16 Days Beijing and Xian Adventure
01/04/2015 - 16/04/2015
We depart for Xian by the high speed train from Beijing West Railway Station on the Subway Line 9 at around noon and arrived at Xian North Railway Station at around 6pm.
At the Beijing West Railway Station departure area
The train reached a top speed of 303km/hr, which is like F1 speed
At the Xian North Railway Station we took the MRT to North Street Station (Line 2). Our Xian Tooyo Hotel is just next to the station. We booked it through Agoda at RM91 per night for three nights. Later we extend our stay for another three nights at RM120 per night.
After checking in we walked to the Muslim Quarter for our dinner. The Mulim Quarter is the hub of the Muslim community in Xian City, Shaanxi Province. Located to the north of the West Street in the city center, the quarter covers several blocks inhabitated by over 20,000 Muslims. There are about ten mosques in this area, among which the Great Mosque in the Huajue Lane is the most famous and popular
Muslim food and souvenir market is another feature of the area. The Beiyuanmen Muslim Market located just to the north of the Drum Tower is a great choice after the sightseeing in the city center. About 500 meters in length from south to north, the street can be reached through the archway under the Drum Tower.
Our local noodle(CNY7) and lamb noodle soup(CNY25) dinner
Day 10 - 10 April 2015
After breakfast in the hotel we walked to the South Gate, passing through the Bell Tower.
Xian Bell Tower
The Bell Tower, is a stately traditional building, that marks the geographical center of the ancient capital. From this important landmark extend East, South, West and North Streets, connecting the Tower to the East, South, West and North Gates of the City Wall of the Ming Dynasty.
We were there on time to witness the guards parading at the South Gate of Xian Wall for the opening
The South Gate of Xian Wall behind us
From the South Gate we took the local bus to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda is located in the southern suburb of Xian City, about 4 kilometers from the downtown of the city. This whole scenic area include the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Daci'en Temple, and the various squares, gardens and other facilities around. We were in time to see the musical water fountain that in on at various times of the day including one at night,
The whole show last for 30 minutes
After the show we wonder around the park to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossom
White cheery blossom
Beautiful pink cherry blossom
We had our lunch at a nearby restaurant
Later we took the open deck bus for a tour of the surrounding area for CNY5 per person
Views form the open deck bus
We then take the bus back to Bell Tower and from there we walked to the Muslim Quarter
The Drum Tower behind Lili
Closed up view of the Dum Tower with its giant drums
The Drum Tower view from the Beiyuanmen Muslim Market
The Beiyuanmen Muslim Market was crowded with people during dinner time
Posting with the Spider Man who was in town
Beiyuanmen Muslim Market Street has a variety of food stalls selling Muslim Food
Day 11 - 11 April 2015
This morning we took the MRT to the Xian North High Speed Station to board the free shuttle to the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses. We claimed the free shuttle pass with our high speed train ticket from Beijing to Xian, The entrance ticket to the museum is CNY150 per person.
The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life.
Day 12 - 12 April 2015
Today we decided to have a tour of the Xian City Wall. After breakfast in the hotel we walked to the South Gate to get the entrance tickets to the City Wall. The ticket is priced at CNY70 and come with a free river cruise.
Entrance to the City Wall
We were in time for the opening ceremony of the City Wall
Beautiful Maidens
After the opening we climbed the stairs to the City Wall to begin our tour
View of the City from the City Wall
We rented a tandem bicycle for CNY90 to go around the wall. It will take us at least two hours to walk round the wall but with the bicycle we can do it in a much shorter time
Behind us is one of the many watch towers on top of the wall
The wall is really wide that horse carriages can be used on top in the old days
This is one side of the wall. Imagine the distance from one end to the other
Another view of the City from the City Wall
This will give you a perspective on how high is the wall
This is the square outside the South Gate.
Our entrance ticket is inclusive of a river cruise.
View of the City Wall from the river cruise terminal
Day 13 - 13 April 2015
Today we joined a local tour to Huashan for CNY470 per person, including the entrance fee and cable car to and fro the North Peak. We booked this tour from the tour company in the hotel.
Cable car up to the North Peak
For those who are energetic they can walk up using the concrete staircase.
With the cable car we were up at the North Peak in a couple of minutes
Fish head rock
The hand rock
One of the most vertical climb
The long climb to the West Peak which we did not climb due to lack of time
Time for a refreshing rest after all the walking and climbing
This explain why the bottled water is so expensive up on the mountain. It has to be manually carried up
Similarly the rubbish is manually carried down
Cannot imagine that we actually walked down on those staircases that is mounted on the slope of the cliff.
The view was fantastic when we ascend and descend the mountain in the cable car
Stalls at the cable car station
On the way back to the hotel we passed by one of the lighted watch towers on top of the City Wall.
Day 14 - 14 April 2015
After breakfast we took the MRT to Wulukou Station to check out the bus schedule to the airport. We planned to visit the Drum and Bell Towers and also the musical water fountain in Big Wild Goose Pagoda tonight.
Colorful mural in the MRT Station
The wooden Bell Tower, which is the largest and best-preserved of its kind in China, is 36 meters (118 feet) high. It stands on a brick base 35.5 meters (116.4 feet) long and 8.6 meters (28.2 feet) high on each side. During the Ming Dynasty, Xian was an important military town in Northwest China, a fact that is reflected in the size and historic significance.
The intricate carving of the wooden structure of the Bell Tower
View of the Drum Tower from the Bell Tower
Closed up view of the Drum Tower with its giant drums
Musical performance inside the Bell Tower
After our visit to the Bell Tower we walked to the cultural street near the South Gate. On the way we passed by the CNY10 shop inside the sub-way where Lili bought her musical instrument
The entrance to the cultural street
Traditional art and crafts lined both sides of the street
We then walked back to visit the Drum Tower.The Drum Tower is located northwest of the Bell Tower of Xian, across the Bell and Drum Tower Square. Both of them are called the 'sister buildings' or 'morning bell and dark drum'. In ancient China, especially from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the drums were used to signal the running of time and on occasion were used as an alarm in emergency situations.
Drum performance inside the Drum Tower
The Night Watchman's Drum
We had our dinner with steamed rice before we took a bus to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to watch the musical water fountain.
The night scene of the musical water fountain is more beautiful and it also lasts for 30 minutes.
On the way back we dropped off at the South Gate to take some night scenery.
Lighted Watch Tower of the City Wall
Day 15 - 15 April 2015
Today is our last day in Xian. We did some last minute shopping by visiting the Muslim Quarter again. The last two times we came here was in the night. It will be good to see the place in the daytime.
Entrance to the Beiyuanmen Muslim Market Steet
Some of the street food may not be palatable to, especially the grille kidney at the top
Obama is very famous here. His picture is on the T-Shirts
Souvenir shop where Lili bought another musical instrument
We departed from Xian by Air Asia Flight D7347 and arrivied at KLIA2 at 5:25am the next morning.
It has been an enjoyable trip covering Beijing and Xian in two weeks though there are many places in these two cities that we could not cover. It will be quite a while before we come back to these two cities again. Special thanks to my fellow Financial Adviser Au Yong Mun Bong and his wife Gloria for joining us in this trip and make in a memorable one
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