Fast Food and Super Highways

We reached the end of the Silk Road in Xi'an, a huge and bustling modern city with an abundance of mobile phone shops, selling all colours and sizes of Chinese brands and what looked like Apple stores on every corner. Strange considering New York and London have only one each. A sticker in the window stating they were an “Authorised Distyibutor” gave us some cause for concern. It was also the first time in months we've seen familiar fast food chains which were frequented by many for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner without shame.

Entering Xi'an through the old city walls

We had a surprise departure in Xi'an, after months of awkwardly hobbling around having injured his leg back in Turkey, Jase found an English speaking doctor and was diagnosed with a torn achilles tendon possibly needing surgery. His extremely efficient insurance company had him on a business class flight home the next morning. A hurried leaving party was announced, involving buying him plenty of shots, to ensure he went home with a sore head as well as a sore leg. Ryan of The Ting Clings fame strummed away with a bit of Bad Moon Rising but the rowdy rendition of “Leaving, on a Jet Plane” accompanied by Mikkel on the guitar, was particularly special.

Jase receiving the first shot

Julia enjoying the cocktails

Ryan on guitar and Mikkel on strings

The Army of Terracotta Warriors, our main reason for visiting Xi'an, did not disappoint We'd all heard about them and seen photographs, but nothing compares to seeing something with your own eyes. Three pits displaying thousands of life-size warriors and horses, all unique, stood in rows facing East, ready for battle. Discovered only 38 years ago by some peasants drilling a well. One can only imagine their disbelief on uncovering the underground vault. Now rightly so one of the most important archaeological finds in the world. Chris & Gill nearly ordered a replica warrior to be sent home to England, thinking it was only £75, including shipping and insurance, bargain. Thankfully Rogs was on hand and enquired about the cost just before the papers were signed, and discovered it was actually £750, a close shave. A couple of our couples took to saddles to peddle their way around the circumference and on top of Xi'an's old city walls. Restored recently to their former glory they made a brilliant way of catching a bird's eye glimpse of the city.

Inquisitive locals enjoying our tour

Kneeling Archer

Rogs & Hels and the warriors

Warriors taking a rest

Cher

Di and Laura shopping

Dumpling party

Shelagh, Gill and Betsy at the dumpling party

G Rod making friends on the bus to the warriors

We tunnelled our way out of Xi'an, more miles of the bloody things, if you need a tunnel, you know who to ask. It was onto Chengdu and into Sichuan province, famed for and proud of their spicy cuisine and also home to the most famous face in all of China, that of the giant panda. We spent a morning hanging with the pandas at the breeding and research centre. Young pandas asleep in trees with their tongues hanging out, others nonchalantly lounging on their backs munching on bamboo for 16 hours a day, gazing at the hordes of visitors snapping away. With fewer than 1,000 pandas left in the wild seeing such an iconic creature in a near natural habitat was a great experience.

Pip and her panda hat

Some of the group went out to a rickety old theatre to see the Sichuan face changing opera massively popular with the locals for a good night out and a brilliant show that kept the group enraptured for it's entirety with mask trickery and puppet wizardry. Nick rated it as one of the highlights so far, so good that if he'd had another night in Chengdu he would have gone again!

Leaving Chengdu the next morning we had hoped to whizz out of the city on a fancy ring road, not to be however as out of five lanes only two were available, mixed in with roadworks and heavy rain things ground to a halt and we crawled along enduring 2 hours of rush hour traffic. Still, exciting to see the city wake up, with thousands of electric scooters silently buzzing around, poncho and umbrella covered in a attempt to beat the elements.

Gridlock

Rainy morning in Chengdu

Once freed from Chengdu's grasp we cruised on to Leshan to visit the Giant Buddha, the largest carved stone Buddha in the world, standing at over 70 metres tall. Carved out of the cliff by some extremely patient monks in the Tang Dynasty 618-907 AD, a very impressive piece of handiwork.. They hoped the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters he looks over at the confluence of two rivers. Ironically so much rain had fallen that day the boats that normally take visitors on a tour to view him from below were not running due to the high water level and debris floating downstream. We battled our way through hordes of umbrella wielding Chinese tourists (who needs to visit England to learn how to beat a bit of drizzle) on our way up to witness views of the Buddha from the top and then those lucky enough to wend their way down the steep cliff path looked up at the towering figure with toenails as big as humans.

