at Xi'an, a giant soldier. looking right at me... or so...


some of the soldiers. they all were coloured and had arms ... once...


Sunrise at mt. huashan. the red ribbons...


wrong wb. needs to be adjusted. but the view... *sigh*


same time same station.


sometimes I manage to take a picture before people notice, I'm foreign. at Pengzhao. China doesn't care about cold chain. (Kuehlkette)


Pengzhao. Tina, volunteer, and chinese girl running for picking up some lotus to eat *yummie*


Sichuangrey clouds and moon.


still life at Pengzhao.


artistic section
strolling around chengdu today I was in photo-mood.


highlighted grass ontop of a roof. will be better in bigger size. promised. (still xi'an)


at the earthquake site.


still life at youth hostel


bamboochairs


hoppla










all at chengdu today.

hope you enjoy and good night

Maybe you were asking, if I got lost: the answer is: no, i'm fine.
didn't get lost nor in finland neither in norway and china, and not even in my thoughts ;)

I just killed the text I wrote, because of this stupid mouse with some too much buttons for navigating on Internet (back\forward). So once more...

Where to start? where to end?
Its hard, so much happend.

Just impressions, as it is already nearly 1am

Guangyuan: three hotels sent me away, for the first time I didn't feel welcome at China.
but Stanley changed this, she just started talking to me, while I was taking pictures and invited me to her home.
well, we made an appointment for next day, and spent a great night togehter.

Chengdu: Lorraine and Joseph picked me up, it was really nice meeting them again. Dinner. hotpot. finally :) I wanted to try it when I was at chongqing.

Pengzhao: Next day we picked up the team at the airport (the others were from Hongkong) and went to the city where we were going to teach english, where we should live the next 5days.
they were (and are) all so nice!

Teaching: quite a challenge as I don't speak mandarine. At the beginning less contact to the children, but the ice broke the third day, when I was teaching them some Origami. Yes, an austrian teaching origami to chinese :)

Visa and Bike: I skipped one day for fixing my visa (driving around in chengdu for 5 hours - more than annoying. driving to longchan. the family keeping my bike were happy to see me again - so dinner together.
all togehter: departure: 6am, return: 4am *yawn*

The goodbye yesterday was hard. :'( I really felt welcome during these days, even if we never met before. I enjoyed this experience, the whole group. it was something really special. I hope I will meet them again.
Thank you Lorraine for offering me this possibility, thank you to all others for accepting me without reservation, thank you for sharing some hobbies ;)

Now I am at Chengdu once more, and it seems to me I finally start to like this city. well, some more days.
Plans are beeing made for the next days.

I guess there will follow some more detailed stories, especially for the last week, but not now. I already sorted the pictures, was online on skype talking for a while, so its late... just to say I'm fine.

I guess on Monday I will return here, this Internet is quite comfortable. and the computers are fast!!!

