better!
Another early get up for me in the morning, I've a bus to catch that will take me to the airport. I'm flying to Hong Kong!
Oh yeh.. and the Chinese National Holidays have now finished..... just as I'm about to leave China! *insert numerous swear words here!!!!*
Zàijiàn xx