TALAT's Travel log

though my dream is comprehensive world tour,but unfortunately i have no companion for that purpose.Anyone who can join me , please contact me.my email address is dr.talatbutt@hotmail.com, my phone no. is 0092-321-9501376: 0092-300-9501376: 0092-51-57934

Log entries 1 - 10 of 73

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Jun 06, 2011 06:00 PM SECOND DAY IN RIGA,LATVIA RIGA,LATVIA June 07,2011 I started my riga tour by buying a 24 hr transport ticket (1.90 LS) from e-telon at bus station.i boarded on tram 7 and continued journey on tram 7 till end just to take a general view of the Riga city.then returned on the same train and at stop opera I started walking tour towards first st.peter cathedral. The history of st.peters cathedral goes back to 1209 but the same year fire could not damage it due to its masonry construction(bricks+mortar past).this was the middle gothic portion .the only ramnants are in the outer nave walls and few pillars in the nave. Second romanseque building style was constructed in 1409.its tower collapsed on 11 March, 1666 destroying the neihbouring building with burying of 8 people under its rubble.In 1667 construction of new tower started. The third period of Baroque styled construction starts from 1671 t0 1690, with the construction of the western facade and the new tower with copper roofed steeple.On 10 May 1721 fire destroyed the church and the tower.only church and tower walls remain standing there.it was reconstructed. During world war 2 ,in 1941 fire again destroyed it.final construction took place from 1967 to 1983.Exact replica of previous rooster was placed atop the steeple in 1970.the bell music plays riga fold melody,riga dimd,5 times a day and the bells ring on completion of every hour.elevator has been fixed on fourth floor for visitors going to the top for panorama view of Riga. The St. Peter's Latvian Lutheran congregation resumed services in the church 1991, and the church was returned to the ownership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia on 4 April 2006. I paid 3 LS to climb up the tower by elevator.stunning views of old city of Riga from the top.unfortunately exhibition was closed ( for which ticket is 1 LS). After this I walked to house of Blackheads (entry ticket 4 LS) and first I visited its basement and then first ,second,and fourth floors. Brotherhood of blackheads was the association of local unmarried merchants and ships owners and foreigners in unified state of latvia and estonia.the original building was erected in the first third of 14th century.From 1580 to 1886 major work and ornamentation done.But unfortunately the building was destroyed by german bombardment in 1941and the remains were demolished by soviets in 1948.Main building was again constructed from 1995 to 1999. I was given a free ticket for fine arts gallery by ticket office of House of Blackheads.so I visited the gallery also.it was a brief visit. Then I walked to the Riga castle.there I was told by the guardman that President resides there and only museum part was open. Museum of foreign art was in castle’s building. I didn’t enter the museum and returned to Indian restaurant ,Indian Raja, just opposite St.peters cathedral.i enjoyed balti chicken with indian naan and rice and sprite+coke.bill was 6 LS.in that restaurant every day a fixed menu from 12 to 15 costs only about 4 LS( soft drinks cost separately). Then I visited St.John’s church just opposite St.Peters cathedral.It stands over the foundation of the place of Bishop Albert which was an impotant location in 1201 when Riga city was founded.In 1234 the monks of the Dominican order formed a monastery here and consecrated the chapel as Johan the Baptist Church.Around 