June 2008 Archives
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
Gateway at Eastern Qing Tombs
Eastern Qing Tombs
Street of Spirits
Street of Spirits
Street of Spirits
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Empress at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Dancers at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Dancers at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Dancers at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Dancers at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Dancers at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Monk at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Picture taking at Putuozongcheng Temple, Chengde
Temple of Sumeru, Chengde
Temple of Sumeru, Chengde
Temple of Sumeru, Chengde
Temple of Sumeru, Chengde
Temple of Sumeru, Chengde
Pagoda at Temple of Sumeru, Chengde
Temple of Sumeru, Chengde
Deer in Summer Palace, Chengde
Boy and grandfather
Umbrella and lotus leaves
Girl eating noodles
Feeding the fish
Pagoda in palace gardens
Pagoda in palace gardens
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licensing - please Contact Me for further details.
Dazhao Lamasery
Dazhao Lamasery
Dazhao Lamasery
Dazhao Lamasery
Dazhao Lamasery
Dazhao Lamasery
Dazhao Lamasery
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Yungang Caves
Hanging Monastery, Datong
Hanging Monastery, Datong
Hanging Monastery, Datong
Hanging Monastery, Datong
Hanging Monastery, Datong
Hanging Monastery, Datong
Hanging Monastery, Datong
Hanging Monastery, Datong
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
Rickshaws on Xian city walls
Xian city walls
Buildings old and new
Gatehouses and cyclist
Chinese farmer
Inflatable boats - Pingliang
Inflatable boats - Pingliang
Farmland and clouds
Yellow River, at Shapotou
Climbing dunes at Shapotou
Incense burner, Gao Temple, Zhongwei
Monk at Gao Temple, Zhongwei
The Future Buddha
Buddhas at Gao Temple, Zhongwei
Gao Temple, Zhongwei
Gao Temple, Zhongwei
Gao Temple, Zhongwei
Farmer working in paddy field
New museum at Hohot
Girl with umbrella
Dragoman truck
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
I have been asked what the food is like here, and how I, as a vegetarian, am getting on whilst travelling through China...
Its not easy! First of all, very few people understand English, and most menus are only in Chinese. Some restaurants have a picture menu, which is great to give a rough idea of the dish, but useless when it comes to deciding if it is safe for a vegetarian to eat. It is therefore vital to carry a small note that explains exactly what you can and can't eat. The Vegan Society in the UK produce a very useful Vegan Passport which explains, in every language that you can think of, what vegans do and do not eat, but if, as a vegetarian, you want to include eggs or cheese in your diet, you will need something different. Unfortunately the UK's Vegetarian Society doesn't do anything similar - perhaps YOU can email them and suggest that they do?
Let's talk now about vegetarian eating in practice. Here's the big problem: in China there is a general idea that whilst vegetarians don't eat meat, there's no trouble if the sauce or stock that the dish is cooked in has meat or livestock origins. Therefore, you will need a note that states that not only do you not eat meat, chicken, fish or seafood, but that you don't want the dish to contain any meat stock or juices of any animal, bird or fish origins either. Armed with such a notice, you are more likely to get the restaurant to understand you. It is also useful to have the following translated into Chinese:
RICE
NOODLES
EGG
RICE with EGG
VEGETABLES
MIXED VEGETABLES
You can then point to these words, and see what the reaction is. Sometimes the restaurant will be happy to suggest something, or to ask the chef if he will help, but quite often restaurants will not deviate from their set menu. They may suggest items on the menu that will fit in with your requirements, but they won't make a special dish for you, even though its obvious that they already have all of the ingredients.
