[desertblues]

(excerpts from my travel journal for western China; please excuse grammar and such......bad wifi and little chance/time to check it.)

(13-04 Xiáhè-Lánzhōu- Xï'ān)
Travelling today. A walk to the ticket office to buy my return for Lánzhōu.
And the last steps around the monastery: soft flute music, dark red robed monks, the gold roofs of the temples with their background of the mountains..... a quiet atmosphere.
On my final tour of the shops, I happen to see a small copper statue of Monkey, with a ( Buddhist) scroll in the hand, astride a magnificent horse. I read the medieval Chinese Classic, in which he is the principal ' Journey to the West', last year. I barter and buy it; this is meant to be......for me.

On the bus: it is a beautiful ride all the way down and the sun shines. The first hour surprises me with magnifent views on the almost bare hills. Occasionally a small golden roofed monastery halfway the slope. This is Chinese Tibetan area. On the few houses there's a small white ofen, where conifer twigs are burned. In several places are bright white stupa's, crowned with a golden ball and kind of needle. I reread the famous novel ' The good earth' from the Nobel prize winner Pearl Buck. An apt book now. She gives voice to the Chinese peasants.
When leaving this region, the land gets flatter, there's farmland, mosques build like pagoda's and much road construction. Thanks heaven the driver stops once for a break.

A cab from the bus- to the trainstation and on board the night train to Xï'ān. A dinner of dried noodles and an apple.

(14-04 Xï'ān)
Ka-dum...ka-dum......boooiiing. A night on the rails and it is morning when I arrive in Xï'ān. Sunny and 25-30 C ( in summer it will be 40 C). Breakfast, shower and with the bus to town.

This city(pop.8 mi) used to be the beginning/ end of the Silk Road in its glory days in the 10th century. The inner city is enclosed by city walls which are one of the few in China still standing. They are build in 1370 during the Ming dynasty; 12 meter high, surrounded by a dry moat and form a rectangle of 14 kilometer. One could walk or cycle these walls.....they are large enough. Originally, the ancient city is seven times larger than the modern Xī'ān.

And it is a big modern city. After the rustic Xiáhè I feel thrown back into the 21 st century. High tech shops, affluence is visible in cars, clothes, Starbucks (latte macchiato) and Hägen- Dasz ice cream ( rose flower/strawberries ice ). And fashion minded: the typical Chinese women here is 'petite' and wears cute little girlie dresses with frills and multi layered short dreses. But.....hardly a bare leg/ shoulder in sight; all covered up by pantyhose or such.
The bus to the center is cheap, 1 juan (ca. 10 eurocts). The Bell Tower and Drum Tower are in the middle of it. These two towers held the large bell that was rung at dawn and the drum, which marked nightfall, in ancient times. After the last drums at night, the gates were closed. They're both from the 14th century, rebuild in the 17th century. In both is a small museum with drums/ bells. Interesting. As it's sunday today there're lots of folks.

In the middle of this modern inner city is the Muslim Quarter. Muslims have been here since the 7th century and it is quite another atmosphere all of a sudden. Narrow streets overflowing with tiny shops and eating houses. There's no pork to be had of course, but almost all other things that are edible are fried, skewered and barbecued or sold in a bag. I see masses of tea stalls with round 'plates' of purr- eh tea, hacked sugared squares of sesameseeds, fruitjuices, dumplings filled with all that it can hold, bowls of fresh noodles, quail eggs on a stick, normal and black eggs(thousand year egg?). On this market large walnuts twirl around in a huge bowl, half filled with sand, to be roasted and cleaned, I guess. As expected there's masses of souvenirs of the Terracotta Army to be had, but also glittering hairpins, Chinese brocade, scarves, things made of bone like combs and copper statues of pagodes, ' jade' necklaces, walnut armbands and such. Very tiny embroidered red baby slippers.....ah...

In the center of this quarter is the Great Mosque. The building of it begins in 742 A.D., during the ( elegant) Tang dynasty. It is restored and widened in the subsequent centuries. It is one of the largest in China; it covers about 13,000 sq.meters.
There are four different courtyards with trees, small pagodas, different plants in pots, historic tablets, ancient sun dials and gateways. The Chinese aspect is the gardens with rocks, pagodas and archways with fine brick carvings. On some pavillions there are decorations of dragons on the slanted roofs. all slanted roofs are decorated. The central minaret is disguised as a pagoda, with two storeys. Islamic is the turquoise glazed roof of the Prayer Hall and the elegant calligraphy on most entrances.
This is such a beautiful complex, this mix of Chinese and Islamic archtecture. It is an oasis of tranquility in the middle of the Muslim Quarter. I walk its courtyards for quite some time; tiny birds chirping. Yes, I know, it sounds a bit too much, but really, it's like walking through some painting. Beautiful and restful.

For one juan the bus back: after Starbucks and Hägen- Dasz earlier today= one million calories........ I have bananas and nescafé for dinner.

In my cup: a Chinese beer