1330 church was expanded.it was covered with pitched red tiles roof and decorated with a small tower which still exists.In 1523 in the aftermath of the Reformation,the city council shut down doninican Monastery and rented it to Mayor Shutle for keeping livestock there for a long period.In 1582 it was handed over to Latvian Luteran congregation and thus paving way for the Catholics.In 1587 a new altar commended.a new pulpit and altar were placed in the annex which were destroyed unfortunately.In the altar fasade,scuptures of John the Bapitst are outstanding examples of renaissance art.In 1926 damaged scuplture was replaced by a replica..The fig.of Salome represents Dutch renaissance.In 1677 city fire engulfed the spire ,decorated with gallery.Again renovated. The present altar:depicts sculptures of the crucifed Savior,St.Peter and S.Paul was carved in wood in 18th century.there are paintings ,”The Holy Communion” and “The Resurrection of Christ”.the organ balcony has several unique paintins.Nine of them depict the suffering of Christ as shown in the copper-plate engravings .at the ends of the organ balcony there are four portraits of the apostles painted in 18th century.the present pulpit was aquired in 1817.An organ of 1854 was replaced in 1995 by a new one donated by the city of Udevalla in sweden.In turn the older one was donated to the church of Cesvaine in vidzeme,Latvia. Around 1900 several stained glass windows were installed.Renovation is still continuing. I returned to the hostel to take new DVDs from my bag b.c I had consumed previous ones for my video cam. I again arrived the tram station.tram stops here are rarely covered with a shade.the sun was shining v.brightly and it was v.hot day. I stood there for a while and then boarded on tram No.4 till its destination and returned again just to have a general view of the city architecture.after returning to the tram stop at bus station I again boarded another tram 7 in opposite direction and arrived about its destination and again returned and then walked to Latvian Academy of Science and took a ticket by 2 LS and climbed up to 15th story by elevator and then further 2 floors by stairs.it was again a beautiful panorama of the city. I took many pictures from all sides.and then returned on the ground and then walked to the freedom monument. First I thought of TV tower as freedom monument but the lady at reception of Latvian Academy of Science corrected me and guided me about the monument. Monument of Freedom(Brīvības piemineklis) it was built in memory of the martyrs killed during the war of independence in 1918-1920.During Soviet times it was a crime to place flowers at the monument.42 meter high monument is an important symbol of freedom,independence and sovereignty of Latvia.it was unveiled in 1935with granite,travertine and copper.the sculptures and bas reliefs of the monument are in 13 groups depict latvian history and culture.the tetragonal shapes on top of each other and decreasing in size ,complete the core of monument.A further 19 metre high travertine column bearing a statue of liberty made of copper. The statue is lifting 3 glided stars.On 14 june,1987 ,5000 latvians gathered here to start a new liberation movement.Latvia got independence in 1991. On the way I enjoyed Red Bull(1.10LS) and also ice cream (70 cents.) .At Mc.donald near freedom monument I bought take away of Mc chicken meal with sprite (2.70 LS) and returned to the hostel on foot.i checked my email . Free wi fi internet is v.good and fast here.also a computer was provided but I used my netbook instead.at 9:30 pm I took my dinner of Mc Donald mc.chicken .Andrew remained sitting viewing TV football tournament.He is the administrator of the hostel.