I have often found that requesting 'mixed vegetables' gets no results. Why is this a problem? Well, the way food is normally served in China is in a situation where a group of people will order a number of dishes, then everyone will try a bit of each dish. If you are by yourself it means that you are unlikely to be able to eat more than 2 dishes, each of which will be based around one item. You'll thus find yourself eating, say, rice and a big dish of spinach with mushrooms. This is rather monotonous, no matter how much you like spinach and mushrooms. Mixed vegetables would be more fun. What a pity the Chinese haven't thought of the Indian 'Thali' concept, where a single diner gets a bit of everything. It is possible, sometimes, to ask for a half dish of whatever, but unless you have that request written down, or the waiter speaks english, it can be hard to get the concept across.
Although lunch and dinner can be chosen quite easily by the above method, breakfast can be much more problematic, and I have found that apart from some grated raw vegetables, there is unlikely to be anything on offer that I can eat, even if a restaurant is found that is open. Some hotels have a breakfast included in the room rate, and some do not. The more 'touristy' the city, the more likely the hotel is to have a Western choice for breakfast. My usual remedy is to find a small bakery or supermarket and buy some bread or wheat product, to have with fruit. There's always plenty of fruit available, of many sorts. It will be a lot nicer than you are used to, too, as its all ripened naturally. You won't find cheese, apart from in the very big, touristy cities. Even then it will be sliced, in individual portions of tastelessness. Milk and yoghurt are a bit more common, though not in restaurants. Nuts are available everywhere, and can of course be used as a useful source of protein for both vegans and vegetarians.
You are probably wondering why I haven't mentioned foreign food. Italian, Mexican, Indian, Thai - those choices are available everywhere in the world, surely? Sorry to disappoint, but not in China! The Chinese are incredibly insular when it comes to food, and although every town will have 100s of restaurants, they'll all serve Chinese food, and only Chinese food. The few exceptions to this are in the bigger cities, where some of the large foreign chains have started to get a foothold. Before you get excited, let me tell you that the foreign chains you will see are MacDonalds and KFC. Yuk, and double yuk! Nothing for a vegetarian or vegan there, even if you DID approve of the company politics, which as a vegan or vegetarian I would very much doubt. Occasionally you might come across a Pizza Hut, but the prices there are very high, similar to what you are used to in the west. A vegetarian backpacker eating there would soon find that his budget had blown apart.
This is all very sad. The only things that the Chinese know about foreign food is from McD, KFC, and PH. No wonder they just stick to their own cooking!! As for backpackers, unless you are very lucky, you will just have to manage from the ideas given above. Self-caterers would have a much better time, as many sorts of vegetables are available in every market. Some pulses too, normally mung beans, and those little red ones. I've seen yellow split peas, and green lentils, once. Red lentils not at all, which is a shame as they are so easy to use. Tofu is commonly available, if you are a tofu fan.
The Chinese are great snackers, and the average supermarket will contain a huge variety of snacks. Check the packets carefully - they often contain animal products, even if the picture on the front looks OK. Some items are definitely best avoided - I've seen packets of pre-cooked hen heads, and pre-packed duck feet. Some packets you just don't WANT to know any more about!
Whilst in Beijing, I have been looking around for vegetarian restaurants. The one mentioned in the Lonely Planet book: Gongdelin Vegetarian Restaurant at 158 Qianmen Dajie, near the Temple of Heaven, seems to have disappeared. I did find two others, though, and would recommend them both.
The first, which has its own website, is at a hotel at 103 West Dianmen Street, Xicheng district, and not far from the northern entrance to the Beihai Park and Lakes. Their phone number is 010-665-71898. The restaurant is Buddhist-based, and serves a large variety of vegetarian dishes, many of which are cleverly made to look (and taste, apparently) like meat or fish. They have vegetarian shrimps, fish, pork, even vegetarian pepper steak and fries! Quite why the Chinese do this I am not sure -it seems rather bizarre. However, the restaurant also does a range of more normal Chinese vegetarian dishes, which do not pretend to be like anything else. The price range is Medium, with dishes from about 20 Yuan to 80 Yuan. There is no alcohol for sale. Buses that pass the restaurant include the 13, 107, 111, 118, 204, 810, 823, and 850.
