Finally I arrived at Xi'an, one of the aims on my list (well, that wasn't very long: the only things I wanted to see were the 3gorges, the solar eclipse, the terracotta army and the great wall - my program for 7 weeks of travelling ;)

I didn't expect it that touristic, but it is. I met more foreign people here at the youth hostel than in 2 weeks travelling through china. one stops smiling each other.
Nevertheless, people are nice, I met Martina of the 23rd district of Vienna... and some other people, like Michael from Ireland, Arne from Germany and some more :) chats, beers, ideas, laughing together - and Tablesoccer :)))). I like the place over here.

But I hate the city. yesterday I was strolling around the city, and there were just too many foreigners AND too many chinese, there were just too many people surrounding me. After a trip by bicycle onto the ancient wall and had a walk through the moslem quarter I got for the very first time disappointed by chinese food. Too fatty and oily, and not very good. ESCAPE! Very angry I returned to the hostel, and passed a nice evening here (see above). Today I went to see the terracotta-army. impressive, but for telling the truth, I intended some more warriors to see. well, and I imagined they were found in perfect condition preserved for more than 2000 years... I didn't know they are beeing rebuilt in the moment. and once more: too many tourists.

And for the second time since I am here in China I got some rain.
Well, a lot of rain... we were completeley wet from under panties to shirt, bagpack, just everything... and 'fortunately' i gave all my other cloths to the laundry service this morning... so I'm sitting with my sleeping t-shirt ("oh, queens of the stoneage is a great band, isn't it?" - ways for making new friends :) and my short, short shorts, that I usually wear only at "home" in the internet at the youth hostel. it's still raining, and I'm planning my escape.

I want to go to the mountain hua shan - I hope this is not supertouristic as well... *sigh* but as it is written in the lonley planet, there maybe will be lots of other people.
well, lets see...

have a good sunday
Angi

I'll add the pictures chronologically - some of them belong to pics no 3, but who cares?


Thats how we spent the solar eclipse: in the park of Yichang.


that was the amazing light during solar eclipse: its 9.30 am, the sun high in the sky, and all lights went on.
last year we couldn't even see a difference to normal light - too little coverage.


The drum at the entrance to the temple at Kaifeng [kaifong] (belongs to the picture of me sitting with the "light socks"


Prime Minister Temple, still Kaifeng.


same time same station.


same time same station. women sat in the shadow of bamboo33 ;) and made boats out of golden paper to sell them.


same time same station.


The ancient wall around Xi'an. I rent a bicycle and went around it. 14 km. The first time onto an upright bike since I have my Ibex.


Incent sticks that are fired always in front of the temples, to the honour of the buddhas. this one is in the "god city" here at Xi'an.


A Ginkoleaf in the great mosque of Xi'an. I went there, because I love arabian letters and patterns - but acutally it was built in chinese style. the only minarett in the world that has chinese shape...


as it is always very hot in China, there are umbrellas everywhere: on the waiting areas at the red trafficlights, but also in the very middle of the road for the policeman regulating the traffic.

well, that never happend to me before: in a land, in which foreigners are easily identified, they (or better: we) develop a common sense of beeing alien: whereever I go, and see a "foreign" face, I start smiling, and the other one as well.
strange phenomenon.

First of all:
The pics I put online while travelling will not be all, there will follow much more after my return, i will make them clickable like I did it for finland, I will crop them so that one can see the interesting parts better, and provide better qualitiy, its just to give you an impression of my journey.

so, here we go:


The first very touristic stop during the boattrip through the three gorges.


Same time same station. I was impressed by the man in the middle of the green.


2nd day of boattrip: early in the morning (6.30) at the white city.


same time same station. In the background the hills of the gorges.


What an impressive moment - not only the picture, but also the light on earth - wow!


the first moments after totality of the eclipse.


still you can notice the socks I wore for cycling: new chinese shorts, that colour still everthing they touch (bags, sheets, underwear) even after washing them twice ;) and my new shoes for touristic life.


The tieta. The Iron Pagode. The Computer refuses to accept all the colorful pictures I wanted to show you. sorry.