Jun 03, 2011 06:00 PM from Helsinki to Tallinn,Estonia Tallinn,Estonia,,,,,,,,,,I arrived in Tallinn by finncom.airlines marketed by finnair from Helsinki on 04 June,2011 .after checking out of stadion hostel at northern end of olympic stadium of Helsinki at 7:15 am I walked for 5 min. to the nearest tram stop . I found tram no. 7 towards central railway station.at 7:40 am I arrived at the station and found finnair bus at left side of station while facing the station.by paying 6.5 eruos journey started at 7.55 am and at 8:30 am I was at terminal 2 of Helsinki airport.at check in counter 160 I checked in smoothly and then waited at gate No.22A.since it was too early I slept on the chair and at 9:30 am boarding started and flight started at 9:55 am and I arrived at tallinn airport at 10:25 am.I exchanged my 20 GBP and got about 17 euros.outside airport I waited for Bus No.2 for 20 min.and paid about 2 euros without ticket from the driver. I asked him for ticket.he said no need of ticked.you have paid.it is ok.after about 20 min, I arrived at A.Laikmaa stop. By passing through viru shopping centre I crossed the main road and passed through the viru gate(old gate). So I entered the viru street .on second left I passed through sauna street and at the end was dancing eesti hostel.i checked in by paying 9.5 euros ( I already had booked the hostel through hostelworld.com.) and key deposit of 10 euros.it was 11 am. So I left the luggage in luggage room and walked through vike karja street and then vana turg streets to the main thrilling Raekoja plats where a stage with live music was full of voice.Jam packed with tourists it was v.pleasant to see the square with gothic town hall on south side.On north east corner of the square there is another ancient building of at least 1422 , raeapteek, pharmacy .I had to arrive at eurolines bus station(lux express).so I bought a 24 hours tram ticket by paying 4.2 euros at the kiosk on main road after getting out of the viru gates.I was told by a lady at a kiosk to wait for the tram at platform besides the road and wait for the tram No.2.I was astonished to see that when tram came the people had to run by crossing the road and board the tram.So I did the same .I took tram No.2 and after 10 min. I arrived the Tallinn autobussijaam .I asked at the information about my reservation done by internet on 3rd.june.(I tried to reserve the ticket for riga from Tallinn on internet but due to interrupted and slow internet at stadion hostel in Helsinki when I got the message by lux express that payment has been processed,my internet stopped working.so I was confused about my booking.the lady at information told me that no payment was done therefore no reservation done. I asked her to reserve my seat .she said it will cost 10.5 euros plus 2 euros her service charges.but there was also a computer on one side of information . she told me to take the ticket by internet yourselves with print of the ticket without service fee.i worked on the computer for 2 min. and got the printed ticket from the printer. It cost me 10.5 euros.i was thirsty and so bought a sprite and then returned to the tram station and arrived at the old city again.At mc.donald I met some paksitani students visiting tallin from Helsinki for one day only.after some gup shup they returned.and I bought my lunch,mc chicken meal with large French fries and sprite (with ketch up 20 cents extra) by paying 4.2 euros. I reached the raekoja plats again and By passing through an arch along the Raeapteek,we pass through narrow saja kaik( white bread passage)and reach a gothic holy spirit church(Puhavaimu Kirik).it has carvings of 17th century and a tower bell of 15 century.perhaps this church was in relation to the raeapteek for treatment of sick.Just opposite the Holy Spirit church there is a great guild hall.entry for adult is 5 euros.On turning rightside towards puhavaimu street we arrive at the vene street.at the junction of 2 streets Tallinn linnamuuseum( city museum) is present.It narrates the story of development of Tallinn through different ages and also from 1940 onwards with soviet occupation until freedom in 1991. I returned on the puhavaimu street to its junction with Pikk street and continued west ward reaching the Gate Pikk Jalg(long leg), but I didn’t enter the gate but turned right toward Nunne street.on left side of the street small children were playing with some huge statues.I turned to right again in Lai street and continued walking .at its junction with hobusepea street Alur hostel was present where I will check in tomorrow.at the end of Lai street I found Oliveste kirik(St.olav’s church).Observation desk to view the city from 124 m.high ,3 euros adult.It was first built in 13th century with 159m high but fire engulfed it. I turned right to Pikk street.a notorious Former KGB headquarters in Pikk tanav.59 .windows in basememt were sealed to stop the sounds of crying victims of the interrogation to reach out of the building.At the northern end of Pikk street I arrived at the great coastal gate with fat Margret tower leading to the harbor of old city.on left of gate I climbed up a platform and then after 2 min.walk came down and a thick city wall started with different torns.after walking besides the wall for some distance I returned to the pikk street again.and started walking southwards and turned leftwards to the vene street.there I found at courtyard No.18,1844 St.Peter&Paul catholic church and Dominican monastery build in 13th century.here there is largest collection of stone carvings in Estonia.i returned to the Mc.Donald and dinner with fillet o fish ,sprite and large French fries and ketch up by paying 4.1 euros .i was given one lemon tea bottle free.then I returned to hostel and after working at internet for half an hour I slept at 11 pm. Estonian people are very nice and cooperative.overall it is less expensive than other Scandinavian countries.only negative point was the presence of too many beggars in the city even at Mc.Donald.

