Tag Archives: Shaanxi
Long
My last day in Shaanxi, my first day in Gansu 甘肃. I’m excited. There’s a Tang-dynasty temple in Changwu, it’s called Zhaoren Temple 昭仁寺: It was closed when I got there, so I went to the market instead: Then I hit the road. One thing that is really noticeable about spring: People are creating homes […]
the knots
See the curve right at the start of the red line on the map? Now, that’s one long bad-ass bridge: Today’s weather was a perfect 10: Not too cold, not to hot. A blue sky with just the occasional pretty white puff lounging around. A beautiful day even for one-handed traffic cops: It was in […]
revenge of the prime target
This part of the province heavily depends on coal mining – much like the areas of Shanxi I had come through a few months ago (definition of hurt, mountain temples): I wondered at this dude sweeping the ground in a world full of dust: But then there were also other things to look at besides […]
speacial or what
Just like I had promised myself: I didn’t do any walking today. Instead I slapped on my blue slippers and took a slow stroll around town: This pagoda is Binxian’s landmark. People here call it Bin Pagoda 彬塔 and it is originally from the Northern Song-dynasty (北宋 960-1126). They’re fixing a large central square around […]
a beginner’s guide to 50k
Okay, two things up front: I never walked 50k, but I came really close today. As much as I enjoy the wacky side of life, I’m always trying not to sound funny when I’m talking about serious things. So anyways, here’s the two versions of my how to walk 50k guide : Version 1, you’re […]
just how old do I look?
I left my stuff at the hotel and went out to ask someone for the way to a cybercafe, because I figured it was raining and my feet hurt anyway, so I might as well rest up and do some maintenance on the site. I found some guys who were standing around looking idle, and […]
prime target of the dumb
Chinese history has seen families rise and dynasties fall, it has seen aristocrats and barbarians wrestle for power, and it has seen many different Emperors from all over the country seeking to rule the land. But only one woman has ever made it to the Imperial throne: that woman was Wu Zetian 武则天 from the […]
watch my back, Lord
“Traffic in Asia always looks so chaotic, but there hardly ever seem to be any accidents!” – have you ever had people tell you stuff like this before? If so, let me help clear this up for you: Bullshit. Freaky driving – lots of accidents. Simple as that. Well, but then I’m just walking and […]
kids & apples & the gift of pain
Today was a warm day – what am I saying – a hot day! So hot indeed I first took off my jacket, then my sweater, then my shirt, and at some point around noon I was laying down taking a siesta under an apple tree, trying to get a tan. As sexy as bearded […]
walk
Oh yeah, I’m finally doing what I had originally set out to do: walk! The last three days had seen me looking outside my window like a sick dog (time can what time doesnt) – but today I packed up, went out, and walked down that road I had been staring at for so long: […]
time can what time doesn’t
Time can only do one thing: it can pass. And it doesn’t seem to give a damn what people do with it. You could be outside walking around, or you could be in your hotel room just looking outside: By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube […]
my cave
Well, well, well, if it isn’t Chris, the Adventurer! I’m still in the same hotel, waiting for my foot to heal: The days never seem to pass, and on top of that I am having trouble finding sleep. So here’s what I do: I sit there all day, with my foot-washing bowl and my ointments […]
tiny riots
I don’t exactly understand how, but my computer died on me because of the Internet connection in my hotel last night. So I reinstalled the operating system and then took a walk over to another hotel. On the way, I noticed a lot of people standing around a pair of shoes: Well, they weren’t exactly […]
signs
It has taken me quite a while to come up with this post. No need to worry though – computer problems. Well, like I announced in a post before, I got my boots strapped back on today in spite of the foot rash and started slowly moving out of the city: I accidentally came across […]
some words
When I woke up this morning and felt my foot, I decided it was necessary to stay in for another day. Once I went out and tried to get some more effective medicine: By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube (The sound got lost on this […]
foot/dish
Wanna see my foot? I’m afraid there’s actually not that much to see, it’s just itchy as hell: So anyways I stayed in my hotel room on the 24th floor almost all day: I had a good serving of kungpao chicken 宫保鸡丁 and ate around the red things: Wimp that I am. Later that night, […]
illin’
I got an itchy rash on my foot, so I went to see the doctor today. My first time in a Chinese hospital as a patient: I had to stand in line and register: Then I sat around in the corridor for a little while: Interestingly enough, I had to go to a department called […]
Muslims and water fountains
The province of Shaanxi belongs to the Chinese West. This also means I see more and more Muslims the further I go, mainly the Hui-minority 回族: They appear very similar to the Han-Chinese 汉族 – but often wear white caps or headscarves: There is a very large and beautiful Mosque in the downtown area: When […]
looking for a connection
Today saw me and my tour guide run around Xi’an looking for a hotel with better Internet access: I was in desperate need to upload a huge amount of pictures I had taken over the last few weeks, and none of the hotels downtown seemed to have network facilities that were really up to the […]