xi'an

Visiting this place was envisaged from the outset, mainly to see the terra cotta warriors. It was easy to arrange it as I merely delegated the travel plan to Amelia. She secured a good deal on the flights and got a five star hotel. Great to have the luxury although the hotel was a good distance from the city walls.

I was very surprised to see how developed Xi'an is. On my trip from the airport to the city, I lost count of the number of new developments. This is to be expected in Shanghai, Beijing and so on but I hadn't thought that this city would be undergoing explosive growth too. Busy, busy, busy. Everywhere awash with street hawkers, noise, pulsating activity. I later understood that I once paid twenty times the going rate to have my shoes shined!

I spent just under a week here. It is an ancient city with a huge number of historical sights. The province has some 35,000 declared sights of historical interest. It was, of course, the capital at one point. It constitutes the beginning of the Silk Road. It has a large Muslim population as a result. What's more is a lot of the sights, within the city walls, can be visited on foot. Although taxi's are cheap, cheap. It also has some great nightclubs which are tightly packed and play great music. Quite a rarity. I covered most tourist things in a couple of days. That left the warriors.

It was a problem trying to arrange a trip there by tour. Every operator required a minimum of two people and they wouldn't count my alter ego! In the end, I decided to take the public bus which can be tricky and risky too if one gets on the wrong bus or is coaxed to get on the wrong bus. I took a taxi to the bus station but en roue the taxi driver started talking English and we struck a deal where he would drive me there for a good price. He was a pleasant enough bloke who had learned English from watching American films and cross referencing the dialogue with the subtitles. Clever although I bet he has watched a lot. He was mainly preoccupied with quizzing me on the sexual aspects of Western Women.

Signposting in China can be quite amusing. It seems that a handy dictionary isn't also used. There are many examples of misspelt English words. However, along the motorway to the tombs, every km or so, a sign directs you to the 'Terra Cotta Worriors'. The structure itself is signposted with 'no climing'. I have mixed feelings about seeing it now. Yes, it was a sight to behold. Created with great skill and care over two thousand years ago when Europeans were running around in oily rags, grunting at each other. But there is a darker aspect to it. Simply, the emperor in question was a tryrannical b*stard. He liked burning books and art long before the nazi's.

Some 740,000 people were enslaved for its construction over 38 years. This is the same guy who finished the joining of the Great Wall. And on both projects, thousands and thousands were slaughtered. The Great Wall is said to have foundations made of human bones. The emperor's terrra cotta warriors were to be kept secret. So when a bunch of artisans had completed a section they were directed off to another hole in the ground to begin again, or so they thought. Instead, they were buried alive so as to preserve the secret.

I am envious of him in one regard though. He had 3,000 concubines!

hong kong part one

Thankfully the weather is getting warmer now with my arrival at Hong Kong's crisp and clean airport. Two friends of mine picked me up from the airport and drove me to their apartment. Raymond, ever thoughtful, had created a survival guide for me, furnished me with some HK dollars to get started, bought me a SIM card and gave me a mobile. So nice. I had forgotten all about such things.

I arrived some four days ahead of schedule as I thought it would be nice to surprise a friend of mine on the occasion of her birthday. I set the trap just before leaving Toyko by enquiring as to when her birthday is by email. Catherine was my co-conspirator. I thought I had hatched a clever plan but Amelia's first reaction to by unexpected appearance was 'What are you doing here?'. Excellent.

Hong Kong is a city I have been to before and one I will return to again and again. It is a lively, exciting place. The beer is far too expensive though! My hosts were kind enough ( or was that foolish enough) to agree to allow me to stay at their very conveniently located apartment for the best part of a month. The intention was kick back a little and use it as a base for exploration into China.

Another great thing was that my arrival coincided with the Chinese Lunar New Year. It is quite a celebration with many fastinating customs. Like married people handing out little red envelopes containing money to single people. I did well! The city is bedecked with red posters, flashing lights, all manner of symbolic flowers and plants. The flower market was packed, even at 4am when we dropped by. Along the harbour front, the skyscrapers compete with each other for the honour of having most dazzling lightshow. HSBC won, I think. The fireworks display in the harbour was particularly well done also but then given the Chinese invented it, it was bound to be impressive.

My ear continues to bother me. Muffled hearing and all. Catherine suggested 'ear candling', where a candle is stuffed into the earhole and draws the wax out. It didn't work. Moreover, it got worse. I now had a low frequency ringing in my ear. I researched this condition online and fretted that it could be 'tinnitus'. An incurable condition. Not painful but highly irritating. I played for time hoping it would resolve itself.

Although the beer is quite expensive, by Asian standards, it did not prohibit my consumption. Of course, Irish bars were primarily selected. Met a load of weird and interesting folk but one that comes to mind was a girl from Lewisham. A graduate of the University of Stringfellows! She was funding herself around the world by 'dancing'. At the start of our chat I had to request that we switch seats so I could hear her properly. The funniest thing is I lost her number but she still called me two days later. Fancy that!