Spet doma

Iz Rusije nisem nič pisala, a to ne pomeni, da ni bila fantastična. Celo najbolj mi je bila všeč od vseh treh dežel. Po srečanju v Irkutsku sva se s Fabienom odpravila proti otoku Olkhon na Bajkalskem jezeru, ki je veliko za 1,5 Slovenije. Prečudovito. Tri dni na otoku nisva počela veliko, pa je čisto pasalo. Potem sva se vrnila v Irkutsk, ki leži ob reki Angara in je prav kul mesto. Nima ravno visokih zgradb, ker je menda na potresno občutljivem območju, in tudi sovjetskost še ni prišla do izraza. Potem pa na vlak! Tri dni in tri noči. Imela sva kupe samo za naju, čas pa sva preživela z branjem, klepetanjem, spanjem, pa tudi pivo ali dva sva popila. (no, malo vodke tudi, saj sva konec koncev v Rusiji:-)) Izstopila sva v Vladimirju, to je približno tri ure pred Moskvo, saj sva hotela videt eno od mestec ti. Zlatega obroča srednjveških mestec okoli Moskve. Suzdal je menda najbolj ohranjen in je resnično luškan. Vreme je bilo prečudovito, vroče in sončno, in stara arhitektura je Fabiena tako prevzela, da je fotografiral še več kot navadno. Že tam sem Rusijo krstila za neverjetno fotogenično, kar se je izkazalo tudi v Moskvi. Moskva je super. Spominja na Pariz, le brez Kitajcev in Severnoafričanov. Čudovito mesto in ljudje. Nato pa St. petersburg. 5 dni je ravno dovolj za obisk Katarininega  in Petrovega dvorca , Eremitaža, ki nama je vzel cel dan, pa še ostalih manj znanih delov mesta. Za konec pa še balet Giselle v znamenitem gledališču Mariinskiy. In to je bilo to. 7 čudovitih tednov.
Hvala, ker ste me brali  in upam, da že kmalu spet kam grem.

Divja dežela - Wild land

8.,9., 10. in 11. junij 

Ravno sem se vrnila iz divjine osrednje Mongolije. Kot sem omenila v prejšnjem zapisu, sem kupila 3 dni izletov v notranjost Mongolije. Prvi dan sem tako obiskala Terelj narodni park. 

Moj prvi sopotnik je bil Michael iz ZDA, veteran vietnamske vojne, bivši pilot, danes pa mirovni aktivist in popotnik. Njegove zgodbe bi lahko poslušala ure in ure.

Park je od mesta oddaljen le nekoliko več kot uro vožnje, a dovolj, da hrup in industrija mesta izgineta in ostane samo se čudovita narava.

Travnati hribi, nenavadne skalne oblike, čisti potoki, črede konj ter zelo malo ljudi. V parku je sicer nekaj turističnih kampov, a midva sva bila namenjena k družini, ki je poleg svoje jurte postavila še dve za goste, s čimer zasluži nekaj dodatnega denarja. V jurti je zelo malo pohištva, samo postelje, pečka na drva in miza.

Šla sva pohajkovat naokoli, po kosilu pa je sledil sprehod na konjskem hrbtu. Moj konjiček je bil trmaste narave, pa sem raje šla peš. A nič zato, je bilo drugih lepot dovolj.

Naslednje jutro smo se vrnili v UB, kjer je moral Michael na vlak, meni pa sta se pridružila Annie z Nove Zelandije in Halfdan z Danske. Tokrat je bila pot veliko daljša, saj smo šele pozno popoldne prispeli do jurte. Spali smo korak stran od najpomembnejšega mongolskega budističnega samostana, ki se imenuje Erdene Zuu.

Zgrajen pa je bil na mestu nekdanje prestolnice mongolskih kanov, Karakoruma. Od veličastnosti tega mesta ni  ostalo nič, a je samostan prečudovit in vsekakor vreden ogleda.

Naša jurta se skoraj v ničemer ni razlikovala od tiste, v kateri sem spala prejšnji večer. Gostiteljici je bilo ime Gaja in je s svojo prijaznostjo več kot dokazala, kar pravijo o gostoljubnosti in prijaznosti Mongolcev. Ne samo za goste, sama skrbi tudi za majhno prodajalno ročno izdelanih spominkov, kjer smo si vsi trije dali duška v zapravljanju.

Po večerji, ki začuda ni vsebovala mesa, (ta je skoraj simbol mongolske kuhinje) se nam je pridružil zelo star gospod v tradicionalnem kostumu, ki nam je zapel in odigral nekaj ljudskih mongolskih pesmi. Tako sem imela priliko slišati značilno mongolsko petje v živo.

Naslednji dan smo se zapeljali še globlje v divjino, v predel, ki mu rečejo mini Gobi, saj je prekrit s peskom in je res videti kot puščava.

Tu smo imeli možnost zlesti na kamelin hrbet. Tako sem prvič sedela na kameli z dvema grbama. Se mi zdi, da je bolj udobna, a morda nekoliko manjša od svoje enogrbe sorodnice.

