DelphiLast Tuesday, we began our road trip through the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese. We drove two hours north to Delphi, a 2,800-year-old sanctuary where ancient city-states from mainland Greece, the islands, and beyond dedicated monuments to Athena and Apollo. Before visiting the ruins, we had tomatoes stuffed with rice and herbs, chicken souvlaki, Greek salad, tzatziki, grilled pita, and lukumades (fresh Greek donuts with syrup) at Taverna Dion. According to legend, Zeus sent two eagles to Earth around 500 BC, and they crossed paths at Delphi, which was considered the center of the earth. Contradictory myths state that the site was already revered as the location of an oracle in the pre-classical Greek world (1400 BC). Either way, Delphi became the location for the Pythian Games, one of the inspirations for the modern Olympics, in which athletes convened from various surrounding city-states to compete once every four years. Delphi was also home to an oracle – an old woman through whom the god Apollo allegedly spoke. We spent the afternoon visiting the ruins and the accompanying museum of antiquities. MeteoraWe drove another three hours through winding mountain roads with expansive vistas to Meteora, a stunning rocky landscape that reminded us a bit of Zhangjiajie in China. Meteora is famous for its collection of precipitous monasteries built beginning in the 11th century (though most were constructed during the medieval period). We arrived in time for a late dinner at Skaros Tavern, a lively terrace without a menu serving lamb and chicken grilled over hot coals and homemade cheeses. After stuffing ourselves with grilled chicken, fried potatoes, Greek salad (we have it with nearly every meal), cheese “salad” (feta mashed with pimiento peppers), the restaurant brought dessert and after-dinner ouzo (licorice-flavored Greek digestif) on the house. We spent the next morning climbing up to one of the precipitously located monasteries located atop a sheer, rocky outpost. Though not quite as unbelievable as the hanging monastery we visited in China (this one was located entirely on top of the rock rather than hanging over the side on stilts), it was impressive nonetheless. It rained in the afternoon, so we returned to our cozy B&B to watch a movie, then went to Ουζερί Ρακαριό (we couldn’t find the English translation), which we noticed the previous night was packed with locals, for wine and snacks.
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After a lengthy trip to Athens from New York via London on budget carriers Norwegian Air and EasyJet, we checked in to our downtown Airbnb apartment and set out for a late (11:30pm) dinner at Atitamos, a classic Greek taverna. Hungry from a cummulative 10.5 hours of flight, we started our trip with Greek salad, spicy eggplant dip, tzatziki, fried zucchini, grilled haloumi cheese, lemon and thyme roasted chicken, and a carafe of Greek red wine. We had complimentary baklava and mestika, a light, slightly sweet digestif. On our busy street, we also had a taste of frozen Greek yogurt with honey from Lukumades, a dessert café named after the eponymous Greek donuts. Suffice to say, we were stuffed and happy by the time we went to bed at 1am, ready for two whirlwind days of sightseeing. Our first full day began with a walking tour of Athens, introducing us to the city’s history, culture, and ancient sights. Following a lunch of fresh chicken gyros, we visited the Museum of Cycladic Art, an uncrowded and exceptional collection of antiquities. The detailed and informative explanations were welcome after typically vague museum descriptions in China. We walked through the graffiti-filled and alternative (i.e. abound with anarchist and communist posters) neighborhood of Exarchia. Dinner was at Atlantikos, a seafood restaurant where we ate Greek salad, grilled seabass, shrimp pasta, and bread with white wine. Today, we enjoyed Athens’s incredible ancient history, starting with the Agora. The Agora was a public meeting place, legislative and judicial center, and neighborhood for citizens of ancient Athens. We had souvlaki on grilled pita for lunch at O Kostas, a famous joint operating since 1950. Then, we walked through the colorful, charming Plaka neighborhood to the Acropolis museum, where we got an introduction to Athens’s most famous site. We stopped to take a break for Greek coffee and orange pie at Lotte Café-Bistrot, recharging from our jetlag and intense pace. At the Acropolis, we saw the incredible Theater of Dionysus and Odeon of Herodes Atticus, two well-preserved ancient theaters, with VIP seating still intact. Crowning the Acropolis, most famously, is the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena, overlooking the whole of Athens. We enjoyed seeing the incredible ruins in the late afternoon light, then headed back through the cobbled, flower-lined streets of Plaka to Ta Karamanlidika tou Fani, a restaurant specializing in pastourma (Greek pastrami) and mezes (dips). Mashed oniony fava beans, smoked eggplant and paprika salad, stuffed grape