bye
Angi

Hi there,

so, finally I am at Xi'an again. Two days ago I left it, and was glad about this, and went to mount Hua Shan, one of the hol y mountains in China. There are several possibilities, (cablecar, climbing path, looooooong foot path with dont now how many 1000 steps).
In the bus going there I met Richard from Canada, we were the only not-chinese tourists in this bus. Finally, after long questions and answers to the guide and the one at the ticketoffice, we decided to start our trip at 23.00 for to be on the east peak for sunrise. So we had dinner together, and ist was much fun, talking about chinese letters, symbols, menus, and so on. At 23.00 we went back to the ticketoffice, and I heard about there were 'natives' doing the same, but I didn't imagine that it was that much! Well, it was natives doing this, and Richard and me, and I saw another non-chinese tourist. The path (the whole way was surfaced, so no footpath like I know at 2100m altitude in the alps...) was steep, narrow, exposed (and at night you couldn't see how deep it's going down at the side), and so crowded!
At the beginning, all chinese were passing by, they had quite a kind of a hurry coming up, but I wanted to go more slowly for not wasting my energy too careless (see, I learnt :). Good Girl! Some hours later, some star-watching-rests later, we started passing all the chinese, that finally were too exhausted to reach the peak. At the top there were about one hundred (or less) people, compared with numbers of people who began the trip... peanuts.
Sunrise was amazing, but cold! well, at least I kept some typical properties: I went up the mountain without windjacket, long trousers and pullover. But as soon as the sun appeared (+ half an hour) it got warmer, and as soon as the sun appeared, the crwod disappeared. lucky us. we just passed strolling the several peaks, and finally we wanted to go down.
The downpath wasn't that much fun, because of steep, slippy, and too small steps (we did kms of tip-toe-trekking ;). But as we both wanted to see the aera sorrounding the stairway (and we didn't see anything at night) we chose this way back as well. The end was really hard. I'm not demure (zimperlich), but it really was exhausting, I think mainly because of no sleep. my knees were shivering/shaking.
The thing that astonished me the most, were the tons of red ribbons and golden locks, that lovers put along the road. They go up togehter, lock the lock at a chain, and then throw away the key.
As this one astounded me that much (not because of the meaning, but because of the pictures), my chinese souvenir this year is one of the red ribbons :)
We arrived Hua Shan Village only at about 4 pm, so we were wandering the mountain for nearly 17 hours - and without sleep. I tried to be really carefully, as I now myself and - miracle! - I didn't get hurt :)
Back at Xi'an (much later than inteded) I found out, that my next aim is too far away to reach it today. so, changing plans, staying the night at a youth hostel (another one. The first was cosy, nice, and friendly. This one is dirty, dinky (schaebig) but at least friendly).
The row for trainticket was approximatly 2 hrs, so back and to bed. I fell asleep at 22 pm...
Today I got up early at 7 am to buy my trainticket. everybody told me it's going to be impossible (and kind of it is - its always really a challenge to try to make myself understood by a chinese clerk, with all that possibilities: hard seats, soft seats, hard bed, soft bed, upper bed, middle bed, lower bed), because I'm using one of the main routes, and there won't be any seats. Well, I have a Ticket now, my train leaves at 17.30 (so one more day to spend at Xi'an), but I don't know if it is a seat or a bed...
Now I'm going for a small place, maybe to rent a bicycle to see something not-touristig: a place you can't find in the lonley planet, but on my chinese roadmap, that I still have and use...
After I'm going to teach english to chinese childre at an english language camp (like the one I went to 15 years ago - guys, I'm getting old... ;), Lorraine organizes this cours (but I think I told this already, right?).
When I am at Chengdu, I finally have some plans:
a) I have to prolong my Visa
b) I need to get back my bike
c) I want to try to get a Visa for Tibet. I changed plans. Maybe it's possible to take the train to Lhasa - must be a great occasion to see the mountains as close as possible, even if Anna and Julius told me the amazing view from the airplane...

as I'm not interested in the giant cities of china (somehow they are all the same) I try to stay a little bit longer here in the montains, so sichuan, qinghai and gansu provinces. Maybe it's possible to do a more-day-hike around somewhere here. I know there are possibilites to do horse-trekking, maybe also this is a good possibility. To Beijing I really want to go at hte last possibility - even if I'm looking forward to see He Xin again, and to learn how to play Mahjong. I think China is a better place than Simmering ;) .
I also wanted to go more to the south, where I didn't intended going at the beginning, but, for telling the truth, I'm a little scared of Malaria... Well, Julius told me, that it is possible here in China to get the Medication at the pharmacy for about 20 Euro, without prescription of a medic... but still I'm not sure.
Susa told me: "against malaria? just don't let you bite"... but as I found out at Chengdu, I'm not so consistent to do this. even if I tried the Nobite(R), i wasn't happy, because my face hurted, when I applied it. so... well, let's see.

So, you see I'm fine.
No pics today, I'm not in a mood for doing this now.
Just off to pack my things, stroll around the city, looking for some inspiring places (as I found one right after the day I wrote I don't like the city) and do a kind of relax today.

At your place it's 3am, so: good night! my day starts right after that point.

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.

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.

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!