To noč smo jurto delili se tremi mladeniči. Čudovit sončni zahod nad sipinami, igra kart, krasna druščina in požirek vodke so bile sestavine super zaključka krasnega dneva.

Zadnji dan, po vrnitvi v mesto, sem obiskala še mongolski prirodoslovni muzej, ki pa je bil eno veliko razočaranje.

Če ne bi razstavljenih dinozavrov nasli v tej deželi, res ne bil bil vreden obiska.

Tako - moj vlak proti Irkutsku odpelje ob 21.00. Mongolija in njeni ljudje so mi resnično všeč, a me daje radovednost, kako je v Rusiji. Fabien je že v Irkutsku, jaz pa bom tam v sredo zgodaj zjutraj. Res me čaka skoraj 36 ur voznje.

To je torej konec mojega solo potovanja. Neverjetna izkušnja, ki bi jo (in jo verjetno bom) rade volje ponovila.

8., 9., 10. 11th June 

I'm just back from the wilderness of the Central Mongolia. As I mentionned in the previous entry, I have bought a tour in a guesthouse and my first stop was in a Terelj National Park. First day I travelled with Michael from USA. The man was in Vietnam war, then he was working as a pilot and today he is a peace activist. I really met some interesting people on this journey!

We left early in the morning and already about 20 minutes later the city disappears and the beauty of Mongolian landscape starts to unveil itself. The Terelj National park is quite close to the city. It is a land of grassy hills, rock formations, clean streams and very few people. There are some tourist camps but we were guests of a family who just have put two additional gers next to their's and accepts guests for a small extra income. In the ger there were only beds, stove and a small table. Very simple but enough.

We went for a little hike and after lunch we were riding horses. Mine was stubborn creature and I really can t say I have enjoyed the experience, but being outside in the nature was just great.

Next morning we drove back to UB, where Michael had to catch a train and I picked up Annie from New Zealand and Halfdan from Danemark for next two days. This time the journey was much longer and only in the late afternoon we arrived to our ger. We were next door to the most important Buddhist monastery in the country, Erdene Zuu, which was built on the site of the ancient capital of Mongolia, Karakorum.

There is nothing left of this once big and important city, but the monastery is definitely worth a visit.

Our ger was nearly the same as the one of previous evening.Our host's name was Gaya and she took really good care of us. She also has a small souvenir shop with homemade products and I couldn t resist buying some:-)

After diner (which surprisingly didn't contain any meat and previously we were told that Mongolians mostly eat meat) a very old guy in a traditional costume came to sing a few traditional songs, which he played on a traditional instruments. That was my chance to hear a Mongolian throat singing.

The next day we drove even more into the wilderness into the area called mini Gobi where we slept. It was simply beautiful, sandy landscape. The tour also included an hour of ride on a two-humped Bactrian camel. It is more comfortable and somehow smaller then a one-humped one.

This time the three of us shared the ger with another group of three boys. Stunning sunset over the dunes, card game, great company and a shot of Mongolian vodka were the ingredients of a really great end of a perfect day.

Last day, back in the city, I visited the Mongolian Museum of Natural History which was disappointing. If those dinasours haven't been found right here in this country there would be really no reason for a visit.

My train to Irkutsk (36 hours) leaves at 21.00. I really love this country for its people and extraordinary nature, but I'm curious what lies ahead in Russia. Fabien is already there and me, I should arrive on Wednesday morning.

This is the end of my solo travelling part which was amazing experience. I would (and probably will:-)) go again.

Modro nebo nad Mongolijo - The blue sky of Mongolia

Ulan Bator, 6.6. 2012

Pa mi je uspelo. Sem v UlanBatorju. Po potovanju, ki je zahtevalo 4 menjave prevozov in približno 35 ur. A občutek je fantastičen! Tako sem se razveselila modrega neba nad Mongolijo (po grozljivem onesnaženem sivem zraku kitajskih mest), da sem ga dala kar v današnji  naslov...

Pa naj opišem tole odisejado, saj se sama težko verjamem, da se je res vse izšlo. Prav po žensko trmasto sem se odločila, da ne bom kupila neznosno drage direktne vozovnice Peking - Ulan Bator, ampak bom šla po delih. Najprej na nočni vlak iz Pekinga do Hohhota (še vedno na Kitajskem). 
Prav pred odhodom sem v hotelu spoznala nenavadno zanimivo skupino študentov, popotnikov, tujcev, od katerih nekateri v Pekingu delajo, drugi so se prišli učit kitajščine, tretji tavajo po mestu, ker čakajo na vizo za naslednjo destinacijo na večmesečnem potovanju ... skratka krasna druščina z vsega sveta, ki pa sem jo morala zapustit skoraj takoj potem, ko smo se spoznali.