leaves, fried Sachanaki cheese, cured meats and cheeses, and fruity red wine made for a delicious and filling meal. We had fresh yogurt and honey at Spani, a bakery founded in 1931, and took home some baklava for breakfast on our balcony tomorrow. We are headed out in the morning for Delphi and Meteora, north of Athens on the Greek mainland. After a 27-hour journey from Ulaanbaatar to Philadelphia via Beijing and Washington D.C., we spent a whirlwind week celebrating my graduation from Penn with both of our families (although we missed our brothers, Michael and Daniel). We had a fun group dinner at Zahav, an amazing Israeli/Mediterranean restaurant, with all of our parents, both of our sisters, and my grandma, and everyone came to see me walk in the College of Arts & Sciences ceremony on Sunday evening. The Kleins left that night, and my family stayed with Robert and me for the University ceremony the next day. We went out for more great meals and nostalgia-inducing walks around Philly with my family, before heading to New York to stay with Robert’s. After spending time with some of our favorite people, gorging on some of our favorite foods, and catching up on much needed sleep, we headed to JFK airport to fly to Athens via London. We spent our layover in a Gatwick lounge watching the royal wedding live (not Robert’s choice), and arrived in Athens two days ago for the next phase of our travels. Mongolia Part II: Ancient Capital, Buddhist Monasteries, and Horse Riding in the Orkhon Valley5/12/2018
After an amazing week in the Gobi, we said goodbye to our wonderful guide, driver, and the Australian couple we were traveling with, and met our new guide and Land Cruiser driver in Mongolia’s ancient capital: Karakorum. Karakorum was founded in 1220 by Genghis Khan (written and pronounced “Chinggis” in Mongolia). A center of Silk Road trading in the massive empire, Karakorum was extremely diverse for its small size, and home to people from all over the world. Despite his reputation for violence, Mongolians view Chinggis as a national hero, and emphasize his fair laws, religious tolerance, and successful leadership. Although Karakorum has long since been destroyed, we visited the Erdene Zuu Monastery, built from the ancient city’s ruins in 1585. We stayed at a tourist ger camp (in contrast to the nomadic families we usually stayed with), which meant we got to take one of the only two showers during our two weeks in Mongolia! In the evening, we watched a performance of Mongolian throat singing, in which performers make sounds I did not think were humanly possible, similar to a baritone instrument.
The next day, we visited the Karakorum Museum, where we saw artifacts from the destroyed capital. We then drove through the hilly, grass covered terrain of central Mongolia to the Ulaan Tsutgalan waterfall, where we stayed with a family.
The nomadic owner of the ger took us on a two-day horseback journey through the Orkhon Valley, a stunning UNESCO-recognized epicenter of nomadic lifestyle and the ancient Mongolian empire. We rode stout, Mongolian horses (genetically unchanged since the time of Chinggis Khan) through the breathtaking landscape, while clad in traditional robes (del) to guard against the frigid wind.
We spent the night with a yak-herding family, then spent the next day riding back to the waterfall.
We had originally planned to go to hot springs, but as the pipes were still frozen, we spent the next two days visiting small sand dunes (a bit anticlimactic after the sand dunes in Gobi), staying with other families, and going for walks and hikes.
On our second to last day in Mongolia, we visited a massive statue of Chinggis Khan on horseback – the largest equestrian statue in the world. We climbed up to a viewing platform between the fearsome ruler’s legs, before driving to the beautiful Gorkhi Terelj National Park for our last night in a ger.
On the morning of our last day, we hiked to a recently constructed Buddhist temple in the Tibetan Yellow Hat style, then drove back to Ulaanbaatar. Tour complete, Robert and I spent the afternoon at the National History Museum and the Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs, where we got to see some of the fossils that had been excavated from the Flaming Cliffs. We ate dinner at Silk Road Bazaar, an upscale restaurant that served an eclectic mix of Western food. After two weeks of potatoes, cabbage, and mutton in various forms, we ordered a huge meal of everything we were craving: chips and guacamole, arugula goat cheese salad, chicken piccata, margherita pizza, flourless chocolate cake, wine for me, Johnny Walker Black for Robert, and espresso with dessert. Thoroughly stuffed, we walked to the State Department Store, the one-stop institution for anything you might want to buy in Ulaanbaatar. We got a small, stuffed Gobi camel – one of the only souvenirs we could fit in the carry-on size backpacks we’ve been living out of for nearly five months. The next day, we traveled for 27 hours (via Beijing and Washington D.C.) to Philadelphia for my college graduation ceremony.