May 21, 2011 06:00 PM BERGEN,NORWAY Bergen…..it is the second largest city of Norway with population of 251,000.the best way to travel to Bergen is by oslo-bergen scenic train . we (me and my wife dr.naila talat) booked train tickets from Gjovik town about 140 km from Oslo.I booked the minipris ticket online,199 Nok per person 2 days prior to departure(while standard ticket was 998 NOK.( 5 NOK= 1 US$).minipris tickets must be booked online and at least one day advance.on 22May 2011 we arrived at the Gjovik train station at 9:25 am (departure time was 9:37 am) where we found that train service is suspended between Gjovik and Oslo and instead bus will be provided as alternate.( it was mentioned already while booking online that alternate travel may be provided instead of train).At exact 9:37 big ,comfortable tourist bus started with few passengers and we arrived at scheduled 11:33 am at Oslo train station. There we waited for our next journey from Oslo to Bergen .train started at 12.27 pm . the journey was unforgettable as the scenes of lakes,rivers,lush green mountains,forests,snow covered mountains and scenic views of fjords made us to sing songs and enjoy the journey.At 7:50 pm( 5 min.late) we arrived at Bergen station and it was sunny . so we walked to the fish market and nearby funicular.funicular starts at every half and hour till 11:30 and returns from top till 12 midnight.By buying return ticket 70 NOK per person we reached the peak by funicular in 10 min. stunning and panoramic city views from top, so we took photographs but unfortunately rain started with wind and we had to run down by funicular. We walked to Bryggen , world heritage site.it is the location of centuries old medival long timber buildings on stone foundations . Rain started heavily so we walked to the hotel citybox( 5 min walk from train station).there we found the door closed and a machine for check in. we typed our reservation number and also put credit card in the slot but everytime payment failed so we called by a phone on maindoor and a receptionist came outside and he tried check in manually by presenting credit card (payment for double room for 2 nights:1400 NOK)which succeeded and at last we arrived in room 402 on 4th floor by well working elevator.the hotel is v.nice and clean and peaceful. Bathroom was clean and well managed but sharing.inside room was a burner , sink with water supply and refrigerator.Burner was not working and the receptionist told us the reason for closing the electric burner as safety measure to protect from fire. However in common room a microwave oven with tea maker for hot water was supplied. Next day we arrived urliken(cable car) by bus No.31 (bus ticket:25 NOK per person)from area just north of large central city garden .we had to climb uphill for 10 min. from the bus stop to arrive at the cable car station where we bought one way ticket of 80 NOK per person( return was 145 NOK)by ticket machine with atm card.we thought that we will return on foot.gondola moves from lower station to higher station every 15 min and flight time is 10 min.on arriving on the top of the mountain we started taking pictures of the panoramic views of the city but our happiness was short lived as the wind started so wildly that no one could stand outside and had to run in a restaurant and there we enjoyed a cup of coffee and we were told that gondola service has been stopped for some time due to strong wind and rain. We had to purchase a ticket again for 80 NOK per person and all the people were asked to go down immediately by gondola and the service would be blocked then.on arriving on the ground rain became v.mild so we started walking about 4.2 km distance to our hotel.on the way we found a rema 1000 store where we bought bananas,muffins,dry fruit ,juice ,milk and lipton tea bags.the prices in the store were reasonable and quite low. We arrived in bryggen area again and In one of timber building is hanseatic museum((opening time midMay to midSeptember 9 am to 5 pm while in winter 11 am to 4 pm) with views of living style of hanseatic merchants.admission fee is 45 NOK which is also valid in schotstuene on the other end of bryggen where the merchants used to gather for discussing business matters and gossip on beer. There are other museums e.g.,theta museum,leprosy museum and west Norway museum of decorative art.but we missed them due to shortage of time.At night I saw a fjord sight seeing tour in Bergen book provided by hotel.its website is www.fjord-sightseeing.no. I checked the price and timing as 480 NOK per person starting at 10 am to be finished at 2 pm.we decided to take the tour in the morning. On 24 May 2011 after taking breakfast in common area we waited for receptionist but till 8:35 am no one appeared so we checked out by ourselves and walked to fish market and after some difficulty we found a boat of fjord sightseeing boat (white lady).after a wait of 5 min.ticket counter opened and the price was written as 480 NOK or 92 US$. We paid by dollars. The trip of the boat was wonderful and excellent.we traveled to the north and sognefjord area was like heavens on earth. At 2 :13pm the tour was finished and at the fish market we tasted fish &chips by 120 NOK per person and walked to the hotel to inform them about our morning check out.the receptionist told us that reception opens at 9 am and there is no need to inform about check out. So we walked to the train station where we boarded a train from Bergen to Oslo where it is supposed to arrive at 11:50 pm . there we will wait for 17 min. and next train will start from oslo to gjovik at 12:07 am and arrive in gjovik at 2:07 am.on the way we saw heavy snow fall specially in mydral area where flam train starts. Interesting thing is that in the next train from oslo to gjovik only 5 passengers were boarded and until gjovik we 2 passengers remained in train.there was a drunk passenger from oslo to one stop prior to gjovik and he remained talking loudly and in senseless manner.my wife was somewhat afraid of him but Fortunately he left the train just before gjovik.