Vlak je bil spet super, pa se prispel je v Hohhot pravočasno, kar mi je dalo ravno dovolj časa, da sem našla avtobusno postajo in kupila vozovnico za obmejno mesto Erenhot (ali tudi Erlian). Tam sem s pomočjo dveh fantov in ene mamce našla avtobus, ki vozi samo čez mejo in na katerem sem bila edina neKitajka oziroma neMongolka. To je verjetno zmedlo uradnika na meji, saj mi je pozabil zatežiti, zakaj nimam izhodne kartice (ki sem jo izgubila menda že drugi ali tretji dan in zaradi katere ti lahko, po pripovedovanju drugih popotnikov, kar zagrenijo izhod iz države). Novo sem tako izpolnila kar tam, potem sem se šla pokazat se Mongolcu in bila čez mejo. Vse skupaj je trajalo le malo več kot eno uro.

Avtobus je nato zapeljal do železniške postaje, kjer sem ujela lokalni nočni vlak do Ulan Batorja. 16 ur  na mongolskem vlaku -

bilo je, kot da bi zavrtela čas nazaj. Deli vlaka so leseni in postelje trde kot kamen, v kupeju je komaj kaj zraka, saj se okna le za silo odprejo. Vse se trese, da komaj stojiš, a vseeno je vse skupaj naravnost fantastično. Kupe sem delila s tremi Mongolci, ki so prav lepo pazili name. Eden od njih je znal celo angleško.

Skozi okno je bilo nekaj časa videti opustelo valovito pokrajino, nekoliko še poraslo s travo, kasneje pa en velik nič, razen peska! Bila sem na robu puščave Gobi in ob ritmičnem zvoku koles vlaka sem spala, kot da ne bi imela ene same skrbi pod soncem.

Zjutraj smo bili še vedno sredi ničesar, le vsake toliko se je pokazala vas, sestavljena iz nekaj jurt, pa morda čreda konjev ali ovac. Šele ko smo se približali mestu, je bilo opaziti več znakov življenja. 
Po prihodu sem se tudi tokrat peš odpravila iskat prenocišce. Mesto mi je bilo takoj všeč.

Seveda ne zaradi sovjetsko socialističnega sloga, ampak verjetno zato, ker se ljudje nasmihajo in so prijazni. Posteljo za to noč sem našla v starem socialističnem stanovanjskem bloku in šla takoj na lov za turo v notranjost Mongolije. Ker nimam veliko časa, moram teh nekaj dni čim bolje izkoristiti. Povprašam v dveh turističnih agencijah in se kar obrnem zaradi neznosno navitih cen. Potem pa si mislim: popotniki zagotovo ne plačajo teh cen, torej moram najti druge popotnike. Šla sem kar v prvi guesthouse in imela srečo. Našla sem, kar sem hotela, za ceno, ki mi je bila sprejemljiva. Grem že kar jutri. Obiskala bom Terelj park, nekdanjo prestolnico Karakorum, samostan Erdene Zuu  in mini Gobi.

Ulaanbaatar, 6th of June 

Well, I managed. I'm in Ulaanbaatar after 4 changes of transport and about 35 hours. It feels great! And I was so happy to see the blue sky after horrible grey polluted air of Chinese cities that I put it even into a title...

But let me describe this wild journey. Stubbornly I have decided not to take the obvious (but overpriced) train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar but rather do it in pieces. First I took a night train to Hohhot (still in China).

Just on my last day I met this super cool community of students and other young people who were all staying for longer time in Beijing, working as teachers, or studying Chinese, or just waiting around for a visa for next destination on their 6-month trip... Such a great group, and sadly I had to say goodbye almost immediately after we met...

The train journey was again very nice and comfortable and I arrived on time in Hohhot (7 something in the morning) which gave me just enough time to board a bus to a border town of Erenhot (or Erlian) where, with a help of some boys and older lady I got the bus which runs only across the border. I was the only Western person among the Chinese and Mongol people on the bus, which probably surprised the immigration officer, who should give me -according to other people's experience - a hard time because I lost my departure card. BUt he just gave me a blank one and stamped my passport. All in all it took only one hour to cross the border.

Once over there, the bus conveniently stops just in front of the train station and I was able to get the ticket for a night local train to Ulaanbaatar. Another 16 hours on a Mongolian train. It was like a step back in time. Wooden panels, 4 beds in a compartment, all shaky, no air, but just fantastic. My travel companions were three Mongolian men who were really courteous to me and one even spoke English. The landscape changed into grassland, some hills, then desert and after a while, into one big nothing. I was on the edge of Gobi desert and with the rithmic sound of the wheels,  I slept like I have not a single worry in the world!

In the morning we were still in the middle of nothing, with occasional village of gers visible from the window. And only when we approached the city there were some more signs of life. I immediately liked the city. It is a bit socialistic in style but feels nice. Maybe because people smile. I found my bed in a guesthouse in an old soviet apartment block and went hunting for a tour. As I have only 6 days I have to spend them smartly.

I asked in 2 agencies where the prices were so outrageously high then I just said thank you and goodbye. I'm saying to myself: well, backpackers certainly don't pay these prices. So, where do I find other backpackers. In other guesthouse. I went to the first one and was lucky. I found exactly what I wanted for a normal price. I'm off tomorrow to visit Terelj park, ancient capital of Kharkhorin, mini Gobi and Erdene Zuu monastery.