Our 12-day overland journey through Mongolia started with a dusty, bumpy, and spectacular drive through the Gobi Desert. We departed Ulaanbaatar with our guide and driver, Vampy (her nickname because she was a fan of vampires as a teenager) and Douka, as well as Ben and Catherine, an Australian couple. Mongolia's nomadic herder families still uphold the country's traditional lifestyle, moving their herds of goats, sheep, cows, yaks, camels, and/or horses as the seasons change. They live in gers, circular shelters centered around a stove, and can pack up all of their possessions and the house within a few hours. We enjoyed experiencing their lifestyle firsthand, eating mutton at just about every meal, as well as savoring many cups of salty milk tea. They speak the Mongolian language, which uses the Cyrillic alphabet, sharing all but 2 letters with Russian. Within a few hours of departing Ulaanbaatar, we entered the desert in our well-maintained Soviet-era van. Day 1: Tsugaan Suvarga (White Stupa)After 8 hours, we arrived at the stunning Tsugaan Suvarga (White Stupa). Our first stay in a ger was set under bright light from a full moon. The host cooked dinner and let us visit her herd of goats. The desert landscape is vast and surreal, silent but for the noises of goats' cries and sustained winds. Day 2: Yol ValleyMost days, we stopped in small towns for a supermarket visit. These small outposts were mostly quiet, with just some small markets, banks, and construction and fuel supplies. We fortunately managed to get a shower once during the 5-day Gobi tour! We visited the Yol Valley, home to the Three Beauties of the Gobi, rocky mountains with ice still frozen from the winter. We walked through the valley, passing groups of yaks, shaggy cow-like animals that are very shy, despite their size. Day 3: Khongor Sand DunesAfter a lunch stop, we spent an hour and a half climbing an enormous, steep sand dune. The view of the dunes from the top was breathtaking, as the light breaking through the clouds created shadows that highlighted the dunes' sharp curves. We arrived at the ger camp for a warm welcome with milk tea and dry cookies. Before dinner, we enjoyed a sunset camel ride through the desert, moving slowly on the backs of shaggy, two-humped camels. Day 4: Flaming CliffsOur next bumpy van ride took us to the Flaming Cliffs, where some of the world's most intact dinosaur bones have been excavated. It was the site of the first discovery of dinosaur eggs. We went for an evening walk near our ger camp, and came upon a herd of camels with their young. The camels formed a protective circle around their offspring as we approached. Day 5: Ongi MonasteryOur last stop in the Gobi was the Ongi Monatery, built in the 1600s and destroyed during the anti-Buddhist purge in the 1930s perpetrated by communists. The socialist Mongolian People's Republic was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union during its existence from 1924-1992. Mongolia is now one of Asia's freest, most democratic countries. We enjoyed a dinner of Mongolian barbecue, mutton and vegetables cooked with hot coals.
After 4 weeks in China, the longest we’ve spent in any country together outside the U.S., we are fulfilled with the various sights, diverse cuisine, and friendly interactions we have been fortunate to experience. Uprooting our expectations, China was the most challenging country so far in our travels, despite its relative wealth and modernity. Here are some of our observations:
Payment and Language
We could only use a credit card twice during the entire month. China’s banking system and mobile apps are independent, bubbled away from Google, Facebook, and U.S. banking (the former two are blocked, along with many other websites disliked by the Chinese government). We sometimes had to search awhile to find ATMs or get change to use for transit tickets, which was frustrating when Chinese citizens could scan ubiquitous QR codes for payment by using WeChat or Alipay, two incredibly popular apps.
Very little English is spoken in China, although younger people are more familiar with it because it is now taught in schools. Even when we could not communicate, people usually repeated what they said in Chinese a few times, so Google Translate was a huge help (you can access blocked websites with a VPN app). Despite the language barrier, people were friendly, teaching us how to use chopsticks, sharing food, introducing us to their children, taking pictures with us, and helping us navigate. These interactions were especially appreciated in light of the somewhat stressfully crowded tourist attractions. Security
China has a LOT of security compared to the U.S. - a bag scan and metal detector is in every subway station and tourist attraction. There are uniformed guards on public buses. Passports and sometimes fingerprints are required for buying just about any ticket. Chinese citizens scan an ID card and are subjected to facial recognition technology just about everywhere. All of this seemed a bit strange because of China’s low violent crime rates. At least for us, these security checks often seemed hasty and perfunctory. We still don’t quite understand why public busses have a driver, ticket agent, and security guard - at least there are plenty of steady jobs!
