China, Part 2 (Xi'an)

The next day, Andy and I ended up flying to Xi’an. Our original plan was to take an overnight sleeper train, but we learned that all the sleepers were sold out days in advance. The train had only hard seats available and Andy wasn’t very eager to travel that for 12 hours overnight. I was a little more willing because I’m all about traveling on the cheap and wouldn't have minded being uncomfortable for awhile if in the process I saved myself $100. However, I decided to “bite the bullet” and spent a little more than I wanted, giving us an extra night in Beijing. Not to mention, the flight was only an hour and 40 minutes long.

We arrived early in the morning.  After checking into our hostel, we spent the day exploring the city. We got to see the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, the City Wall, and  the Wild Goose Pagoda. Xi’an is one of China’s oldest cities and most of its historical sites are well over a thousand years old. There was a very different feel in Xi'an than there was in Beijing. The pace of life there seemed a bit slower, yet it had much more charm.

 The Drum Tower.

 The Bell Tower in the distance.

Biking on the City Wall.

The Wild Goose Pagoda.

The next morning, we headed to Mount Hua Shan for a hike.  I learned about this hike while reading an article in Travel and Leisure magazine, “World’s Scariest Hikes.” Their website had a video link of the hike (Mount Hua Hike Video). After watching the video, I knew it was something that I had to do one day. The hike became the inspiration for my trip to China!

Mount Hua Shan is known as 'The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven'. It’s one of the five sacred mountains in China and has a long history of religious significance. Various Taoist temples dot the mountain’s five peaks. We boarded a bus near the Xi’an train station and two hours later arrived near the base of the mountain. Since we were limited on time, the cable car took us halfway up, but we were able to hike the rest of the way. The views near the top were amazing.

  The mountain’s cliff path was our ultimate destination. After hiking for about three hours through the clouds and in the rain, we finally arrived. It was an incredible sight to see. The path appeared even more intimating in person, to the point where I was doubting my ability and talking myself out of attempting it. It looked scarier than I imagined; a straight descent along small metal bars that were built into the mountain. The fact that it was raining and everything was wet, thus slippery, made the situation seem even more precarious. For a very lengthy moment, the thought crossed my mind to back out of the whole thing. Meanwhile, Andy had strapped right in to his harness and started on his way.After about 15 minutes, I gave the cliff path one final look and thought to myself, "I came all the way to China for this moment; I can’t back out now".  I put my stuff down, strapped myself in, and made my way down to the path. I would have truly regretted it had I not. I was surprised how safe and at ease I felt once I started making my way down. It looked much scarier than it actually was.

 The experience was amazing. It was quite the rush, almost spiritual like. Every thought and worry I ever had seemed to disappear for a moment as I took in all the beautiful scenery around me. There’s just something indescribable about nature when you see it on such a massive scale.  It makes me feel so small, yet, on top of the world. I’ve always been drawn to nature, and this was the most amazing sight I have seen yet! 

 Approaching the cliff path.

 Heading down to the path.

 After the cliff path, we made our way back down the mountain. We arrived back at our hostel around 8:00 pm. Then we treated ourselves to some typical Chinese food, KFC (our greatest export), they’re everywhere in China.

The next day, I had a few hours to visit the Terra-Cotta Warriors before my train departure. By the time we actually made it there, I had less than an hour to explore. Nonetheless, I got to see the main building, which was very impressive. The sculptures date back to 210-209 BC.

The Terra-Cotta Warriors.

At noon, I had to catch the train. I ended up taking the train to Tianjin (an 18 hour train ride), then the high-speed to Beijing (the only option available at the time). Once I arrived in Beijing, I got into a taxi and made my way to the airport. I made my plane just in time. After an hour and 45 minute flight I landed in Seoul, then it was a 4 hour bus ride back to Daegu. It was nice to be home after nearly 30 hours straight on some form of transportation.

 The hard sleepers on train.

China was amazing experience. I saw a lot in a short amount of time and got to experience some the country's unique culture. I also met a lot of friendly and interesting travelers along the way.