Peking - Beijing

Peking, 3.6. 2012

Četrti dan mojega pekinškega postanka je že skoraj pri koncu, pa sem šele zdaj (ker zunaj dežuje) uspela najti malo več časa za internet. To mesto je res divje!!! Hodiš, hodiš, hodiš in za vsakim vogalom je kaj zanimivega. Kar mene samo preseneča je – da mi je v bistvu mesto všeč! Razen zraka seveda.

Zrak je zaradi onesnaženosti več kot oduren. Kako tu živeti in dihati se mi zdi nepredstavljivo.

Prihod v četrtek zjutraj bi lahko opisala kot brutalen. Iz umirjenega Pingyaa direkt na eno izmed neznosno kaotičnih pekinških postaj.  Posebna zgodb je -  kako najti bus ali metro ali taxi do mesta. Pa si mislim: hm … Trg nebeškega miru je tako ali tako na sredi mesta, pa še moj hostel je po mojih izračunih dokaj blizu. Ga bom že  prepoznala po sliki, ko bom blizu. In nisem se motila. Celo moja izgovarjava je bila vsaj enkrat zadovoljiva! :-) Trg sem res prepoznala.

Mao na eni strani še vedno bdi nad  ljudstvom, na drugi strani pa velika ploščad z enormnimi stavbami sovjetskega sloga.

Stopim  z avtobusa in sem res našla hostel po približno pol ure hoje. Moj namen je bil ostati v Pekingu tri noči, kar je pomenilo zelo divji tempo ogledov, pa še mongolsko vizo si moram uredit. Tako se kar takoj odpravim v Prepovedano mesto. Mesto zavzema ogromno površino, a stavbe same niso ne vem kako  ogromne, a morda ravno zato prav elegantne.

Prepovedano mesto je sestavljeno iz precejšnjega števila stavb, ki so si pravzaprav precej podobne in naj bi skupaj imele 9999 sob.

Drugi dan je bila moja največja skrb mongolska viza. Vstala sem noro zgodaj. Ko pridem do tja, ni skorajda nikogar. In  izkaže se, da je v Mongoliji praznik! Tako sem prisiljena ostati v Pekingu en dan več in poskusiti srečo v ponedeljek.

Tako mi je ostalo dovolj časa za Poletno palačo. Sprehodim se čez Trg nebeškega miru, kjer se mi pridruži kitajska mladenka. Govorila je prav dobro angleško. Razloži mi, da je na obisku pri prijateljih, ki so še v službi in se zato sama malo sprehaja naokoli. Nekaj časa hodiva skupaj in me vpraša, če bi šli na kavo. Povabi me v bližnji lokal. Takrat se mi posveti - na mizi je bilo namreč vse pripravljeno za čajno ceremonijo, in na srečo sem nekje prebrala, kako te lahko taka ceremonija stane ogromno denarja. Zato sem se hitro izgovorila, da mi prostor ni všeč in naslednji tudi ne … Pa se je vdala in sva se razšli.

Zavijem čez hutong -  to so deli Pekinga z ozkimi uličicami, ki jih še niso žrtvovali za nove stolpnice.

Ravno sanjam o mrzlem pivu, ko zagledam hostel. Ta je vedno pravi naslov, tudi kar se piva tiče. Vsa zadovoljna se vsidram s pijačo in Lonely Planetom, da preštudiram nadaljevanje potovanje, pa prisede k meni Cathie, dekle iz Velike Britanije. In že čez nekaj minut sva klepetali, kot da se poznava že celo življenje. Skupaj sva šli na nočno živilsko tržnico s prav posebnimi delikatesami - kačami, pajki, škorpijoni, ščurki, netopirji, stonogami ...

Neverjetno! Škorpijoni nabodeni na ražnjič, so se še premikali! Radovedno sem poskusila kačo, a za kaj bolj hrustljavega  nisem dovolj pogumna. Kača je bila prav dobra, niti ni bila videti kot kača, okus pa je bil čisto nevtralen.

Naslednji dan pa Zid z velikim Z. Moj drugi razlog, zakaj sem sploh na Kitajskem.

In čeprav je najbolj slavna stvar v tej deželi, sploh ni tako enostavno priti do njega. Hotela sem se izogniti najbolj razvpitemu delu, ki se imenuje Badaling. Ta je najbližje, a je menda neznosno oblegan in popolnoma spremenjen v lunapark. Izbrala sem si Mutianyu.

Da sem prišla do njega, je bilo treba kar nekaj logistike, menjave avtobusov in pogajanj z lokalnimi vozniki. Nato pol ure v hrib, šele potem lahko stopiš nanj. Vredno je vsake kaplje potu! Ravno ta dan je bilo namrec okoli 31 stopinj, tako da mi je teklo po hrbtu. Potem pa vsaj uro do dve hoje po zidu - do skrajnega konca obnovljenega dela, pa še malo naprej… In potem stopiš na pravi, neobnovljeni del, po katerem  rastejo drevesa in ki se ponekod že vdira. Ne moreš sicer daleč, ker postane preveč nevarno in preveč strmo, je pa vseeno ta del najlepši del celotnega sprehoda.

