Suitcase highway

It is currently the 4 day Labor Day holiday in China. I'm staying just down the road from Xian Train Station, so there's a steady stream of people rolling suitcases past the hotel.



Lining up the troops in preparation for the holiday festivities, Big Goose Pagoda, Xian.





Above 2 photos, Big Goose Pagoda, Xian.




Xian Museum.



Woodcarver, Little Goose Pagoda, Xian.




I read that in Japan they mold square watermelons. In China, you can enjoy these cute melonheads for a while, then devour them.




Often in China I run into crowds so dense that I change my plans and head elsewhere.









As a vegan, there are a lot of foods in China I don't eat.







I took the above 2 photos early this morning at Guangren Temple, the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in this central China province.



After leaving Guangren Temple, I stopped by a nearby park where people were relaxing, dancing, practicing tai chi.

China's gateway to the Silk Road

Inflated animal skins used for rafts on the Yellow River.

Also along the Yellow River, toys and drinks you can win in ring toss games.

Subway workers appear to be getting a dressing down, Xian metro.

Xian's Bell Tower, and the iconic Bell Tower Hotel.

Saturday evening, and the start of the Labor Day holiday, Muslim Quarter, Xian.

Sweets seller, Xian's Muslim Quarter.

Bell Tower at night, almost a full moon.

Money for burning at the local Taoist Temple.

Instructions for praying at Xian's Taoist Temple of the Eight Immortals.

You can also scan your phone for temple audio information.

Central China

Above 2 photos, Muslim Quarter, Xian, central China.

Unless you like intense crowds, best to avoid the Xian metro during evening rush hour.

Sweet potato seller, Xian.

The fantastic (and free) White Pagoda Park, Lanzhou.

We departed the park via cable car, which took us to the other side of the Yellow River.

At some of the better Chinese hotels you can request various teas, room scents, pillows (the bamboo pillow is great), even various stuffed animals.

Lobby of the Wanda Vista hotel, Lanzhou.

When I travel solo, my hotel rooms are cheaper and less elaborate. This view from my room is okay, but the window definitely needs cleaned.

Hua Shan

Hua Shan ("magnificent mountain"), central China, is one of the 5 sacred Taoist mountains. It was so crowded on the Saturday morning I visited that the cable car was shut down.




View from outside Jade Spring Temple, at the base of Hua Shan.



View from inside Jade Spring Temple.




















No nonsmoking rooms available at the hotel where I stayed, though my room did come with complimentary milk.

Shijiazhang

Lately my travels in China have been fairly close to home. Shijiazhang is a provincial capital only about 4 hours from Beijing (via the slow train). This is definitely not a tourist town, but often the nontouristy towns are also worth visiting, and can be interesting in their own right.