Beijing and the Great Wall, China

Coming into Beijing in the early afternoon, the train sluggishly pulled into the station and a load of backpackers piled out. Over the last 30 hours or so on the train with its limited stops, you get chatting to many people doing the same thing as you, and if you’re lucky, staying in the same hostel as you. I found three people heading in my direction so we took the more than efficient subway there.

Here in Beijing, the hostels were more like what I was accustomed to from travelling in Australia or NZ, a nice upgrade from the bunk beds in people’s living rooms which serve as hostels throughout Russia.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from Beijing, I had never been that bothered about visiting the rest of the country, the lure of the Great Wall being the more interesting thing to me. However, I had a fantastic week in Beijing and soon realised that if China as a country is anything like Beijing as a city, then I am going to have to come back sometime in the future.

Forbidden City & Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is huge, dominated by Mao’s Mausoleum in the centre and the Gate of Heavenly Peace to the north, separating the square from the Forbidden City. Similar to the Mausoleum in Moscow, you had to surrender you bags/ camera and had no more than a glimpse of Mao before you were ushered out of the building, the only difference being that this building was about tem times (minimum) the size of Lenin’s mausoleum.  

The Forbidden City complex itself is absolutely massive, it just went on and on, one more building after another. Usually that kind of thing would probably get old on me very quickly but I couldn’t get enough, the place was amazing. To the north of the complex is the Imperial Garden, full of different flowers and buildings surrounded by trees, if it weren’t for the throng of tourists you could imagine that it looked the very same all those years ago. 

Once outside the north gate, Gate of Divine Might, your immediate view is of the temples up on Jingshan Hill, a steep enough climb which offers amazing views of the Forbidden City and really helps you to appreciate the sheer size of the complex. 

Summer Palace

Again, another massive complex, the Summer Palace is mostly made up of temples and buildings dotted about Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake which is bordered by various buildings, gardens and bridges circumnavigating the enclosed area. The lake is actually man-made and the extracted soil is what makes up the hill.

Entering the complex from the base of the hill, you come to a narrow creek with a bridge over it, but at water level you are able to walk around on the narrowest of paths and go into the old waterside buildings that have now mostly been converted to souvenir shops and cafes.

Once across the bridge you come to the base of the hill itself, from here the only way is up as you arrive at various levels with what appears to be limited structure containing odd temples and building. At the summit you have a decent enough view out onto the lake but it still appears to be miles away. 

Zigzagging through rock paths and man-made steps you pass yet more old  buildings before reaching the other side of the hill and the paths following the lake's perimeter. You can go either way, but I decided to go clockwise around the lake, passing through plenty more builidings, halls and pavilions, all similar in acrchitecture to one another. 

There is a bridge connecting a small island where many people were just chilling in the shade of the trees, trying to avoid the crowds and find some quiet among the throng of people who had decended upon the complex for the day, busy busy with it being the day before Labour Day. 

The walk itself was very pleasant and takes a couple hours minimum to do if you are ambling along slowly taking in the sights and the atmosphere. Being a foreigner you get stopped pretty regularly for photos with people's wives and babies but it soon becomes common enough for you not to be bothered by it, ridiculous how often people will stop you for a photo.


There are a few different exits for those who want to make a swift exit but eventually you get back to the main exit by following the path round. An enjoyable stroll in the ever improving Beijing weather.

Great Wall

The Great Wall is one of those places you have to go to, especially if you are in the vicinity. I remember when I was in Cairns a few years ago and managed to not dive in the Barrier Reef. Not making that mistake again! 

Rather than take a guided tour and be shepherded around, I decided to do the trip on my own steam. As it was Labour Day, I was under the impression that there would be hoards of people all queueing up to get themselves to the wall so I made an early start to the day. Up and ready and at the bus station by 8am to catch the bus to Muyen, the town from which I was able to negotiate a taxi to the Jinshanling part of the Great Wall.

Once at the entrance to the Wall, you have the option of climbing to the Wall itself or take a cable car, I was feeling lazy. After exiting the car, there is only a short walk before you are on the Wall itself. I was a clear day, beautiful sunshine and the views were astounding as you could see the Wall going east and west for miles. 

I headed east, I had a few kilometres to walk before I reached the path I would have to take to get down to the car park where my taxi was waiting, I hadn't paid him' yet so I was fairly certain he would be there. Usually this stretch is about 10km and goes as far as Simatai but unfortunately that section is currently closed, I heard various reasons why from rock slides to general maintenance, so it couldn't be helped. 