Mar 19, 2010 09:00 PM first day in japan i arrived by delta airline(for which i bought ticket online by ebookers...return 248 british pounds)at narita airport,tokyo,japan,at 13:30 and waited for my family coming from pakistan via bangkok by thai air.my family arrived at 16:00 but came out of the airport after immigration,baggage claim and customs at 17:00 .By kelesei line about (1200 jap yens per adult )first we arrived at aoto station and then changed to asakusa line to asakusa exit 4 and arrived at asakusa smile hotel.( room with four beds booked at hostelworl.com by 2000 yens per person per night) it was booked for three nights.after paying remaining amount and also 1000 yens as key deposit , we checked in . room was small but clean. shoes off before entering residential portion of the hostel.we wandered around on the roads nearby and also to supermarket just few steps from hostel.staff of the hostel was v.nice and co operative.kitchen facility good. free internet both by web and wifi.room was at fourth floor without elevator.

Mar 18, 2010 09:00 PM 24th day on road to the east-beijing-china got up at 8:30am and used internet to confirm my delta airline flight tomorrow for tokyo. it was confirmed. by subway (dong si) i arrived olympic sport centre station and then by buying ticket of 60y visited north part of china cultural and ethnic park(south part is closed).my tour continued for about 5 hours. i studied the details of ethnic groups(though official version).i tasted an ice cream(3y)there i met a chinese friend from shanghai(jevon).he is v.nice and remained with me till the end of the tour.then by subway (2y) i returned to the hostel area. i bought 2 bbq mutton tikka (6 y-first he demanded 10 y but when i saw towards him with surprise he said oh-give me only 6y) and a nan with minced meat 3y( first he demanded 5 y but later on he said 3 y) buying 2 cups of coffee(6y) and one small bottle of juice (3y)i returned to the happy dragon hostel. on first day in beijing , i should not come by bus but instead i should come to chowenmen and then by line 5 to dong si station(in this way walking distance is reduced).even in case of bus i should come to chowenmen first and then by subway to dong si.

Mar 17, 2010 09:00 PM 23rd day on road to the east-beijing-china yesterday at 6:00 pm i was picked up from the hostel by tour operator and dropped at a theatre for best acrobatic show started at 7:15 pm and with an intermission of 10 min ended at 8:45 pm. it was an amazing show. all the time i remained watching the unbeleivable balancing skills. really one of the best ones i have ever seen . it was one way transfer . therefore i returned to the hostel by subway ( 2 y per travel in subway).subway system is v.fine and systematic. you can never be lost in beijing.after returning to dong si station i had dinner at some restaurant ( i forgot the name of the chain of restaurnats) .dinner was a beef with noodles in soup with beans and separate meat with vegetables(27Y). today i was picked at 7:40 am by tour operator to go to ming tombs. only one tomb was visited. in lonely planet guidebook it is written that out of 13 tombs, 3 are open for public. anyhow then we visited a jade factory near xiguan rotary and there we were given a nice lunch by tour operator( total charges of the tour 180y).excellent restaurnat and good lunch including everything except pork b/c with me four jewish people from israel were also traveling who also don't eat pork. they were v.nice and friendly. after lunch we went to badaling great wall . there we bought a cable car ticket for 60 y pp . actually i had visited this great wall about 3 years back without cable car.it was snow everywhere and cold wind was blowing freezing hands and face.anyhow we walked on the wall and at 2:20 pm started returning back to a silk market and then arrived at the hostel at 6 pm.i will try to attach a photo of subway map and map of beijing with my travel log after returning to pakistan. beijing is v.beautiful city with everything systematic. people are very helping and friendly. e.g. when i was walking yesterday to find the hostel , a man guided me out of the way and came with me till i entered the hostel inspite of my request that i had found many signs mentioned in the directions given by the hostel.