Zvečer sva šli s Cathie na pivo. Najino večerno druženje je bilo kratko, ker sem bila od dneva popolnoma uničena.

V nedeljo sem obiskala še Lamin tempelj. Kasneje pa kar tako brezciljno  hodila naokoli po mestu. To mi je po navadi najljubše.

4.6. - Ponosno sporočam, da imam mongolsko vizo! Trajalo je sicer cel dan, imam pa jo. In to je to – nasvidenje Kitajska. Za povzetek pa lahko rečem, da mi Kitajci niso ravno prirasli k srcu. Sem pa vesela, da sem srečala nekaj fantastičnih popotnikov in z njimi preživela čas in delila izkušnje. In pa seveda Zid z velikim Z, ki mi je bil neznansko všeč.

 Je pa res, da mi nič žal, da zapuščam to deželo.

Peking, 3.6 - The fourth day of my being in Beijing is about to end. I m dead of walking around. This city is a killer:-) But I must say I quite like it.

Arrival on Thursday morning was brutal. For once I haven t slept well on the train and it arrived in the middle of the day in one of its enormous train stations. As always, the challenge is to find the bus, or metro or taxi which takes you to the city. I figured that Tiannanmen square (Square of Heavenly peace) is my best bet. Even my pronounciation for once was understood! So I got there and walked the rest of the way to my hotel. My plan was to leave on Sunday evening which wouldn t give me much time for all that is supposed to be seen in Bejing and after a quick shower my first visit was to Forbidden city. It is enormous and elegant, but all the buildings in it are alike. They have built a lot but with little of imagination which confirmed over next days when visited Summer Palace and even Lama temple.

On the second day, just on my way back from the Summer palace I passed the Tiananmen square and was approched by nice young girl. She spoke good English and told me she is visiting her friend here in town. She suggests having a coffee and walks with me. We enter one place and then my alert radar was on. The table was set for the tea ceremony and luckily I have read in LP about this scam. They bring you to these places and then the bill can be outrageous. I said I don t like the place, and as I pretended also not to like the next one, she gave up. Another scam is 'art students' whose teacher is in just about to travel to Europe/America/Canada (according to where you are from) and you really shouldn't miss their exposition.:-)

I wandered through hutong (those old narrow alleyways which are rapidly disapearing giving way to scyscrappers) just thinking about a nice cold beer when I see a sign for a hostel. Always a safe bet for a cold beer.:-) I settle in a corner and take a book about Transsiberian journey when this girl, Cathie from England, sits next to me. Not long after we were chatting like we have been knowing each other forever. She was waiting for her tour of China to start and came to Bejing few days earlier. We went together to the night food market, where - you can guess - what was on the menu! Snakes, spiders, cockroaches, scorpions, bats, centipeds...That was truly amazing and I was curious enough and tried a snake, but not curious enough for something crunchier (!). The snake was good, it didn't look like one, and the taste was neutral.

And then, next day: the Wall! My second reason of being in China. Even if if is so famous it is not the easiest thing to get to. I wanted to avoid the closest section, named Badaling, because reportedly is just overcrowded and turned into one big Disneyland. I read about another section called Mutianyu which demanded some logistics and changes of buses to get there, but I managed. The wall is JUST AMAZING. First climb up to it and then like an hour and a half walking on it left me out of breath. These sections are restored but just beyond the last tower you can continue on the authentic wall. Not far though, as it gets steep and dangerous, but it is marvellous.

In the evening I met Cathie for a beer and a walk and, exhausted after the Wall,  had a really early night.

4.6.2012 - Proudly announcing I got my Mongolian visa! It took whole day but I have it. Bye China. What can I say about this country ; I liked the food, I met some great travellers, but I m not really impressed by Chinese people. It was definitely worth to climb the Wall, but all in all I'm looking forward  to next destination.

Kako naj bi bila videti prava Kitajska - pa ni! - How the real China should look like - but it does not!

Pingyao, 29. in 30. maj 

Tako sem prispela v slavno mesto Pingyao. Je staro, ohranjeno in do sedaj edino res videti kitajsko (priznam, naslov sem si sposodila iz Lonely Planeta).  Stavbe so videti kot je bilo verjetno pol Kitajske leta in leta nazaj. A ko sem se malo sprehodila naokoli, sem spet dobila občutek, da je precenjen. Že res, da je glavnih nekaj ulic prijetnih in lepo ohranjenih (ali obnovljenih), da je mestno obzidje veličastno, da na ulicah ni prometa, toda le nekaj ulic stran stavbe razpadajo.