Nevertheless, it was one of those places that lived up to expectations and wasn't a let down. The views were spectacular, I got some exercise for the first time in weeks, the expected crowds were non-existent, and it just happened to be the day of the Great Wall marathon. Choices of the 5km, 10km, half and full marathon along the Wall. No thanks. I saw one guy literally climbing up the steps on all fours, he was only doing the 5km. You can do it!

Once at the east tower, I carried on a bit before the Wall started to seriously deteriorate, then turned back and headed to the car park down the path. My driver was nice enough and seemed to know a bit about the area, how much was true I'll never know. Got back to the bus station where there was a ridiculous queue to get back to Beijing, and then an even bigger one to get back into the city. Still, the Great Wall was amazing, going to have to come back to do the whole Jinshanling - Simatai stretch one day, maybe even a 5km. Maybe not.

Acrobats

I couldn't go to Beijing and miss out on an acrobat show, especially as there were so many available and they were on somewhere in the city every day. Took a taxi to the theatre and once there, had a twenty minute wait before the action started.

There was the inevitable clown who was there comedic relief, unfortunately, and, I’m assuming, some historical storyline which I gave up on almost instantly. However, no such problems following what the performers were doing during there acts.


The first one was most of the male performers doing some form of dance which then led to them swinging around on suspended ropes, an introduction to what was to come.

This was followed by most of the female cast showcasing some of their skills, balancing balls, juggling and passing them with their feet while lying on their backs. One of the women actually balanced a 15ft pole with a hoop on the end on her feet and bounced a ball on five outstretched ‘branches’ until she put it in the net, impressive.

Following acts included two men putting on a power show and holding each other in ridiculously impossible positions and angles, there was a clutch of women, girls really, who were making lotus flowers with their bodies, contorting themselves into shapes that just made me feel a bit ill. Beyond flexible. There was a male/female partnership who were dancing on air with the aid of a rope, or so it seemed, and a magician who changed his appearance with masks in the blink of an eye. Male gymnasts jumping through hoops and landing in impossible positions and a balancing act involving two men, three girls, and a ladder.

However, as impressive as all that was, they saved the best until last with the cage of death trick. Usually just one guy doing 360s in a sphere metal cage would be impressive enough but they managed to fit in five of them, headlights on and horns blaring, full-throttling it around the cage and somehow missing each other. Awesome to see in real life, the crowds were loving it, and I heard after that in some places they manage to fit in six riders, madness.

Typically, as soon as the final act was over, the theatre was half empty and people rushed for the exit as the performers were going through their customary thanks. Nothing to worry about though because some of them even managed to get out before we did! Everyone is in such a rush these days.

There's plenty more from Beijing, but bearing in mind blogs aren't allowed in China I'm playing a bit of catch up and will subsequently add more in the near future, so rather than next stop, currently in Malaysia. More to follow.

Ulaan Bataar

Crawling into Ulaan Bataar in the early hours, all I wanted to do was sleep, and maybe have a few hours where there was no vodka involved. I was thankfully picked up and taken to my hostel where I could recuperate and get some sleep before setting out and having a wander around the city.

The capital city has seen an influx in it's population in recent years and as a result is a bit grimy with an unfrastructure unable to support an ever increasing population. There is massive development happening but for every new structure being built, there is a ger sitting right beside it. With the laws as they are, people can just come to the city and set up camp, such is their nomadic way, very surreal.

So close to the hills

As with any big city, there are of course many sights to see and all very much within walking distance. The city is set in a valley so it is only really expanding outwards with all the sights in the heart of the city.

The main square, Sukhbataar Square, is home to the Parliamentary building which houses a large statue of Chinggis Khaan, apparently I've been spelling it wrong the whole time. Close by there are many museums, something I would usually take a pass on, but when you discover there are dinosaurs inside it's hard not to go running to the front door. Many incomplete skeletons but the Tarbosaur (mini T-Rex) was amazing, no photos unfortunately.

Mongolia's Parliamentary building

New development downtown

Just a short walk away, a little south of the town centre, is the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khaan with it's many interior buildings, most of which are now filled with stuffed animals, the only one missing was an elephant, really. Further afield is the Zaisan Memorial, dedicated to fallen and forgotten soldiers during Soviet times, on top of a hill just out of town, a fair old walk but it offers decent views of the city where you can see just how much development is happening. North of the city is Gandan Khiid, a small temple complex with a huge Buddha inside.

