China has been a one-of-a-kind trip for me. Partly because I was a bit wary about traveling on my own to some non-standard places off the typical tourist track, and also because there is not one word of Mandarin I would understand if my life depended on it. Anyway, it was one of those trips that got me out of my comfort zone and got me some adrenaline pumping moments :-)! My partner having been to China many times, assured me that it was perfectly safe and I would love it. Except that he wasn’t bargaining for my running off to rural China and all that.

Beijing, the capital city of China, the city simply brims with history, culture, and iconic landmarks. My first couple of days were spent visiting the Forbidden City, Tiananmen square, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, the National Museum and the Pearl market.  Check for descriptions in the Highlights section. The third day, I got an early start to go to the Great Wall. The private car driver was an entertaining fellow whose job was to drive me there – he was not a guide and hence spoke no English. We attempted to converse during the long drive and he wouldn’t give up. We spoke through a series of emojis on our phone. Nothing had me prepared for the sheer magnitude of the Great Wall. I visited the Mutianyu section. I spent about 4 hours walking on the Great wall, and when I came back, he took me to a beautiful lake on the way back to Beijing as an added bonus. Beijing is a city with a lot of hustle and bustle, people jostling each other at times to get into a bus or in crowded train stations, a city of tall matchbox like apartments. Other than its history and the Great Wall, I wasn’t very enamored by it. After completing my Beijing tourist circuit, my driver dropped me off at a train station. Train ticket in hand, I was on my way to my next destination on the high-speed train, to a city called Luoyang which is about a 4 hr train ride from Beijing. I made sure to keep awake and pay attention to the stations so that I would get off at the right one.

There are myths about the Great Wall and here is one that I had heard of when growing up that has not been true! Debunking the myth.

I had picked Luoyang because in the course of my China research, a name caught my eye which took me back to my History class in middle school where our wonderful teacher had repeated certain names so many times, and I had regurgitated the same in multiple tests and exams – it was impossible to erase some names from the brain! So the name Hiuen Tsang rang many a loud and merry bell in my head, and I immediately also recalled the Amar Chitra Katha story from my childhood, about Hiuen Tsang, the scholar who had walked to India during the reign of King Harshavardhana. I remembered the comic book with the face of the king and the scholar with his robes and umbrella. Further research on Luoyang only made it more interesting. It had been the capital of China during the rule of several dynasties, it was the center of learning, and was home to several scholars of the times (another notable one being Fa-Hsien), and a prominent city on the silk road. And best of all, near Luoyang there seemed to be some amazing grottoes. So this place went on to my itinerary. At the train station, I was picked up by the English-speaking guide whom I had hired for the day. He turned out to be such a gem, a deep well of knowledge of the history and stories of the place. The very entrance to the Longmen Grottoes was so tranquil as we walked by the Yi river, with the weeping willow trees providing shade. When we reached the area of the Grottoes, I simply could not help but be impressed and amazed by what was stretching before my eyes for more than a mile. The Guide walked me through the gate that proclaimed its UNESCO site status and then steered me through the history of these Buddhist rock carvings, thousands of them, dating back from 5th century onward. The carvings have been created by various dynasties, there were cave writings of various medicinal herbs, tiny little rock Buddhas to humongous ones, flanked by other sculptures too of Buddha’s disciples, little niches and caves, it’s astounding. The lazy flowing river adds to the scenic beauty of the place. Since I am not writing a History lesson, if interested to know more about these grottoes, please read here.

While we came in by car, we left Longmen Grottoes by boat which added to the serene experience. We next headed to lunch. I found it surprising that the Guide did not sit with me but dropped me in a room that blasted cold air from the AC, and he left to eat in a different room. I was the sole occupant of this big dining room and I wondered if that was because I had asked for vegetarian food and the guide did not fancy that for himself, ha ha!!

The Guide next walked me through the old city of Luoyang where I saw several artists working on the streets. I bought a set of hand-painted teacups. I also bought some artistic chopsticks from a store. A very satisfying shopping experience :-).

Next, I was dropped off at the station so I could board my train to my next destination, Xi’An, a 1.5 hr journey by high-speed train. These trains that go at 300 km/hr are excellent. There is also a snack and juice served. Sitting next to me on this journey was a Chinese lady who struck up a conversation. She hardly could speak English and so I pulled out my Google Translator to find out what she was asking. We went back and forth with it. Turned out that she was curious about my solo traveler status and that too to Luoyang! I told her that I was traveling from Texas in the United States. Crazily enough, it turned out she had visited El Paso, Texas where she had spent a year to study something! The 1.5 hours whizzed by and she made sure that I got off the train at Xi’An!! The driver I had hired was waiting for me at this station. I always palpitated a little until I spotted my driver in a crowded station. As had been so far, the pickup and drop off drivers could speak no English. It struck me as peculiar that in a new country, I would meet a new person with whom I could not converse at all, but I needed to silently trust.