The second restaurant, a personal favourite, is called 'Xu Xiang Zhai'. Its located at 26 Guo Zi Jian Street, in Dongcheng district. Telephone 010-640-46568. Fax 010-640-46566. Its easy to find, as it is right opposite the famous Confucian Temple, and just a minute away from the Lama Temple on Yong He Gong Street. There's a subway station just 5 minutes walk away - its called Yonghegong. One of the best things about the restaurant is that it has an all-you-can-eat buffet that runs twice a day - at lunch time, and in the evening from 17:30-21:00. There must be about 50 different dishes to choose from, including sushi, soup, salads, fruit and deserts. You can keep on eating, but if you leave anything on your plate, they charge you extra! The price for the buffet is fixed at 68 Yuan, approximately 10USD or 5GBP. There are some soft drinks, plus beer if you pay extra. The restaurant also has a separate dining room if you want to choose dishes from a menu, but I prefer the buffet.
Terracotta Warrior
Terracotta Warrior
Terracotta Warrior
Terracotta Warrior
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 1 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 2 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 2 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 2 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 2 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 2 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 2 - Terracotta Warriors
Hall 3 - Brass chariot
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
Temples on Kong Tong Mountain
Tree on Kong Tong Mountain
Taoist statue at Kong Tong
Taoist monk at Kong Tong
Taoist statues at Kong Tong
Painting of water birds
Taoist monk at Kong Tong
Temple roof tiles
Tree with good luck threads
Taoist monk at Kong Tong
Taoist monk at Kong Tong
Taoist statues at Kong Tong
Light down temple stairs
Big Goose Pagoda, Xian
Big Goose Pagoda, Xian
Lighting incense at Da Cien Temple
Lighting incense at Da Cien Temple
Statue in Da Cien Temple
Incense burner at Da Cien Temple
Statue of Xuan Zang
Xian museum - Buddhist temple
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
Great Wall and paddy fields
Great Wall and paddy fields
Bronze warrior horsemen
Chinese girl smiling
Incense burner
Chinese characters - Fishing
Temple incense seller
Boy in orange teeshirt
Old Chinese lady
Three Buddhas
Statue with silk background
Yellow River at Liujiaxia
Yellow River at Liujiaxia
Yellow River at Liujiaxia
Yellow River at Bingling Si
Yellow River at Bingling Si
The Bingling Si Buddhist Caves
The Bingling Si Buddhist Caves
Buddhist prayer flags
Blue-haired Buddha
Chinese Buddhist monk
Bingling Si Upper Temple
Bingling Si Upper Temple
Recling Buddha - Bingling Si
Giant Buddha - Bingling Si
Mountains at Bingling Si
Mountains at Bingling Si
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
Boys eating noodles
Walking on sand dunes
Jay feeds wandering camel
A typically huge Chinese service-station
Mogao Caves near Dunhuang
Mogao Caves near Dunhuang
Dunhuang, where you pay to see sand
Great Wall at Shiguan Gorge
Great Wall at Shiguan Gorge
Great Wall at Shiguan Gorge
Jiayuguan Fort, Xinjiang
Curio seller, Jiayuguan Fort
Temple figures, Jiayuguan Fort
Jiayuguan Fort, Xinjiang
Jiayuguan Fort, Xinjiang
Jiayuguan Fort, Xinjiang
Jiayuguan Fort, Xinjiang
Great Wall at Shiguan Gorge
Statue of travelling Monk
Great Wall at Shiguan Gorge
Statue of travelling Monk
Great Wall at Shiguan Gorge
Chinese men playing cards
Dragon and temple bell
Cockerel and red door
Chinese good luck ribbons
Chinese good luck ribbons
Dragon and incense
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
Preparing silk cocoons, Hotan
Silk weaver prepares warp, Hotan
Colored silks, Hotan Silk Factory
Silk weaver prepares warp, Hotan
Silk weaver at loom, Hotan
Hanks of raw silk thread
Silk carpet weaver at loom, Hotan
Carpet weavers with baby in cot
Weaving a 34 metre wide carpet
Weaving a 34 metre wide carpet
Chairman Mao is watching you
Sand dunes in the Taklamakan Desert
Desert bushes to stop drifting
Truck with valves on Chinese expressway
Truck on the Taklamakan Highway
Old Chinese coins and tokens
House and balcony at Turpan
Turpan covered walkway
Young girl in Turpan
The 2nd lowest lake in the world
Statue at the Astana graves
Viewing platform, Astana graves
Emin Minaret and Su Gong Ta Mosque, Turpan
Gaochang ruins, near Turpan, Xinjiang
Gaochang ruins, near Turpan, Xinjiang
Gaochang ruins, near Turpan, Xinjiang
These photographs were all taken on my Overland journey from the UK to St Petersburg, via Beijing, in 2008. High resolutions versions are available for licencing - please Contact Me for further details.