Main temple of Gandan Khiid

Buddha below Zaisan Memorial

Entrance to the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khaan

Building within the Palace

Another building within the Palace

However, as nice as all these sights are, there's more to see and do out of the city and in the fresh air. Next stop, the steppes of Mongolia, where horses, camels and the Semi - Gobi await.

Irkutsk, Lake Baikal and Ulan Ude

Irkutsk

Rather grim train ride, managd to be sat opposite an old babushka who constantly smacked her lips and snored like a truck, horrendous. Perhaps riding in platzkart isn't the way to get that stereotypical vodka fueled train ride everyone dreams of having, let alone expects. Second class coupe carriages await when crossing international borders so we'll see, but I won't hold my breath.

Tomsk to Irkutsk is roughly around 1541 km, and again, even with all that time to do nothing but lounge around, read, eat and chill, I was still tired. Proving to be a re-occuring trend with these long train rides. Arriving early morning I just got in a taxi and managed to get to the hostel hassle free, having no problems with taxi drivers, police or any other potential Russians intent on a bribe, touch wood.

The hostel was clean with plenty English speakers which always makes a pleasant start to proceedings and with the weather picking up I was hopeful of some summer looking snaps of Lake Baikal. However, this is Siberia we're talking about and the following day it was grey and snowing, not the weather I wanted for my minibus trip down to Listvyanka, a little village 70 km away and one of the best places to go to see the lake.

With the seasons changing, it's no longer winter and not quite summer which unfortunately leaves options for activites at a minumum. As it was still cold enough though, I was able to walk around on the ice of the worlds deepest freshwater lake and get some cold looking photos. Parts of the ice had melted but it was still at least a foot deep in some parts.

Out on the ice, Lake Baikal

Iced over Lake Baikal

Regardless of the time of year, you can always get your hands on some of the local fish though, the most popular one been smoked omul. It looked a bit sketchy, but tasted delicious. After taking my obligatory photos I went in search of my eco-hostel. What was so eco-friendly about it I'll never know but I had the whole place to myself all day, so I literally read and did nothing. Perfect escape from everything.

Mmm, delicious

Eco-hostel, Listvyanka

Back in Irkutsk, there were plenty of small cafes and canteens and I basically wandered around eating for a couple days. The canteens are great because I don't need to even try and speak Russian, all I have to do is point. As well as cheap eats, there were plenty of bars along the way too. Meeting two French guys who spoke Russian was incredibly useful and we went on to have a cracking night out which included, you guessed it, far too much vodka and outrageously loud Russian dance music in some random club down by the river.

Ulan Ude

The train ride down to Ulan Ude was harmless enough, only 455 km, nothing these days. Again, having great luck with taxis and got to my hostel super cheap and easily. The hostel is bang in the middle of town, a stones throw away from Lenin Square, home to the largest statue of Lenin's head. 

Lenin Street itself is a nice enough pedestrianised area but by the time you have walked all the way down to Odigitria Cathedral, the whole area is a little seedy. Still, this is where I found the best puuzy in town. Basically, dumplings filled with pork and onion with serious juices flowing out, amazing.

Odigitria Cathedral, Ulan Ude

The biggest Lenin head in the world, Ulan Ude

Just a short ride away is the Buddhist monastery complex, Ivolginsky Datsan, the most important one in the area for the Buryat people. Back when Stalin was in power, he was constantly destroying temples in an attempt to suppress Buddhism, but eventually he allowed the Buryat people to build one. They settled on a remote area about 40km away from Ulan Ude and the site has since grown with plenty lamas and even the local university to study Buddhism.

Dennis, the owner of the guesthouse I stayed at, was kind enough to drive and he basically gave an insightful tour of the place, something that made the trip that much more enjoyable. The main attraction here, however, is the body of a lama who died in the lotus position while meditating back in the twenties. He was exhumed about twenty years ago and was in remarkably good condition, so much so that he went on display for people to touch, it was said he gave you good luck. Obviously a corpse can only take so much so now you can only touch him eleven days in a year, the rest of the time he is locked up.

The original temple of the complex, Ivolginsky Datsan

Another temple, Ivolginsky Datsan

Etigel Khambin Temple, Ivolginsky Datsan

I've had a great time in Russia, met some good people, seen loads of cool stuff and eaten some surprisingly tasty food, but now it's time to be moving on.