We entered the ancient walled city of Xi’an which seemed to be a big with slowly moving traffic. Rows of shops, and at dusk there were hundreds of their lights that were coming on. The Hilton I checked into needs special mention here as it seemed to be some kind of a museum more than a hotel! Simply beautiful artifacts everywhere, big and small, high ceiling with mirrors and crystal chandeliers, polished floors and fountains. I immediately wished I was staying here for a week! The check-in desk upgrades me to an executive suite and two young women were dispatched to my service, to fulfil various little duties all the way up to the room. I was squirming at being waited upon thus! The suite was stunning, beautifully appointed in every way and had a living, dining, office and a bedroom with all kinds of decorations and conceivable gadgets. From the bathtub, and the huge clear glass window, a lighted city of Xian would be visible (if one cared to sit in the tub and enjoy the view). I wished I had the family along to enjoy this suite with. In the living room is a plate of delicate, gourmet goodies and I settle into the welcome of Xi’an.

The magnitude of the incredible terracotta army is hard to describe. This discovery in the 1970s created a sense of wonder. Amazing that royalty went to such lengths to protect themselves in the afterlife. After spending a few hours at this Museum, the guide walked me through the old city Muslim quarter near which there was the Great (and the oldest) Mosque of Xian. The people here seemed to be a blend of Chinese and Muslim. There was an old couple seated on a bench who were posing for photos with the tourists. The streets in this place were full of food stalls and had I much of what I don’t eat – kebabs of various kinds including scorpions and roaches, sweet-looking cakes and lots of meats of various kinds. The place was a buzzing market. After a visit to the Wild goose pagodas and the Bell Tower, it was time to call it a day. I completely loved Xi’an. Check for descriptions in the Highlights section. At the end of the day my guide dropped me off at the airport to catch a flight to my next destination which was in Southern China.

My flight from Xi’an to Guilin was off to a great start, as I was upgraded from coach to first class. I was totally enjoying the experience of being a temporary Queen, as the attention received in the first class of an Asian Airline was superlative! The delicately presented food and colourful fruits cut in geometric shapes were so beautifully laid out that it felt like a sin to destroy the perfection and eat it all up! But my stomach thought otherwise, and I dug in. Along with a cold glass of white wine and a white napkin on my lap, I happily cruised at 35,000 feet with my eyes closed. However, just after sometime of flying there began a lot of turbulence with trays moving and the overhead bins clattering! No more food or drink Never had I felt better standing on terra firma, though my legs felt like jelly! I was excited to be in yet another place that looked promising, that I knew nothing about, other than from my readings. None of the people I knew who had visited China had come to these parts and so I couldn’t get any first-hand information. I had picked Guilin because I had wanted to see rice terraces in the mountains. Google said Longsheng was the best rice terraces I would find in China. The other reason to be here was because I came across an extremely beautiful town (more like a village) along a river, surrounded by Karst mountains and Guilin seemed like a perfect gateway. The Karst scenery was important enough to be featured on the 20 Yuan Chinese currency. Southern China has some of the world’s best Karst topography with its limestone peaks and lush vegetation.

I checked into the Guilin Sheraton, another nice hotel (not as opulent as the Xian Hilton though). I arranged for a trip to the Longji rice terraces (also called Longsheng, meaning dragon’s backbone) for the next day through the hotel front desk. The next morning, I was given a packed breakfast by the hotel for an early start, and was picked by a driver.

Off we went driving through curvy mountain roads, up and up. Through the mist I could see how green it all was.  At times the drive felt too fast but I survived. Once we got to the top and out of the cab, I got the magnificent view of shining silvery rice terraces stretching on and on over the mountains. It was a spectacular sight! I checked out various viewpoints and then the guide/driver gave me a briefing on how to explore on my own and where we would meet back. I took off in one direction. The terraces, the water canals, the greenery, the sun glinting off the paddy fields, gave a shimmering effect on what seemed like miles of sliced bread. It was beyond the pictures I had seen. I walked up and down the hills and thru a little village, Ping’an, for a total of 2.5 hours, finally getting back to the designated meeting spot. Then it was time for lunch. We walked past rolling streams and villagers, reaching a thatched restaurant. At the restaurant, I met a German couple and we sat on one table and exchanged notes on our wanderings of the morning. As mentioned in the food section, I simply loved the eggplant item I had here with hot rice in bamboo, and a side of beans. Washing food down with hot tea was a ritual I had got used to everyday. After lunch, we were taken to a “show” put up by the local villagers. Singing, dancing and most interestingly, a hair-washing ritual that they demonstrated to us. We were told that these folks have never cut their hair and they have a certain ritual of washing their long-long hair. After the show, we walked through the village and were solicited to buy various knick-knacks. The only tourists I pretty much saw were some European backpackers. No other type of tourists and no locals. After the crowds of Beijing and Xian, it was a welcome relief! By the evening, we were back in the city of Guilin. After freshening up and a bit of rest, I decided to go out for the evening. It was such a serene walk by the river, on a shady green and wide boulevard until I reached a bustling part of town. More than one band was playing in different spots, lots of people enjoying the balmy evening and the music. Here, in a huge lake there also rose two Pagodas, the Sun and Moon Pagodas, one silver and the other gold, completely lighted up. What a lovely sight! One could go into them but I preferred sitting by the water and watching them glow.  Back to the hotel at night, I hit the sack.