Greetings from Communist China!! Or is it still Communist China? After a few weeks in this perplexing country, I'm beginning to wonder. We've been playing the game 'Spot The Communist'. So far, there's been no winners. Actually, there's been no entries, either. No one has seen one. Turn on the TV, and there's plenty of information about the Chinese Stock Market. Swap channels and you can watch the adverts from all the private Chinese companies. Walk down the streets and all you can see is private commerce. This isn't the Communism that I used to read about, but still, it seems to suit the locals. The fact is, everyone is so busy making money that they haven't much time for anything else, these days. Oh, except the Olympics, of course. The Olympics are very big here at the moment. There's a special Olympic channel on TV, to get everyone in the mood. Olympic signs and stickers are everywhere. Official souvenirs will be available shortly, in a range to suit all pockets. There's even a special set of 5 Olympic FUWA emblems for sale - they're the official mascots, made out of jade, and can be purchased for just $41,000. If you are the person who just purchased the famous £1M handbag that's been in the news from London, they could be just up your street.
Some things obviously come from our Bigger Brothers. The BBC can't be watched on TV. Normally there are no foreign channels at all, though here is Xian there is CNN and TVE to add a bit of variety from all of the local channels - that's a first. Some web sites are rather hard to access, so if you need to checkout Blog Spot or Face Book whilst in China, you need a lot of patience. You might never get there at all, actually. BBC News coverage is a bit patchy, too, but apart from these, I've managed to get all the things done that I needed to. Our news comes courtesy of the Chinese government, who have a channel in the English language called CCTV9.
For all my regular readers, you are probably wondering if we've reached the end of another section yet. Well, the answer is yes, we, have, and are sorry to be losing quite a few of the passengers. Out of a total of 14, 6 are leaving the truck here in Xian, and 8 are continuing on to Beijing. We also have some newcomers joining us: 6 people from the Kathmandu to Kashgar truck, including my very good friends Wayne and Dinah Rogers, and 1 guy who is just doing the Xian to Beijing section. More details when I have them.
What have we been up to recently? In short, finishing the Silk Road. Whoohooo - yes, we've got here at last. Here being Xian, the official end, or start, of the Silk Road(s). What an expedition it has been. We've journied through Central Asia, following the routes taken by the camel caravans of old, crossing mountains, high plains, and mountain passes. We've spent a lot of time in the desert, including a crossing of the infamous Taklamakan Desert, and a skirting of the also infamous Gobi Desert. We've braved mountain wilderness, and travelled along the Karakoram Highway to well above the limit that altitude sickness sets in for many. We went to see the stunning Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in China, all beautifully preserved. Finally, at Jiayuguan, we arrived at the first section of the Great Wall of China, which you can read more about if you click this link. Since then, we've followed the wall for quite a way as it snakes its way across China, before heading south to the Yellow River and the super Buddhist statues at Bingling Si. Now we're in Xian, and a chance to see the Terracotta Warriors. More news as I get it, and whenever internet access is available.
