Aron's 1000 Places to See Before I Die

Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China

In Episode Two of 1000 Places to See, I want to share with you Xi'an, the capital city of the Shaanxi Province in Central China. This is an ancient city, dating back around 3,100 years--the city has been the capital of thirteen different dynasties, making it ones of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. In early years, the city was named Chang'an, meaning "Perpetual Peace", and while its name has changed many times, the name Xi'an, meaning "Western Peace", has been in use since 1943.

What is there to see in ancient China, though? I am delighted you asked, bold traveler! For once, I'm not going to recommend going to see the Great Wall, since it does not lie in the province I speak of. That's your prerogative. Here's what I have chosen of interest in and around Xi'an:

Xi'an prospered under the Zhou Dynasty in the 11th century BCE, becoming a major center of trade and commerce, as well as culture. After a minor little tizzy we will refer to as the Warring States Period--which lasted several centuries--the Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty ordered the construction of the Terracotta Army close to his mausoleum, located in the suburbs of the modern city. The sight of the army is nothing short of stunning; thousands of life-size terracotta warriors, horses, and chariots all lined up in perfect battle formation, a reminder of what the royal guard must have looked like in the good old days of the Qin Dynasty's pomp and grandeur. There are three sites (pits) that cover an area of 16,300 square meters, with 7,000 total clay and wood figures. Over their 2000-year guarding period, the original bright paint and coloring of the figures have worn off, yet the individualized faces and expressions remain. Each figure is so real it is said to look ready to break free and walk in to battle...but that is something you must figure out for yourself.

If you're tired, and before checking out the next site, feel free to visit the Huaqing Hot Spring at the foot of Mt. Lishan, only 30 kilometers from Xi'an. This hot spring dates back 6,000 years to Emperor Xuanzong, so if you enjoy bathing in naturally steaming water (109 F to be exact!) and living it up like you're back in the Tang Dynasty, this is a worthy stop on your trip.

And now, my personal favorite, and most definitely a stop-off for one of my 1000 places, Mount Huashan. This ancient mountain, on of the Five Sacred Mountains of China, is located 75 miles east of Xi'an, and very close to the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet. The Taoist religion calls Huashan it's holy place, as many emperors of past Tao dynasties made pilgrimage and sacrifice at the Taoist temples on the mountain. It is even said that Lao Tze, founder and father of Taoism, lived and gave sermons here.

The mountain is made up of five peaks, and when seen from the right angle the five peaks make the mountain look like a five-petalled flower. The peaks are thus: East Peak (also called Facing Sun Peak), Middle Peak (Jade Maiden Peak), West Peak (Lotus Peak), North Peak (Clouds Strand/Terrace Peak), and South Peak (also Monarch of Mt. Huashan). The South Peak is the highest peak of Mt. Huashan and also the highest peak of the Five Sacred Mountains of China, with a majestic view from the Temple of the God of Mt. Huashan at the top.

What is so special about this mountain, though, aside from its majestic beauty and extensive history? Well, this mountain has only one path up, and this path is sometimes called the Most Dangerous Hiking Trail in the World. The trail takes four hours at the least to complete start to summit, and is all steps carved into the bare rock--sometimes almost straight up. At times on the upper portions of the trail, those climbing to the top must traverse on bare rock using only steel chains to hold onto, with footholds carved into the rock. A particular spot called Changkong Zhandao consists of a several hundred meter long section of wooden planks supported by steel rods drilled into the cliff.

The best part of the entire trail: There are no modern safety elements to be seen in the entirety of it. On the whole, the trail is travelled by regular old "Joe"- and "Jill-Shmoes" on vacation, mostly Chinese college students on holiday and those making pilgrimage to the temples on the peak. I must admit, I would never do this trail without a harness and clipping in to the chains in the more risky spots, but it is most definitely a place I want to visit, both for its intense beauty and ancient roots. As well as the fact that it just looks freaking bad ass.

Till next time,

Aron

Labels: adventure, china, climbing, terracota army, travel, world, xi'an

posted by aron @ 4:00 PM 1 Comments

El Camino de la Muerte, Bolivia---The Road of Death

This is, admittedly, a rather odd first choice for 1000 places to see before one dies. But after seeing a program on the Discovery Channel today, I cannot help but year to one day travel this road, if nothing else than to experience for myself a place that has such power of life and death in and about it.

The North Yungas Road is a 60m road that runs from La Paz to Coroico in the South American country of Bolivia. In 1995, it was labelled the "world's most dangerous road" by the Inter-American Development Bank. Current estimate state that 200-300 people are killed every year traveling this road, emphasized along the road by the wooden crosses dotting the landscape.

It was built in the 1930s by prisoner labor, and remains one of the few roads connecting the Amazon rainforest northern region of Bolivia to the capital city of La Paz. Today, the road remains in much the same shape as when it was built. It is a single lane, unpaved, unsurfaced, muddy, slippery stretch of road no more than 12 feet wide in most places with absolutely no guard rails to speak of in its entirety. On one side of the road lies a sheer precipice with 3000 foot drop-offs, while the other is exposed mountainside prone to landslides, rockslides, and give off gigantic waterfalls every time the weather turns wet--which, being the rainforest, is often. The road is most travelled by buses (full of people), large trucks (10 wheels and more), and cars going back and forth between La Paz and the outlying rainforest villages.

No why on earth would I want to go and drive something like this road? Well, I don't--want to drive it, that is. I want to partake in an activity becoming increasingly popular with a select group of thrill-seekers: I want to bike the Death Road. The appeal of mountain biking 60 miles downhill, without any need to pedal along terrain so beautiful and breathtaking as this is almost too good to be true. I mean, of course around a dozen cyclists have been killed participating in afore-mentioned thrills, but there's always risk, right? I mean, the odds of getting killed on the Death Road are something like the odds of face-planting into the road while riding a fixed gear in Mississippi because of a laundry bag getting sucked into your front wheel.

The bike ride starts out even higher than La Paz at about 16,000 feet (4876m) above sea level and descends to 4,000 feet (1220m) in about 40 miles (65km). The bike ride takes nearly 7 hours, as the road snakes its way through the high mountains of the Andes to the subtropical jungles that lead to the Amazon basin in Corocio. The bike ride down the road is highly recommended for extreme mountain biking enthusiasts seeking thrill. During the ride down the road, bikers must maneuver by tractor trailers, buses and cars. Frequent rain and fog reduce visibility. Thousands of bikers from around the world come to "Death Road" each year for a ride of their life.

If you're turned on by the thought of flying down an eight foot-wide gravel road with drops of 1000 feet on one side at speeds of 50 miles per hour on two wheels with knobby tires, then go check out www.gravitybolivia.com. The ride will set you back US $50 for the day, including rental and return transportation.

Labels: adventure, biking, bolivia, death road, mountain biking, travel, world

posted by aron @ 11:00 PM 0 Comments