Mar 16, 2010 09:00 PM 22nd day on road to the east-Beijing-china at 6:28 am train arrived at beijing train station. by bus no.52(1Y) i arrived on the east side of forbidden city on main road. i started walking for 45 min towards norht.( hostel is at north east side of forbidden city.)it was v.cold and wind was blowing v.strongly. there was snow at some places. at hostel i was welcome by friendly staff. i paid 131 y( 81 y for 3 nights and 50 as deposit.. i had booked this hostel at internet.........after a bitter experience in lanzhou and tian shui.) i started my tour to temple of heavens by subway dong si station ( 2y) by line 5 and before entering the temple and park i bought a video camera dvd for 45 y ,60min.recording.entery ticket for park was 10 y and entry for temple of heavens 20 y. i visited the temple of good harvest,echo wall , circular mound, fasting palace etc . meanwhile i tasted two ice creams( 3 y each). this is v.famous temple build in 1420 and both ming and qing emperors had been worshipping here.i was tired after visiting this huge park and temple and by taking line 5 subway i returned to the hostel , eating a bbq fish from a stall (20y).in hostel i booked an acrobic show tonight for 130 y and badling great wall and ming tombs tour tomorrow for 180y.

Mar 15, 2010 09:00 PM 21st day on road to the east-pingyao-china in the morning i was offered a complementary cup of tea by hostel and then in the room i made a cup of coffee ( a disposable glass with sachet of coffee and a small cup of flavours and a straw;3y) and at 9 am i walked to the chang huang buddhist temple on the same ya men road where hostel is located.then i visited confucist temple just opposite to the previous.adjacent to it is catholic church.gate was open but the building was closed and it seemed that has been close for moths if not years. then taking the south street northwards under the city centre , i visited the museum of chambre of commerce and then i tried to find the temple of god of fire but it does not exist . then after visiting taoist temple i climbed up the city wall through east gate and after walking just short of south corner i came down to the south gate and again entered the south street and passed in front of harmony guest house and at last returned to the hostel . i prepared my pakistani precooked food(lahori choley) in tea maker and enjoyed it with bun bought by 2 y.i also had another cup of coffee. and after saying prayers i slept for one hour. at 5 pm i took bath and took tea and checked out. Mr.Bob , the owner and manager of the hostel was v.kind. he gifted me a bottle of water and also he arranged free dopping at train station. i gifted him wine which was gifted to me by lama in garong village( since i dont drink). at 6:57 pm train departed and the journey was comfortable with sleeper.