As I do no go 100 km every day, I have much more time for exploring the cities. Some days ago I wrote, I'm going to be a traveller, now I am a tourist again.

But as China has lots of very colorful and detailed buildings, I could spend hours just taking pictures of the different temples and parks. Who knows me, knows that I am keen on details and colours - so: perfect for me.

I didnt stay much time at zhengzhou: I arrived at 4 am, and left at 6 am. In the train I got to know a girl, He Xin, from Beijing.
We spent lots of times with learning and teaching chinese and its pronounciation - she even knew the IPA!!! So I tried my best - but its hard. I can now write "I am Angi" and "I am austrian" in chinese letters. :) (imagine: in the signs for "Aodili" = Austria, there are the signs for rice, large and fields ... well, it describes Austria very well, don't you think?) and said my first correct sentence: You are my friend: Ni shi wo de pengyou. Cooooool!
btw: the sound for "Angi" in chinese means Angel ;) quite like my original name, funny, isn't it?

However, the trainstation at zhengzhou was very strange: everywhere people lying on the ground, sleeping and waitig for a train to come... amazing, unbelieveable, as so many things here in china.

Kaifeng was my next stop. An old city with lots of temples and much bigger than I thought it was. Thanks to the map in my lonley planet, I could easily find, where to go. First I visited the prime minister temple, I stayed there for some hours, then I had lunch. and what lunch! Guys, Girls, I will return fat as a ton, the food is soooooooooo good! And so cheap as well, at least for me european... I ate: (well, I paid, i didnt eat all) 13 small fried fish, I large bowl of noodles (freshmade! right next to me) with egg, algen (dt.), a kind of flower Ive never seen before, zitronenmelisse (dt.) and garlic in lots of humid, a beer(?) with annanas: 16 yuan = 1,8 euro. And everyone who knows me, knows how much I love trying new tastes...

In the afternoon I had a little sleep, as the last days were quite exhaustig, with not that much sleep. In the evening once more exploring the city... I discovered only now, that the city is much bigger than expected: lots to do tomorrow.
In the evening I was at the super"store", bought a new travel-backpack (hopefully the 4-bag-system has an end now...) and once more I met a group of young chinese, they all wanted to help me. I tell you, chinese people are sooooo friendly and nice! They accompanied me to the hotel and we made an maybeappointment for today.

Well, plans changed, and we met only by accident today. I was strolling around the parks, had rests, wondered about all the red-yellow dots (weiss nicht ob nur punkterln oder auch blaserln oder auch dippeln... wenn man dran denkt, jucken sie, wenn nicht, dann nicht.) on my legs and arms, and have a headache as well and noticed, that I even forgot my headache medicine at my bike...
well, now waiting for train to xi'an, one more very cultural and historical city and sorroundings: the terracotta-warriors. and I want to go on the mountain there. still I don"t know if this is a good Idea, because I miss my rain jacket... you know, where it is...

On 1st of August I will return to Chengdu. Lorraine (see blog some days ago) is organizing an english language course, and I will join them, to teach a little english to little children. I decided to do this, as chinese people are all so nice, to help them as well - at least a little bit. I asked Lorraine also for help for getting back my bike, and He Xin was so nice to offer me the possibility to keep my bike at Beijing until I arrive there for flying home again. So, problems seems to get less, but I know more only at the beginning of August.

So far for today, pics will follow, but only few... blaim it on the computer... :) (He doesn't like too much of my pictures - don't ask me why).

bye!
Angi

After I left my bike, the family was so nice to give me some food and to bring me to longchan, where I continued my journey by bus. I wanted to go to chongqing, where I took the Boat through the three gorges to yichan, where I finally want to watch the solar eclipse.

I left that fast, that I left some useful things like pocket knife, pullover, rainjacket (and some other important things) at my bike... well, 10 daystravelling without ... lets hope the best.

on the boat I met three french girls, two chinese girls that helped me while learning chinese - well,that pronounciation isn't that easy, and even if I looked at dict.leo.org for solar eclipse, nobody anderstands when I say rishi.
During the stops for visitig touristic spots I passed the time with the french girls, with whom I also went to yicvhang to see the eclipse.