Next stop, Mongolia, on the Trans Mongolian part of the journey. Looking forward to riding horses, drinking fermented milk, eating dumplings and sleeping in a ger, just need to get past the apparent horror show of a border crossing first.

Yekaterinburg to Tomsk

Yekaterinburg

Finally started on the Trans Siberian part of the trip, first leg Moscow to Yekaterinburg, 1814 km, roughly around 26 hours on the train. An enjoyable enough experience, managed to read a lot of my book, eat some decent train snacks and relax, to a certain extent. To the side was a group of  screaming children who didn't let up and opposite me was this Lenin-looking bloke who took it in turns to stare at me and then the kids. I wasn't sad to see the back of him when he eventually left, a few hours before I arrived in Yekaterinburg.

Upon arrival, I found the hostel quickly enough and settled in for the night. Even though I had been on a train for the past day, I was somehow still tired. The following day, the hostel owner was great  and made sure I knew where everything was in the city and that I knew all the sights to see.

Would you believe that Yekaterinburg is home to the world's tallest unfinished tower and the world's most compact zoo, or so the locals would have you believe. On top of these gems, there were loads of pointless statues and on top of that, one of the most famous local sights is a qwerty keyboard. Yes, they built a massive keyboard next to the river, and yes, I spelt my name on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_monument



However, there are actual places of significance here, non more so than the Romanov Death Site with its aptly named Church of the Blood to honour the last Russian royal family who were exectued there, and Ganina Yama, the sight where the family were then secretly buried. To honour them, there are a few churches built among the forest, including the Monastery of the Holy Martyrs as the focal point of the area.

 

 

Church of the Blood, Yekaterinburg

Church of the Blood, Yekaterinburg

Ascension Church, Yekaterinburg

Around the grounds of Gamina Yama

Monastery of the Holy Martyrs, Gamina Yama

Gamina Yama

Evenings were filled with chatting with other guests, relaxing, drinking beer at the local micro brewery and spending one evening in a restaurant eating amazing food and drinkng homemade beer with a Czech influence. In short, my three days in Yekaterinburg was the perfect way to unwind after Moscow. 

Omsk

A short night train was all that was between Yekaterinburg and Omsk. In hindsight, I should have stayed on the train! Up to this point, whenever I told someone I was going to visit Omsk, they always looked at me like I was strange and asked why, usually followed with various reasons why I shouldn't go. Generally, I don't listen to people when they say a place isn't worth checking out, I would rather find out for myself than miss something I may have potentially liked. In this case, I should have listened.

However, I don't feel too aggrieved. It would be unrealistic to go on a trip of this size and expect every place I visit to be amazing and awe inspiring. I guess you need to have the odd let down, if only to help you appreciate the better places more.

Bar at Omsk train station

In a nutshell, Omsk had a few Lenin statues, a restaurant where, to be fair, I actually got some delicious pizza, one big church with no name to be found anywhere, and its highlight, for me, the poxy little bar in the downstairs of the train station. Only here for the day though so I can cope with the decision to come here, there's more fun to be had further along the track for sure. 

Tomsk

After another relatively short train ride, 928km, I arrived in Tomsk, a student town about 80 km off the main Trans Siberian line. Described as Siberia's most attractive city in the Lonely Planet, I was looking forward to some beautiful wooden lace architecture, but instead there were only worn-out, old wooden buildings! Still, the town had a certain charm to it and I enjoyed wandering around, aimlessly taking pictures and walking along the river front.

Random wooden house, Tomsk

This was one of the nicer ones

Lookout Tower on Resurrection Hill, Tomsk

Just off Lenin Square by the Tom River, Tomsk

When travelling alone, bumping into people always helps to make a place much more enjoyable, and this proved to be the case in Tomsk. Halfway through the day I met a lad called Alex, who happened to be a translator, and who was only too happy to hang out and practice his English. I was used to that from Korea and welcomed the company anyway.

There was another lad called Alex in the hostel, so we went for drinks together and met some more of their friends, who in turn knew some English students studying Russian in Tomsk, and it just happend to be one of their birthdays. Of couse things escalated with one too many shots, with the night ending in a stupidly cheap night club and eventually making it to my bunk just before sunrise.

With the help of good people and a little luck, I managed to spare myself another Omsk and instead had a great time in Tomsk, both during the daytime and at night.

Next stop, a 32 hour train ride to the heart of Siberia in Irkutsk and the shores of Lake Baikal.