Mar 14, 2010 09:00 PM 20th day on road to the east-ping yao-china i extended one night stay in the hostel by paying 9 y more（ surprising cheapest）。at 7：30 am i left the hostel and walked for 20 min towards north gate and out to the bus station。i bougt the ticket for WANG FAMILY COURTYARDS by 17 y。the departure time at the ticket was 8：50 am instead of 8；20 am as mentioned in lonely planet guide。i bought a boiled egg（1y）and a cup of coffee （4 y). at 8;50 am the bus left the bus station but waited for about 10 min,around the corner for passengers.after 1.5 hours(at 10:20am)i arrived at WANG FAMILY COURTYARDS.the bus driver told me to come back at 12:40 pm to go back to ping yao. it is really huge complex of qin dynasty courtyards. entry ticket:66y. at 12:15 am i finished the complex and returned to the road for bus.there i saw a procession with music and drum beating and dancing.fire crackers v.noisy. first i thought that it was a marriage ceremony but when i found a van with coffin, and another van with weeping and crying ladies, i asked a person about this procession.it was a coffin procession confirmed. at exact 12;35 AM bus arrived and after 5 min left for ping yao. i asked the driver about shuanglin temple. he said it is on the way just 6 km from ping yao.he dropped me there and after walking about 500 m i entered shuanglin temple(entry is 25y) it is a primitive buddhist temple. it was v.v.cold and windy. i finished the temple with difficulty.feeling upset due to cold wind. after half an hour i walked back to the main road . there a taxi stopped near me demanding 10y to ping yao. though bus takes only 1 y. but due to harsh weather i preferred taxi and arrived in the city near north gate. walking along the streets of the ancient city and buying a chicken piece with some fish fillets (9 y) i reached the zhengjia international hostel and had a cup of tea in my warm room.again after 10 min my battery was recharged and started walking to the nearby ticket office . there i bought a ticket for all city attractions by 120y (valid for 2 days) and visited the city tower and risheng cheng bank( first bank in china which issued cheques),risheng cheng started a business of dyeing but his business flourished so fast that he started business in silver and then issuing cheques. i went to a nearby atm machine operated by china post but the atm card didn't work there, then i walked to the lower west gate and out of the walled city i found an industrial and agricultural bank of china.there atm worked and i drew 900 y. returning to the hostel back i bought a cup of coffee(not prepared , but need hot water to prepare it) and a cup of milk tea(total 6 y) .also bought a bun for 2 y.returned to the hostel in v.cold weather. my hand fingers were almose frozen.at hostel i enjoyed a chicken corn soup (10Y) and watched a movie of mr.beans. then started using internet checking emails and writing travel log. except weather, i liked the city v.much. really ancient city with ancient original city walls.peace of mind here.happiness prevails.

Mar 13, 2010 09:00 PM 19th day on road to the east-ping yao-china at 8 am i checked out of the nice hostel,shu yuan hostel,by taking back my washed clothes and also 100 y deposit. it was raining today lightly,with feeling of cold. by bus 603 (1y) i arrived at the bus station just opposite the train station near north gate.i bought the ticket for ping yao by 148.5 y.the lady there guided me to the bus kindly,and the bus started its journey at exact 9 am. unfortunately after 1.5 hour a technical problem occured in the right rear wheel(perhaps something broken) and the bus moved v.v.vslow to the nearest town where a low class mechanic tried to fix it. bus again moved but after half an hour again something broken with voice and bus stopped. they called mechanic with some new part and the problem was fixed successfully. i arrived at ping yao toll gate( not in the city bus station) at 6:15 pm instead of scheduled time of 4 pm.anyhow by tuk tuk(10 y) i arrived at the hostel. they welcomed me.it was unbeleivable that such a nice,neat and clean hostel in an old style building takes only 10 y per night.the man here showed me the room , single room, with toilet of western wc, , hot and cold water, tv, well decorated room , reception with active and decent girls with uniform.the man told me that if he stays more nights it will be only 9 y per night. first i thought that either he is joking or he is saying 90 y. but then at check in it confirmed to be 9y. then i tasted a local mushroomand vegetable soup by 12 y in the hostel and walked about half an hour towards north and east to the train station . there i bought a ticket with sleeper to beijing on 16.3.2010 at 18:57 , the price of ticket is 159 y. it will arrive on 17th march at about 6:30 am. walked back to the city walled town through north gate and coming straight to the south i arrived the zhengjia international youth hostel. it was booked at hostelworld.com. free internet is being used now here.it is v.cold here today with temp almost 0-2 c. this city is only city with ancient city walls . only a v.small portion of south gate was collapsed in 2004 and repaired immediately.the remaining wall is original. the town is v.beautiful and peaceful. the old people playing draft on the gates of the houses.ladies and youth playing and chatting in the streets.true ancient look.

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