Cultural Differences
Chinese etiquette, especially among the older generations, is quite different than that in the U.S. Noisy spitting, children with split pants using the street as a toilet, and aggressive shoving in crowds are just a part of daily life. These differences were, of course, a bit jarring. Our understanding is that there are some major divides between traditional, older, and more rural people and the emerging global, urban generation. Before a trip to China, it is worthwhile to learn about these habits, so you know what to expect!
Food and Diversity
While China is 90% Han Chinese, each region we visited boasts delicious and distinct cuisine. Mouth-numbing peppercorns and chili sauce in Sichuan, chewy Xi’an noodles and Chinese Muslim lamb skewers in Shaanxi, and hearty noodle soups in Hunan were just some of the great dishes we enjoyed. China’s vastness makes it a fantastic culinary destination, and we were thrilled to eat Chinese food for a month, as food is always a highlight of traveling for us. Chinese food in China is much different than the standard fare in the U.S. - it is worth a visit to Chinatown to seek out some authentic dishes. When visiting China, make sure to grab some fruit from the many produce sellers, as your main dish will likely be cooked with oil.
Our Route through ChinaWe finished travels through China with five days in Beijing. After experiencing a lot of culture shock during our month in China, we finally felt we were beginning to fit in. I no longer wince when someone spits on the ground too close to my shoes, and my legs have gotten a lot stronger from all the squat toilets. We are pros at navigating the subways (which are nearly identical in all China’s big cities), and we have too many new favorite foods to count. We were lucky with the weather in Beijing, with the exception of one rainy day, and the air pollution, though noticeable, was not at its worst. We walked around many different neighborhoods including the 798 Art District, Peking University, the Olympic village, and Tiananmen Square. As China’s capital, Beijing has food from around the country. We used our time there to have some of our favorites including Xi’an style skewers, spicy Sichuan prawns, and dim sum. We visited the Forbidden City and the China Aviation Museum, which has a unique collection of Russian and Chinese aircraft, including Chairman Mao’s planes. We spent our last evening having a drink on Houhai Lake before eating a quick dinner of surprisingly good pizza at Pizza Saporita. We are now in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, where we are preparing to set out on a two-week journey through the Gobi Desert staying in gers (portable round tent houses) with nomadic families. Mongolian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet, and as a former Soviet state, the country has some distinctly Russian architecture. We will ride in a Russian van across the country on this tour: http://www.tourinmongolia.com/gobi-desert-navel-eight-lakes-tour--12-days--.html. Yesterday, our second to last day in China, was a highlight of our travels. We hiked on the Great Wall of China from the wild, treacherous Jiankou to the more popular, accessible Mutianyu section. After an hour bus ride and another hour in a taxi to Nanjili, a small village of just a few families, we began the climb up to the wall. The Jiankou section follows the steep ridges of the Northern Chinese mountains, and was probably built during the Ming Dynasty around 1368, though construction of the 13,000 mile long wall began more than 2,500 years ago. After about an hour trekking up muddy switchbacks, we climbed up the crumbling rocks onto the stunning stone wall built as a border to protect ancient China from nomadic invaders in the north. We walked along the wall through watchtowers and winding mountains imagining the Mongolian invaders, Silk Road traders, and Chinese imperial guards who walked the same path. For a few special hours, we were the only people in sight as we made our way over the crumbling dolomite. As we approached Mutianyu, which is accessible by cable car and is a popular day trip from Beijing, we began to encounter other hikers and occasional vendors selling souvenirs, and the wall became smoother and easier to traverse. We arrived in Mutianyu in the late afternoon for our journey back to Beijing. I was once again grateful for Robert’s extensive research and great ideas for this trip – the hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu was thrilling and the lack of crowds made it very special. If you want to see the Great Wall in a more adventurous way, we highly recommend hiking from Jiankou. There are a few guided tours, but contrary to what some people have written online, we did not find it too difficult to navigate ourselves. Here are two helpful articles about the hike: We were starving when we got back to Beijing, so we went to Xiang Man Lou 香满楼 for the famous local specialty: Peking duck. The ducks are glazed and roasted hanging in an open oven, and expertly sliced in front of you. Served with scallions, cucumbers, and a semisweet, umami brown sauce, it is best eaten rolled in thin pancakes, and washed down with the restaurant’s draft wheat beer. PingyaoLast week, we took the high-speed train from Xi’an to Pingyao, an ancient Chinese city that served as an economic hub during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and in which many original buildings still stand. The earliest records from Pingyao date from 