From Guilin, I reached the dock where I was to board a boat/ship to take me to the next destination, Yangshuo. The boat ride on the Li river would take 3 to 3.5 hours with the water levels being high in May due to the monsoons. I was greatly anticipating this part of my trip. There were many boats, varying in size in the dock and hooting their horns, they all set sail at the same time. It was not before long that there was a distance between each boat (thank goodness!). The scenery started to unfold soon and became more and more spectacular as the boat took its curvy path along the limestone and green high mountains (the Karst mountains). At every turn there were oohs and aahs! After a couple of hours, hunger took over and I went inside to inspect the large buffet. I found some vegetarian eats after enquiring with the waiters along with the usual hot tea. I don’t remember what I simply wanted to get back soon to the deck. At some point we were shown the peaks that are on the 20Y Chinese bill.

After an overdose of scenery, we docked in Yanshuo. I was told that someone from my hotel would come to pick me up and he did. We walked along the street called West Street which apparently is a famous street in Yangshuo. It had many many shops selling their wares to people who got off the boat. It was very colorful with big Chinese umbrellas.clothes, shawls and lots of other goods.

The hotel was nestled in between mountains, more like a retreat, facing the lazy river Li. I could have simply spent days in this place. My room too had a spectacular view of the mountains and water (as one of the pictures show). I went for a long walk and the staff told me that I should do some bike rides to the nearby villages. I decided to use the bicycle on the property and do exactly that the next day.

The Balcony in Paradise

I woke up early, anticipating that bike ride. I made myself coffee in the room and then went and sat in the balcony, shutting the door behind me. I enjoyed my coffee, enjoying the serenity. After a while when it was time to get back into my room, I turned the handle, and the door didn’t open. Tried again and again but it wouldn’t budge. I had locked myself out! I was on an upper floor and I waited to see if one of the hotel staff would pass by. Many cleaners passed on the corridors on my floor and the floor below and I loudly yelled a ‘hello’ with a wave but they simply smiled or waved and moved on. The sun was rising, my caffeine buzz fading, and my dreams of an early countryside bike ride slipping away. I started to fret a little and was annoyed at losing time. It stretched to an hour. Finally, I yelled in desperation when the next cleaner went by. She didn’t understand, but she paused and listened while I gestured to her that I was locked out. Another lady came by and they both started rapidly talking. I lost patience and repeated the name Michelle a few times, hoping to get the lady Michelle from the front desk who understood English. She raised her hand, asking me to wait, and I was relieved that she seemed to comprehend my predicament. She did come back with Michelle, who heard me out and said that she would get the key to my room and open my balcony door. I sighed with relief. After some time, she came back to tell me that my room door was bolted from the inside and she could not get in! What a dilemma. By now, the coffee was making me want to get to the bathroom in a hurry too. Michelle and the party of cleaners on the first-floor corridor were conferring amongst themselves. They seemed to reach a resolution whereupon Michelle lifted a fat bunch of metal keys and said she was going to throw that onto my balcony. The balcony was quite a way off from the ground and far from where they were standing. It was a huge bunch that was going to be hurtled at me like a missile. I didn’t have an option. I agreed and decided to duck rather than try to catch it. It landed with a loud clang on my balcony floor. I picked it up and started to look through the possible keys to open the balcony door. Finally, one turned and I was in! Never had I felt such relief!

After this, I borrowed the bicycle and spent hours biking. I had to keep stopping to admire the scenery, the village and the various fields.  I got lost at one point and sweated a little since it was not easy to find my way back (sweat for the second time this day!) but eventually made it to the hotel. During my ride, I watched a wedding party photoshoot – a Chinese couple (the girl in her while wedding gown) posing on a wooden barge, I saw some teenagers putting a huge insect of sort into a bottle and giggling, in the village, I saw hens wandering about and couples riding scooters with a built-in umbrella!!

