Hi ! This is my second mail from China. Mentioned two days ago that we were still unsure of the journey ahead. Well, things are more sure now. We are going to XINJIANG. Will be leaving for Xi'an by train today afternoon. Intend to spend some time there looking for the QinShiHuang terracota warriors, before cruising up to Xinjiang proper. Will be meeting up with a new friend that we've made in Beijing.

Will be spending quite some time on the rail/road, because places are very far from each other in the Xinjiang province. Our flight back to KLIA from Shanghai is on the 5th of August, if all goes well.

Why Xinjiang? Well, not many other alternatives. The only alternative is Suzhou + Hangzhou, but according to a travel agency, the weather is too hazy to get a proper feel of the so called "Heaven on Earth". The best place to visit at this time will be Kunming, Dali, JiuZaiGou... but all those are out of the way. So, it's only left with Xinjiang. Anyway, it'll take another month for the grapes and hami melons to ripen.

Our trip will be sort of a mini Silk Road... to catch a glimpse in our short 3 weeks. The Silk Road proper will take longer than that, and will actually cross over to Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc. So, we're not doing those places. No time plus no money. However, I think the mini Silk Road will be good enough, for exposure and planning for the proper Silk Road next time. hehehe...

Won't know when I'll get my hands on the Internet again after this, since we're moving out of comfort zone in Beijing and roughing it out on the roads. So, I'll be away from the Net for some time, I think.

Talking about food in Beijing. We're getting jelak already. Have to think hard of what to eat for the next meal. Food here is very oily and salty. Beijing people love to eat sour sour food (add vinegar), which doesn't really suit my Malaysian tastebuds. Their 'cold dishes' which come in little servings also taste guai4 guai4. However, plus point is... beer is very CHEAP. Cheaper than mineral water. A whole bottle of beer costs only RM 1, or less. So guess what we've been filling our stomachs with. The Chinese satay (Xinjiang delicacy) is also very cheap and delicious. Regarding fruits, we get to eat cheap and fresh peaches, which is not on sale in Malaysia.

An interesting observation... the dogs in Beijing are REALLY 'Beijing dogs' ... those cute little ones with lots of bulu. Haven't seen pariah dogs in the streets. Have not seen a single cat anywhere.

The air in Beijing is getting more hazy and polluted, with the dry weather stirring up dust into the air. People here don't wash their cars often, so there's always a thick layer of dirt on the paintworks.

Where have we gone for the past two days since the last mail? Well, we've walked around the TianAnMen Square. Lot's of people there, even on a weekday morning. I think they were also tourists, from all over China, congregating in Beijing. There was a long queue for those interested to see the body of Chairman Mao. Then we explored the Cultural Street, which is something like Jonker Street of Melaka. They sell lots of Chinese paintings, calligraphy, brushes, and other such accessories. Lots of antiques too, but we were not interested. Then we found an area that looks like Petaling Street ... cheap stuffs, lots of bargaining, cheap lodgings, crowds of people.

Err... dunno what more to say lah. Quite long winded already. Will update you all again when I get to the Net. 

Oh yes, using Internet here is quite sensitive. They will want to see and record your identification. And there's even a software to record the sites that you've visited, and maybe even curi-curi tengok your emails. So, please don't send me love letters that are too rou4 ma2, OK?

Alvin & Julia : please convey this email back home.
Joo Wee : hey, I am trying out a bit of the Silk Road after all.
Jun : how's ministry going on?

Take care & God bless.

Cheers,

Michael
Count your blessings!