It happend so much! adventourous search for a place to sleep yesterday in the evening and so on. Today, once more get up early: the solar eclipse started at about 8.00 for to reach totality at 9.30. we left at 7.15 to buy some special glasses for to watch the eclipse. I'm happy I bought the astronomic film already in austria, theses chinese werent safe, in my opinion. theyfiltered too little light.

On the boat I already prepared the filters for my cam for to take pictures - good girl! at 5 min to 8 there were still clouds, but then they disappeared! What an event! amazing! and maybe I'm going to be on chinese TV as well, not only like NOE1 in february :)

So, last word to say before shutdown computer:

JIIIIIIPPPPIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! :)))))))

Pics next time, as computer too slow...

hope to get some news from you!

next stop: zhongzhen, then xi'ian, then .... well an then Chengdu.

bye!

My Ibex is lying in a small town next to Longchan, people were so friendly to keep my bike, until i can fetch it. I went on to see te solar eclipse, and hope, I can manage things later.

Azub is great! They answered my email and told me three possibilities what I can do, including sending a new frame to Beijing. As this would take too much time (well, two weeks...) and my holidays would finish three and a half weeks later, I hope I can find a company that could repair my bike according to Infos provided by azub. As I still don't know how to proceed (about getting back my bike and large parts of my luggage...) I can't tell you more right now.

for intrested ones: the part, where the rear wheel is attached to the frame, broke (you are right, Gerd :)

Well, I already know, I will miss this way of independent travelling, as I am now waiting for the train, that leaves at 18.20. so nearly 6 hours of waiting, but lots to do, so no worry.

so far for my bike.

today the frame broke.

well, I'm ok, I hope I can see the solar eclipse, all the rest is not important :)

I'll get along with that as well, and chinese people REALLY are so nice, helping, and friendly.

More news later.

During the one and only rain until today on a chuckhole with street around I stopped under the roof of the shop - and as soon as the rain got less, the people got more... all like in Austria, courious to know about my bike.


Me in the car of Lorraine, next to me Joseph, above me Ibex (called "Speedy" by my pupils) while this rescue action.


At Lake Qingli, one of the rare moments on my own. and happy to be alone.


My cockpit this year: GPS (seldom in use), Bikecomputer, Maps (I guess, neither Ortlieb nor Azub intended a use like this of their things, but it works perfect! even downhill with 67 km/h - not a problem for this construction), the boombag (perfect for all small things like musli bar, sunglasses, pcket knife etc) with my little Nikon. And not to forget the one-handed, one-leged brave knight, doing this trip together with me, on the gearshift cable on the right side, fixed with a red Kabelbinder :) :) (<- two smileys, because two persons should grin about this sentence) he can enjoy the trip better than me, because he does not have to pay attention about the traffic.


Dawn at uspeakable Village. one of the rare moments of beeing alone on thursday, 6 am... at least nearly alone ;)
There are clouds, everytime, I guess.


Same time, same station.


high above from the Buddha's temple, same station :) love this picture.


Today one of the rare spots where one can sit at the border of the street to have lunch (at 16.30, becaus there was no nice spot before... as usual - what a pity). A small pond, a rock to sit on it, nearly natural...


On the road: me and the mais :) someone who wants some popcorn, directly imported from China? For us unbelievable, here common way of drying corn, wheat, etc.


but: also this is china. and there exists lorries which smoke the same way... that's why I'm very glad to have a shower in the evening. and sometimes i remember the words of Silvia, my collegue: please wear a mask! ... well ...

thats all for today.
hope you enjoy. more or less the same way as I do.

btw, for all those who are worrying: riding my bike today I nearly didn't notice a difference to yesterday. If I'm not thinking right at that moment: f*** my handle bar is bent!!!! I really forget about it. so, no need to worry.

btw II: here one hour of Internet equals 2 yuan (=20c)... I wanted to buy a drink yesterday at the Internetplace, it costs 3 yuan... unbelievable? yes.

btw III: I learned because of the "mistake" yesterday: today i DID brake while going downhill, because the street was so bad, and I had somehow the feeling, my Ibex could get rid of me... brav, oder? :)

bye!