Zdi se mi, da so Kitajci razumeli, da staro in zgodovinsko prinaša denar, da turiste to zanima, in ponekod je videti res očitno prizadevanja za obnovo mest, stavb, templjev - kot so bili pred kulturno revolucijo. Grem stavit, da bo ta država čez nekaj let videti veliko starejša kot danes :-)

V Pingyau sem si izbrala najbolj znan hostel in dobila najčudovitejšo sobo do sedaj. Ogromna postelja je postavljena na zidano klop in jo obdajajo zavese iz krasnega materiala, ki je videti kot svilen brokat. Tudi pohištvo, blazine, pregrinjalo so izbrani z okusom. Res sem plačala kar precej, a si cisto zasluzim, saj imam dva dni počitnic od potovanja :)

Vsa zadovoljna sem vrnem na recepcijo, kjer mi možakar pravi, da je ravnokar prispelo še nekaj Slovencev. Malo skeptično ga pogledam, saj se mi je zdelo bolj verjetno, da se Kitajcu Estonija, Slovakija ali Pensilvanija sliši čisto podobno. Pa sem sla vseeno pozdravit. In glej ga šmenta, res so bili Slovenci! Par, ki potuje po svetu že več kot leto dni in njena mama, ki se jima je pridružila za nekaj tednov na Kitajskem. Dan smo preživeli skupaj. Šli smo si  pogledat nekaj znamenitosti v okolici Pingyaa, zvečer pa, kot se spodobi - spili pivo ali dve in se naklepetali.

Tako …  sprehajam se zadnji dan v tem mestu po ulicah, ki sem ga že trikrat prehodila po dolgem in počez. Čakam na vlak, ki odpelje šele ob 22h. Peeeking, prihajam!!!

Pingyao, 29. and 30. May 
So I arrived to this famous ancient town of Pingyao (I admit, I borrowed the title from Lonely Planet) where the houses are as they probably were all over China years ago. It is well preserved in the center but all in all once again I have a feeling that it is a bit overrated. It is nice enough town with intact city walls, low buildings, streets free of traffic, but just behind the few main streets houses are falling apart. 

Chinese understood that the ancient and old brings money, and they make a lot of effort to restore an old China, a lot of which was destroyed during the cultural revolution. I bet in a few years China will look much older then today:)

In Pingyao I chose to stay in the most famous hostel in town and got the most beautiful room ever! It is in a lovely beautifully restored traditional courtyard. The bed is enourmous and put on a bench made from bricks. The curtains, bed cover, pillows, are all made from traditional fabrics and are just beautiful, as are the pieces of furniture.

Yes, it is a bit pricey but as this stop I consider a resting day, it s completely worth it.
All happy I returned to the reception when I was told that some Slovenians arrived. Skeptical at first, knowing that to Chinese anything like Slovak, Estonian or Pensilvanian sounds probably the same, I go and say hi to the people. But they were really from Slovenia! A couple who is traveling around the world for more then a year, and a mother who came to join them for a couple of weeks. We have spent a day together, visiting some sights around Pingyao and after, naturally, shared some drinks and a good chat.

Next day, I just wandered around the city and must admit I was pressed to continue. The train to Beijing leaves at 22.00. 

Xian - mesto glinenih bojevnikov - Xian - city of terracotta army

Xian

Po dobro prespani noči na vlaku sem se po prihodu v Xian (čeprav je bila ura šele 6 zjutraj,) počutila tako fino, da sem šla spet kar peš do hostla. Bila sem tako blizu enega od dveh razlogov, ki sta me privedla na Kitajsko: to so Bojevniki iz terakote, da se mi je zdelo, da ne morem vec cakati. In so resnično izjemni.

Brez težav bi jih lahko poimenovali osmo čudo sveta. Vsak obraz je drugačen, izdelani so v naravni velikosti in služili so cesarju kot vojska v posmrtnem življenju. Glede na njihovo število je videti, da se je res bal tekmecev v onostranstvu. Izkopavanje in restavracijska dela še vedno potekajo in morda jih bo čez nekaj let na ogled se  več.

Na poti nazaj sem srečala dva fanta in dekle, ki so zjutraj prišli istočasno kot jaz. Šli vsi skupaj nekaj pojest. Privoščili smo si kitajske cmoke v restavraciji, kjer hrano pripeljejo kar na vozičku in vse, kar moraš storiti je, pokazati s prstom, kaj bi. Tako vsaj enkrat veš, kaj dobiš, pa še takoj je na mizi. Enostavno in odlično! Bi rekla, da je bilo to ena od boljših stvari, ki sem jih jedla na Kitajskem. Pa se odlična družba popotnikov. Ure in ure pogovorov o potovanjih, dogodivščinah, pripetljajih, destinacijah ... Počutila  sem, da sem res tam, kamor spadam :)

Xian je precej sproščen, kar me je dohitelo naslednjega dne, ko sem res pozno vstala. Šla sem po karto za vlak, saj je treba tu vse karte kupiti vsaj dan ali dva vnaprej, da potuješ takrat, ko želiš. Je pa res, da ko je enkrat karta kupljena, ni več izmišljevanja.

Kasneje sem vandrala po mestu. Obiskala pagodo ali dve, si ogledala muzej province Shanxi,

za večerjo pa zavila v muslimansko četrt. Si izberem kar eno restavracijo, pred katero so pekli meso na palčkah (take mini ražnjiče),

jih pokažem natakarici, ki pokima in me pelje do hladilnika in mi ponudi koka kolo. Še vedno ne razumem ravno, kakšna je bila povezava! A sem vseeno dobila svoje ražnjiče s pomočjo ene prijazne Kitajke, ki je verjetno opazila, kako obupano gledam. Prav nenavadno, ampak čedalje bolj opažam, da geste, ki imajo povsod po svetu podoben pomen, tu ni Kitajskem nekako ne dosežejo učinka. Ena častna izjema je drgnjenje palca in kazalca, kar seveda pomeni denar. Kitajci so nori na denar. V vsakem templju molijo za dve stvari:  da bi imeli denar in da bi dolgo živeli.