In the evening, I had booked to watch the Sanjie Liu impression, an outdoor theatrical and musical performance set against the backdrop of the Krast mountains. What an amazing looking stage that was the river with the Karst mountains as the backdrop. Created by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou who was also the director of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, the show is inspired by the traditional folk tale of Liu Sanjie, a legendary figure known for her beautiful singing voice. The large-scale outdoor production combines music, dance, lighting effects, and natural scenery to create a mesmerizing experience. The performance unfolds on the water, with performers using bamboo rafts, boats, and the river itself as part of the stage. The show has a cast of about 600 performers, including local villagers and professional actors, singers, and dancers. The stunning visual effects, elaborate costumes, colorful lighting, and synchronization of such a large number of people is simply unimaginable (in case you have looked for it on Youtube, its a watered down effect!).

After three days of Yangshuo, it was time to get back to reality. And that was back to Guilin and to catch a flight to my last destination, Shanghai! At the airport, as I sat and people-watched, I realized how stylishly dressed, young people in China were, all over. After years of US living and seeing people in sweats and other such uber-casual clothes, I couldn’t help realizing the contrast. It was fun to watch various high fashion clothing.

Shanghai was the extreme opposite of where I was coming from (Yangshuo)! Swanky, modern, fast-paced, glittering glass and metal buildings, even quite the contrast to Beijing. I checked into a Marriott, walking distance from the famous Nanjing road. I felt a sigh of relief coming back to a place that seemed so safe after the ones I had been to over the last many days. Not in terms of crime or anything but the comfort of something that felt “familiar” though I had never been there before. Seeing the usual Costas, the Starbucks, brand names, versus being a a village in a new country.

I hit the tourist spots with my local guide who I had hired only for one day in Shanghai, a girl who was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We visited the swanky Bund where she went over the history of many of the buildings, and then to the Yu Garden and Bazaar which was the old part of Shanghai.  Then came a visit to the French Concessions area which was obviously western with name brand restaurants. I did like the narrow, arty looking alleys. Our final stop was the Art Museum which was fantastic, and I spent about 3 hours in it. My guide had me try some good vegetarian eats at the museum and then the Xiaolongbao outside. Check for descriptions in the Highlights section.

The next day I had no guide as I decided to do Nanjing road and the Bund by night on my own. I enjoyed walking up and down the Nanjing road bustle. I got literally chased by a kid and bamboozled into buying 2 bags. The story goes like this:  I was looking interested in purses and bags by staring at a shop window and then asking for the price inside. I stepped out and after I had walked a few steps, a kid (about 13 or 14 years old, it seemed) materialized from nowhere and kept telling me to go to his shop for brand name bags. He kept pace with me and wouldn’t give up until I had to follow him. Although he said his shop was around the corner, I found myself walking through some narrow streets in the rain until we reached a shop front. I was definitely not comfortable when the adult in the shop opened another door to lead me inside to the interior of the store. But then I saw a few Americans there and saw them shopping which made me not turn around and walk out. Anyway, so then started the showing of various purses and bags when I began to show interest in a couple of those bags and ask for the price. This is the true China shopping experience one cannot miss!! 🙂  They start at something like $500 per bag and say, “for you, $450” by typing the number on their calculator. I then say, no thanks and start to walk out. They ask, “how much you pay?” to which I respond, “it is not even close to my budget and so I don’t want it”. I open the door and start to walk off and the kid comes running behind, saying 400, 300, 200 etc….the number keeps coming down as I walk farther and keep saying, “sorry, no, I don’t want it”. Finally, the kid is down to 100. I decide to take a plunge and say 2 for 100. OMG. The kid says, “OK, come” and I am both embarrassed and ashamed that I have to go back to that store. But when I get there, the shop keepers don’t bat an eyelid, they speak something rapid (I suppose the number is communicated) and the transaction is finished, the purses are in my hand. A cigarette lighter is lit and is held to them to assure me it is “real” leather and does not burn! Ha ha!! This is just too hilarious but I keep a straight face. Leather or not, it’s a full worth knock off, a Tory Burch bag and a Coach purse 😉 A loot as far as I am concerned. But I also decide it is not an experience I will care to ever repeat as it may not be safe.

On the third day, I booked a small-group Viator tour to take me to the water town of Zhouzuang.  The water town that is an hour from Shanghai also was a beautiful experience with the boat ride in the canals and seeing the well-kept quaint town. The boatman sang, people of other nationalities on the same trip all got friendly with each other, we helped take pictures of one another and walked around the town. On the very last day in Shanghai, I wanted to try the Maglev (magnetic train) from the city to the airport but suddenly I didn’t want to try anything new for the rest of this trip!  I took a cab from the hotel to the airport, boarded the flight and got back home.