Dad, I know you're not sympathetic, but it is freeeezing here. Especially when there's no escaping it. China doesn't believe in heating its public monuments, so if you're going out to see stuff, you're bound to be out in the elements all day. It's pretty gross.
They don't believe in heating trains here, either. It was -5 C on the train the whole way here overnight. The good news was that they gave us nice heavy warm blankets. The bad news was they smelled like the streets of India. But I didn't care. I hid under there for dear life - literally, a girl can get hypothermia hanging out in below freezing places for 12 hours! Brrrrr...Thank heavens for my new wool socks. I also went out and bought some long underwear today, so hopefully that'll do the trick. I am not missing out on the Great Wall just because it's freezing outside.
Pingyao itself is really cute. The old city is just that - really old. The buildings are all in the old courtyard style, and they've all got the classic Chinese roofs with dragons and bamboo-shaped tiles. Very cool. I'd take more pictures, but frankly my camera doesn't like the cold any better than I do. I'll do a bit more exploring tomorrow before I catch my train for Beijing.
I've got bad news for everybody though. China is going to destroy the world. The pollution here is unbelievable. The smog is so bad even in winter (or perhaps especially in winter - they still heat their houses with coal here) in a little town like this, that the visibility is well under half a kilometer. We're talking a pea-soup fog kind of day every day...and it's all poison. I think America could outlaw cars, electricity, and plastic outright and we'd still be in trouble globally. Here's hoping President Obama can generate some serious goodwill on the issue and get some action on the matter, because without China onboard, we're doomed.
On that lively note, I'm gonna go because my fingers are having a hard time typing - it's not much warmer here in the hostel common room than it is outside...those of you who know me well know I'll be retreating under my little blanket with a cup of hot tea and waiting for spring to magically appear...
They don't believe in heating trains here, either. It was -5 C on the train the whole way here overnight. The good news was that they gave us nice heavy warm blankets. The bad news was they smelled like the streets of India. But I didn't care. I hid under there for dear life - literally, a girl can get hypothermia hanging out in below freezing places for 12 hours! Brrrrr...Thank heavens for my new wool socks. I also went out and bought some long underwear today, so hopefully that'll do the trick. I am not missing out on the Great Wall just because it's freezing outside.
Pingyao itself is really cute. The old city is just that - really old. The buildings are all in the old courtyard style, and they've all got the classic Chinese roofs with dragons and bamboo-shaped tiles. Very cool. I'd take more pictures, but frankly my camera doesn't like the cold any better than I do. I'll do a bit more exploring tomorrow before I catch my train for Beijing.
I've got bad news for everybody though. China is going to destroy the world. The pollution here is unbelievable. The smog is so bad even in winter (or perhaps especially in winter - they still heat their houses with coal here) in a little town like this, that the visibility is well under half a kilometer. We're talking a pea-soup fog kind of day every day...and it's all poison. I think America could outlaw cars, electricity, and plastic outright and we'd still be in trouble globally. Here's hoping President Obama can generate some serious goodwill on the issue and get some action on the matter, because without China onboard, we're doomed.
On that lively note, I'm gonna go because my fingers are having a hard time typing - it's not much warmer here in the hostel common room than it is outside...those of you who know me well know I'll be retreating under my little blanket with a cup of hot tea and waiting for spring to magically appear...
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