 Tako je danes moj zadnji dan v Xianu.

Sem ga spet pol prehodila (tako največ doživiš), šla nazaj v muslimansko četrt na kosilo, zdaj pa odtipkavam ure do  nočnega vlaka za Pingyao.

Xian,

27. maj 

After a good night sleep on the train even an early arrival to Xian wasn't so bad. I walked again over half of the city to my hostel. Being so close to one of my 2 reasons for being in China - the Terracotta Warriors (the other one being the Great Wall) I felt I couldn't wait another day to see it, so I went right away. And they are a sight! It really could be the 8th wonder of the world. All those expressions on the faces, not two being alike, the enormity of work behind it and also the enormity of the excavation and restoration work being done. One word: impressive!

On the way back to the hostel I met some people who were staying in the same hostel and all together we went for diner. Chinese dumplings in a restaurant where they bring all sorts of food on the chariot and all you have to do is pointing. You know what you get and it's immediately on your table:-) Very easy and good as hell! One of the best meals I had until now in China. And the pleasure of company of backpackers. Talking hours about traveling, destinations, experiences, - I felt like I'm right where I belong.

Xian is quite relaxed city. Next day it proved to me. I had a late start and figuring that's only one thing I absolutely have to do that day is going to the train station and buy a ticket to next destination. That's one thing in China: one always has to buy tickets in advance which basically means that once it is bought you can't really change your mind.

Later on I just walked around the city (I m really doing enormous amount of walking). I visited the Big Goose Pagoda, the Shanxi museum and for the dinner I chose the Muslim Quarter. I walked into one restaurant and I pointed to some meat on the sticks which looked like it will be barbecued. The lady takes me to the refrigerator and wants to give me a  Coca Cola! I still don t understand what was the connection! But I got my meal with the help of some nice Chinese girl who probably saw a dispear on my face. Chinese are really not skilled in gesturing. The all-around-the-world gestures here most of the times mean nothing. One notable exception being rubbing index and thumb together which of course means: money:-)

And today, being my last day in Xian, after some obligatory sightseeing I went back to Muslim Quarter for lunch, where I met this Brazilian girl and had a great lunch and great company, and now, here I am, typing away the hours before the night train to Pingyao.

Bude, pande, pa prav nič več - Buddhas, pandas and not much more

22. maj  

Chongqing sem zapustila naslednje jutro. Še kar je deževalo. Pot na ultra-modernem ultra-hitrem vlaku pa je minila čisto brez posebnosti. Linija med Chongqingom in Chengdujem je ena najhitrejših na Kitajskem, saj je razdalja skoraj 400 km premagana v dveh urah. Nasproti mene je sedela Kitajka (no, kdo pa drug:-)), ki je nekje na polovici poti le zbrala pogum in me vprašala, kaj počnem na Kitajskem. Malo sva poklepetali, saj je znala res dobro angleško. Poleg tega pa živi v Chnegduju, in kdo bi bil bolj primeren kot ona, da me posadi na pravi avtobus do centra mesta.

In spet se je ponovila stara zgodba, da mi je voznik ves zadovoljen kazal, da moram dol, meni pa niti približno jasno, kje sem. Spet sem bila trdno odločena, da pot do hostla, ki sem si ga izbrala, prehodim. Hodila sem več kot eno uro. Vmes seveda vsaj enkrat ali dvakrat šla v napačno smer, a na koncu le našla svojo posteljo.

Ker je bilo zgodnje popoldne, sem si mislila, da je najbolje, da si na hitro ogledam mesto in pustim za naslednja dva dni glavna dva razloga, ki sta me privedla sem: največji kip Bude na svetu in pande.

Chengdu je eno redkih mest na Kitajskem, kjer še stoji kip bivšega voditelja Mao Zedonga. 

Mao Zedonga

Sem ga šla seveda pozdravit in fotografirat. Nato pa dalje pogledat samostan Wenshu, ki ga sploh ni bilo enostavno najti.

samostan Wenshu

Sem že mislila obupat z iskanjem, a se je okolica kar naenkrat spremenila iz visokih stolpnic v nizke, simpatične tradicionalne stavbe. Videti je, kot da so nekaj ulic okoli samostana prilagodili turizmu, jih nazaj preoblekli v tradicionalni slog in jih spremenili v trgovinice, restavracije in galerije.

Naslednji dan je bil dan za obvezen obisk največjega Bude na svetu, ki ponosno sedi na bregu reke in zre v daljavo. Moram priznati, da me je pustil hladno.

Res je veličasten, a zaradi nepregledne množice turistov je vse skupaj nekako spominjalo na Disneyland. Kaj bo šele pri Bojevnikih iz terakote sem si mislila!?