800 BC, though much of the city wall was not built until the Ming dynasty, beginning in 1368. We spent the day walking on the wall, and visiting old banks and houses which have now been turned into museums. Pingyao was a Chinese banking hub in the 19th century, and the city’s financiers created a clearinghouse that replaced trading caravans and sword-wielding security. The Rishengchang Exchange Shop, founded in 1823, at one point controlled nearly half of the Chinese economy through its network of branches. Our hotel was one of our favorite places we’ve ever stayed and certainly the best value – for $15 we had a big, comfortable room in a beautifully decorated old building with an included breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit, coffee, and dumplings. We were greeted with hot tea when we arrived, and given cold persimmon juice when we left. After a very pleasant time in a charming, ancient town, we spent nearly an entire day traveling by bus to get to Datong, a city of just over 3 million in the northern Shanxi Province. The city itself does not have much going on, but we chose it for its proximity to two amazing sites: the Hanging Monastery and Yungang Grottoes. Hanging MonasteryThis temple, built into the side of a cliff by a monk 1,500 years ago, combines Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Time magazine ranked it as one of the ten most precarious buildings in 2010. We were excited to discover it was one of the few attractions in China that wasn’t swarming with tourists. The monastery hangs 246 feet above the ground, supported by weathered wooden beams, and (hopefully much more secure) leverage extending into the cliff. Walking through it was in equal measures thrilling and anxiety inducing, as the guardrails are only tall enough for a rural monk 1,500 years ago. Yungang GrottoesOn our second and final day in Datong, we visited the Yungang Grottoes, Buddhist carvings in caves from the 5th and 6th centuries. The 53 caves feature elaborate carvings of Buddha, as well as human-like figures from other parts of Asia indicative of the diverse populations that passed through the popular resting spot on the Silk Road. The art in some of the caves was so remarkable that, like the Hanging Monastery, it was hard to believe how old it is. Spending nearly a month in China has allowed us to visit some incredible, out-of-the-way places that have given us an increased appreciation for the length and depth of the history in this region. Xi’an, the capital of the Shaanxi province and home to 8.7 million people, was a nice stop for great food, friendly locals, and incredible history. The city is one of China’s great ancient capitals, and was the seat of power during several important dynasties, starting with the Zhou dynasty in the 11th century B.C., 3,000 years ago. On the way to dinner after arriving by train, we stopped at a street cart for delicious spicy fried potatoes, sautéed with cumin, hot chili peppers, garlic, and some other spices. For dinner, we had pao mo at a restaurant recommended by our hotel. Ripped up rice flour bread is topped with a savory broth, which gets thick and hearty as the bread takes on a chewy noodle-like texture. It was delicious, and the restaurant was so proud of visits from Chinese politicians that is displayed dinnerware used by former premiers in glass cases. After a filling breakfast of roujiamo (“Chinese hamburgers” made with roasted pork on chewy rice-flour bread) and tangy vinegar and vegetable noodles, we visited the Shaanxi Museum, a collection of antiquities from the region dating back 3,000 years. As with other museums in China, description was sorely lacking, but we fortunately got a free tour from a guide working on her English skills. We rode the subway across town to Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter, famous for its food, especially baked breads and grilled spicy meat skewers. We sampled a few snacks, and for dinner had skewers of chicken wings and unidentified “barbecue” with sides of garlic eggplant and corn at a packed restaurant. Alexa joked that the barbecue might have been rat, based on a story that 900 people were arrested in 2013 for trafficking counterfeit meat. The next day, we took the bus to Xi’an’s world-famous Terracotta Army, a collection of over 8,000 terracotta soldiers, chariots, and horses meant to protect Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, in the afterlife. Only 2,000 soldiers have been unearthed, and restoration work is ongoing. Every single warrior is different, with a unique face and posture, making the army seem incredibly lifelike; you can almost hear boots marching. The emperor’s mausoleum is part of a 38-square mile necropolis, and it was built by 700,000 workers and buried with the emperor in approximately 210 B.C., over 2,200 years ago. It is hard to imagine that lifetimes were dedicated to building something so beautiful and complex that was simply buried underground. We spent our last evening walking around Xi'an’s 700-year-old city wall and snacking at the Yongxingfang street food park, where we enjoyed fresh persimmon donuts filled with red bean or rose, as well as beef and cabbage stuffed flatbread. Salty tofu, marinated lotus root, egg and seaweed soup, and vinegar chili noodles at a small restaurant near our hotel rounded out the night. Xi’an’s fantastic budget food scene makes it a great place to enjoy a few nights on the way from Chengdu to Beijing. |
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