Everything I heard about the western China was that of an undeveloped area with none of the modernity of Shanghai and Beijing. As such, my expectations were low. I was assumed I would be spending 14 days in dilapidated old buildings, without running water.
Luckily, I was wrong for the most part. I spent two wonderful weeks exploring two cities of Qinghai, China. My first stop was the city of Xining, the capital of Qinghai province and the largest city on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. With a population of over 2 million, It is a small city for Chinese standards, but a city nonetheless. But the real action was on the outskirts of the city.
My first few days were spent going to various museums and learning about the history and culture of the region but during the nights I got to explore the city and check out the markets.
On my third day, I went to (I will fill out the name when I find it) I thought of it like the Grand Canyon of China. It is really hard to explain, but the colors and the cliffs make me feel like pictures of that I have seen in magazines.
One of the must-sees of Qinghai is the beautiful Qinghai Lake.
After a week in Xining, my whole opinion of China had changed. There is more to China than what I have been exposed to in Beijing. There is so much natural beauty and culture that I am now eager to explore.
To sum it all up I have two (or three) words to say about Xining...
