Holiday

30 Sept 2006
I got up in the morning I got up and recieved a call from Lucy asking me to teach at 8:10 in the morning and I would get off at 9:40. I told her yes and got dressed and ready for the class. Had the two classes the kids were good. I came up to the flat and lazed around getting ready. I got a taxi to the train station. I then sat around until the train got there. Got on and went to Xian. I got out of the station by following the large herd of poeple from there I looked for the city buses. I did find them and went to the hostel. I got off the bus at the drum tower. Then I had a stort walk down to the hostel. I booked in and got upstiars to the room and relized that the man at the desk had not told me where the bathroom was. So down the stairs and acked to man and back up to the bathroom. Then I went out and went to a backpacking store and got a backpack. Then off to bed after dinner at the hostel resertan.

1 Oct 2006
I got up and spent the morning with Julis a lady I meet in the hostel. We went in the dictation of the Forst of Stone Steles. We did not go in but looked at the shops on the way there and procide to backpacking/outdoors stores. We then went back to the hostel where I got my bag and take a bus to the train staition.
At the station a guy walked with me and helpped me get a bus to Hua Shan. The bus trip was uneventful. When I got off the bus I followed the others in to a shop. The man who was next to me on the bus was a tour giude. He gave me his number and I left starting up the hill at 7 PM not sitting at the bottom until 10 PM before starting.
With the help of poeple pointing I got to the start of the hill. Here I am at the gate that is before the pay gate. I get to the pay gate and they need my passport number so I had to dig in the pack for the passport. I get it out and fill out the paper and am off up the mountian. I enjoyed the walk. The path is well made stone path so you can walk in the dark which is what most poeple did. I used my head light at time and walked in the dark at other times.

After walking about 2.5 km, two unaverity students meet up with me. I tryed to get them to leave me and go are their own speed that is a lot faster than I was going. They will not level me so I try to go a little faster and they slow down a bit. After 2 more km, I have found out about how hard it is to climb the stiar with a pack of all I need on my back. The two guy at that time learn it is the pack that has me so slow as one of them caers the pack. They trade off on the way up. We get to the top at some point in the night. We stopped at the top where I was cold until they started moving again. We then went a stort way to a sellers area we set there for an hour or so. then we started up the hil again we stop at a hut where a coats are rented out. Me with the two guy get to set inside until sun rise.
At some point in the climb the day changed so it is 2 Oct 2006.


We went to the first point where poeple where waiting.


Then up a latter to to second point where poepl wiat. It was at this point that we watched sunrise.

We take a lot of photes on the peck and head to the south peck.


At the point that we got to the west peck my legs were killing me so I just wanted to go down the mountian. I led the way down, which was bad for I take us to the north peck. At the north peck there is a way down called soliers path, which we take down. The stiar on soliers path are steeper than on the way we tock up. At the bottom we dicide to walk the 3 km to town not take to bus for I wish to walk on the flat and stifen up. The walk in was nice down hill but on a road. When we got to town we got a taxi to the street from which the buses to Xian laeve. At this point I get my backpack back. One of the two run of to the back tot get money and the other come with me to the bus stop. I get on the bus at which point the ticket person trys to get me to let them put my bag out of my seit. I don't let him have the bag and he gives up. The guy one walked with tells me that the other went for money so they can pay me for taking the photes of them. I nnote at this time that I have no water and the bus pulls out so there was not paying me for the photes I had taken of them.
As the bus goes to get on the highway we are pulled over. The bus was overloaded, the poeple sitting on the stools in the alie had to get off. After dealing with the officer the bus tock them back to town and droped them off. Then back to the highway, this time we are stopped agian but get to get on. The bus than stopps at the frist serives station and waits. At this point I go to sleep. I wake up a bit when the bus starts going again and back to sleep. At some point I wake up for good and note that the poeple that were kicked off the bus are now on it and the bus driver has changed. We then stop for engine toubles, I put on bag on my lap here as the bag was on the engine cover. They add water to the engin and off agian. The bus stopped before Xian and kicks the poeple off and countuns until Xian train station. I git off and start toward the bus stop to take me to the hostel. When I check in I am charged to reguler price for a drom bed but got no key as there where no more keys to the room. I dropped my pack and left to go shopping and get a towel as I had left mine in Ankang. When shopping I got a camer bag for the viodo camer and got a towel. As I came in to the hostel a bought a roll of TP. Then had dinner at the hostel and a nice shower and off to bed.

3 Oct 2006
I when to the Great Mosque in Xian. The grouns where beatuiful and we were not alowed in to the mosque but the doors were open so we could see in. I take a lot of pictures even thought it was a torister spot it was very peaceful and relaying. Right in side the gate was a booth selling thing but no other sellers where there. No one was pushy or load and the walls bocked out the sounds from the town so it was like walking in to another part of the world other side of the big citys of China.
On the outside mosque to the north and east are lots of sellers of torist goods. Yes I did buy things from them. After leaving the seller I went back to the hostel and was than off to buy a train ticket. For you who do not know the train station is always busy in Xian when there is a holiday. So I wandor around looking for where to buy a ticket and I did find it. I got in a stort line and went to the fornt where I was informed that I need to then line for the teller did not know enought English to help me, I learned this though gesters. So I git in the next line and wiat until I am at the fount of it and then learn that the tellers with a 2 on the window means that they can only sell tickets for that day, day 1, and the next day, day2. The day I wnted a ticket for was day 3. So I am sent to line 3, line 3 is equale in size to the two line I had already got thouhgt, where the window has a 5, so sells tickets for that day and the next 4 days. I get to the fornt of the line and guess what the lady do not do English. But she is nice and sent me right to the fornt of line 4, where the new lady will not help any one until she is done with me, many poeple in her got mad about that. I buy the ticket that I need in English and am done with the ticket buying. I go back to the hostel and relax for the rest of the day.

4 Oct 2006
I started with the plan of going to see the terra coat army, I got to the train station and to where you get to bus from and relived that I was felling very bad and that today would not be enjoyment at the terra caot army. I did not go and walked around Xian by the south gate in a market. In one of the stores on the side I found an art shop where I got both oil and acrylic paints. I also got some stone stamps. I went back to the hostel to drop of what I had gotten. I then left and went to an underground supermarket that had lots of wester foods. I got noodel that are not stairt, canned Hunt's spagetti sauce, olive oil and chesse. I got some China that I found to be very pretty and a bottle of wine for Ulla. I bought it all back to the hostel and packed. I had a dinner of spaghetti that was bad and off the sleep.

5 Oct 2006
I woke up feeling realy bad and had porrage for breafast. I stayed at the hostel until I left of the train station. I tryed to go under a stirge for I thought I would have to go back and around. Well the pack got choht, a unaform man blow a wishel at me, and after getting free with some help I found that I could walk around the roped off area with out going back. I got into the station and sat in the waiting area until time to borad and got on the train without problem. When I got off a lady help me carry my dufl bag and get a taxi to the school for 10 Yean.