A quick hop onto Baoguo for a spot of hiking on China's highest sacred Buddhist Mountain Emei, shrouded in atmospheric mist and dotted with temples earning it UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1996. Using a combination of aids including buses, cable cars and good old Shanks' pony some of the group made it to the summit. Afterwards we kicked back and hung ourselves out to drip dry at the wonderfully arranged Teddy Bear Hotel, offering the rare treat of a nightly movie on a big screen and free pool table.

G Rod sizing up the perfect photo

John & Di at the summit

Lost in translation?

The night market in Baoguo gave us all a new insight into ordering and preparing your dinner, fresh was the word of the day. Small outside restaurants displayed their produce from fresh veg to tanks of fish and cages crammed with partridges, chickens and cute fluffy bunny rabbits (memories of Kyrgyzstan, oh no not again). Customer chose desired animal which was then promptly removed and dealt with via means of the pavement. In the case of the bunny it was unceremoniously swung by its rear legs over the head and bang, the fish were just slammed onto the floor before the chef ambled round a few minutes later to de-scale and gut them right there. Luckily if you didn't want rabbit China style there were plenty of kebabs and noodle dishes on offer. Enjoy your meal.

Fried quails eggs

Street food

Toffee apple mouse?

The next day a long but stunning drive onto Panzhihua. The roads increasingly impressive with yet more tunnels and bridges, hundreds of feet up, floating through valleys, connecting mountains, looking down to the forest below and then up to see another road on stilts circling high above, like something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie. We very nearly ran out of fuel in our bellies and Calypso's. Brand new highway with signs showing fuel stations and restaurants every 30km but every one was either under construction or did not exist at all. Calypso had a little judder just before a long tunnel so we decided it was better to be safe than sorry and transfer some of the 200 litres of reserve fuel over rather than run out mid-tunnel. Our tummy's rumbled as yet another fuel station failed to materialise so we resorted to parking up at the site of a future service station and pulled out the dry crackers, cheese (slightly green in places), tins of tuna, sweetcorn and the last of the peanut butter and chocolate spread. We all agreed it didn't turn out too bad in the end and felt quite gourmet.

Dusty Calypso hits a milestone

A future service station

Bridges and tunnels galore

Which way?  Ryan takes over the mantle from George enroute to Panzhihua

We stopped for the night in Panzihuha, a town that wouldn't exist were it not for the discovery of iron ore in the 1960s, now the world's largest producer of tungsten. Our rest for the night was in the rather smart “New Windows Business Hotel”, the windows didn't look particularly new but must have been at one time. Just around the corner was an excellent Sichuan hot pot restaurant (where you have an individual hot pot on an electric stove in front of you and cook your own meal) for one last dose of Sichuan spice before we left the province. The staff overwhelmed at our arrival swarmed and hovered around us with their fancy iPad menus, the chefs stood staring open mouthed from behind the glass kitchen. Finally plucking up courage after the bill paying to request photographs with us all. It'll be tough going home and resuming normal person status after our taste of celebrity.

Hot pot restaurant

Ryan and friends

Nick & G Rod enjoying a meal out

We awoke to Jody's birthday and a balloon filled truck which we hesitate to admit, did feel like a party bus for some of the day, pass the parcel and cheesy tunes, pin the wheel on the truck at loo or view stops and penalty shots for the birthday girl. It was on to the Bad Monkey bar in Dali for more celebrations in the evening. Drinking games, shisha pipes, a few more beers, some shots and a late night all round. A brilliant night followed by a low productivity day...

Jody's birthday games

Kev, Jody & Nick

Hels enjoying a shisha for Jody's birthday

Dali birthday drinking games

Now in our final province, Yunnan (more on Dali next time!), with incredibly just a few days left in China from our month long sojourn here, time really does fly when you're having fun. We have about 1,500km left as we amble South towards the Laos border stopping at a couple of towns along the way. Who knows what China has in store for our last few days.

Anyone for a game of cards?

Too hot?  Try this cooling method...