Thursday 29 May 2014

Xining – May 29

Today was a slow day, started early and took a walk into town, exploring a few cafes and shops and markets. Enjoying all the smells of a large asian city, nothing like it for getting the olfactory organs a good work out (apart from Chinese Trains). Surprisingly enough, the markets and particularly the open air unrefrigerated meat markets did not smell that bad, it must be relative to the surroundings. Apples and other vegetable items were starting to look good.

 I had an enjoyable bus ride to the end of the line and back again. I was looking for the Big Mosque that was on the the no 2 bus route. I obviously missed it as I rode the bus all the way to the end of the line, got tossed off the bus and then paid again to ride it all the way back into town again, only to find when I got off the bus back in town, there was the Mosque. I was so annoyed with it hiding itself on the way out, I did not go in, just simply took  a picture to say “got you now”. It is reputedly a place of higher learning and would be obviously wasted on the likes of me. I then caught another bus that was supposed to take me back near the hostel, only to ide that to the end of the line and then back again to discover it does not go where the the little hostel card said, but a few blocks away so I ended up getting off the bus virtually in the same place I got on at. At least I had a cheap tour of the city.

They must like fireworks here as today, and yesterday afternoon, I have been hearing volleys of fireworks going off, that or its the prison firing squad doing their bit to keep the country safe. I hope I never find out.

Off to Xian tomorrow morning and I have booked my full day tour to the Terra Cotta warriors on Sunday. Saturday is my birthday and I m going to have a very long lunch at Xian’s famous dumpling house.

The Lucky bastard
 
For all the Bill’s we know who don’t know their place, well this is it:


Happy Cats:

No Fake Rolexs here:

The Mosque that tried to hide from me:

 

Ordinary hill by day, butterfly field by night:

The Lucky bastard

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