Zvečer sem obiskala Sicuansko opero z vsemi njenimi najbolj znanimi elementi: spreminjajočimi obrazi, lutkami, sencami rok.

Res zabavno in vredno ogleda.

Naslednje jutro pa je bil cas za pande. Spet je deževalo, a tokrat se je izkazalo, da je to prava sreča, saj pande ne marajo vročine in če bi bilo toplo, bi se skrivale, tako pa so bile zunaj, se igrale, jedle, počivale, zganjale vragolije ... pred našimi očmi.

In res lahko rečem, da kaj tako srčkanega pa že dooolgo nisem videla.

Ko sem plačala izlet v hostlu, sem se dogovorila, da me voznik pusti na železniški postaji. Nisem pa pričakovala, da bo ustavil nekje sredi ogromnega križišča v več nivojih, kjer je se taksi težko dobiti. Ko sem enega le ustavila, je samo odkimal in šel dalje. Pa naslednji tudi in naslednji. Joj … pa saj ne morem biti tako daleč ali tako blizu, da se mu ne bi splačalo peljati?! si mislim. Gledam ubogi zemljevidek v Lonely Planetu in se odločim, da je do postaje nekako 3 kilometre.  To lahko prehodim - si rečem naglas in prav nič prepričljivo začnem korakat. Pa se ustavi poleg mene mladenič na motorju in  mi nekaj kaže. Samo upam, da to pomeni, da me lahko pelje. Mu pokažem znake na kosu papirja, ki (menda) pomenijo železniška postaja. Pokima in mi pokaže dva prsta ter ju prekriža (kar pomeni 20 juanov). Hitro pokimam in mu zlezem za hrbet. Pa sva šla v nemogoči kitajski promet večmilijonskega mesta, kjer je edino pravilo, kdo je močnejši. Izkazalo se je, da je bilo hudo daleč. Peš ne bi nikoli prišla pravočasno. Se mi zdi, da me na tem potovanju res res spremlja sreča.

In tako sem se z malce tesnobe vkrcala na svoj prvi nočni 16-urni vlak. Na pol sem pričakovala umazanijo, smrad, hrup, pljuvanje, a ne bi se mogla bolj motiti! Prav nasprotno -celo WC je bil popolnoma sprejemljiv! Zaspala sem kot bebica vse tja do Xiana.

22. maj  

I left Chongqing next morning by train to Chengdu. Completely uneventful journey on a super-fast super-modern train which reduced traveling time to only 2 hours. On the train the Chinese girl (hardly a surprise, huh:))next to me started talking to me in a quite good English. As she lived in Chengdu, it was easy for her to put me on the right bus after we arrived. But again I was just showed off at some crossroad and just guessing where I was, started to walk. I was determined I will walk all the way to the hostel. Which turned into more than 1 hour. Of course I took the wrong road once or twice, but at the end I have found my bed.

As it was early afternoon I figured it is best to see a bit of the city and leave for next day the main two reasons which brought me here: the biggest Buddha in the world and pandas.

Chengdu is one of the last chinese cities which stilll has the statue of former leader Mao on the main square. I passed, said hi, took a picture and continued to visit a Wenshu monastery, which was more difficult to find then anything else until now. I was wandering around like crazy and wanted to give up, but suddenly the area completely changed, from ultra modern to some cute low buildings in traditional style. It seems that they have turned some streets around monastery back into traditional buldings and is now major tourist area with shops, restaurants and galeries.

 Next day I have done the obligatory trip to Leshan, to visit the biggest Buddha in the world, but I admit it left me cold. It is enourmous, sits solemnly on the river bank, but million thousands tourists around it makes it feel like a Disneyland.

In the evening I saw a Sichuan opera with all the classics: changing faces, changing clothes, hand shadow, puppet show. Amusing and entertening.

 And then next morning, pandas. It rained, but I realised that it is a good fortune because pandas don't like it hot and would hide, but in the cold morning they were out, playing and eating and just hanging. Really cute.

I agreed with the hostel that the driver will leave me at the train station on the way back from panda base, but I didn t expect to be left out in the middle of enourmous interchange crossroad. I flagged down a taxi but he refused to take me! I asked next one. Same result. What's going on?  I can t be so far or so close that they refuse to take me! I try to figure out from the poor map in Lonely planet where I am and decide that it's not more then 3 km. - I can walk- I say to myself and start walking without real conviction. And then this man on a motorcycle stops next to me, gestures something. I just hope it means that he is willing to take me. I show him the phrase Train station in chinese and he nods. To my relief also the price was completely reasonable and so we went. On the motorbike in a catastropic chinese traffic where the only rule is who is stronger. It turned out that it was really far. Walking, I would never make it in time. It's like the luck is really with me on this trip.

 Already when I arrived, I decided that I will leave the city in 2 days and this time would be by night by train. A real overnight 16-hour journey. 

So I borded my first chinese train, half expecting that it will be dirty, smelly, noisy, with men spitting all around. How wrong! It is all the opposite. Even the toilet was acceptable! So I slept like a baby all the way to Xian.