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11:00am, Youth Hostel.
Yesterday, i was the local performer. I went down to the bar and performed for thirty minutes. I was an instant celebrity amongst the mat sallehs. As i walk down the hall with my towel over my shoulders, everyone i passed said "hello" to me. I think it is time for me to leave though. I am getting too comfortable here in Xi'an. I tried to book for a ticket from the hostel reception to Lanzhou but the trains are all booked due to the summer holidays. My feet was still sore from the hike and i decided not to push myself too hard today and take it easy.
1:00pm, Youth Hostel
After having breakfast i went to marts room and together me, mart and this other australian lady thats in her 50's took a bus to the train station and from there, took a bus to the famous Hot springs. Apparently the Tang Dynasty frequented this place along with all his concubines. I expected a place to relax and dip myself in warm water. It has been raining since yesterday which makes going out unpleasant.
2:00pm, Huqing Shi Hot Springs
I should have expected this.
Knowing china, everything has been turned to a commercial centre. The place was filled with old chinese Tang Dynasty architechture. Apparently, this was a site for modern history as well. They call it the Xi'an incident and was a major turnpoint during the communist rise in china. I saw many bullet holes on the walls and window panes. Finally, after having a small picnic we decided to get the hell out of there. It was not what we expected so, after 2 hours of roaming the 'park' we caught the next bus home. The only good thing about it was that i had gotten half price. I tricked them into thinking my Malaysian IC was a student card. Therefore, i got student price. The tourist places in china are expensive, and from now on, i will always flash my IC!!...
6:00pm, Youth Hostel
A bunch of Koreans and Chinese has invited me for dinner at some muslim restaurant. I decided to go. The food was brilliant. They had some spices i never even heard of. Pedas nak mampos. And the pedas is different than the wasabi or sambal pedas. It was a different kind.
9:45pm, Youth Hostel
I'm
sorry theres not much to report. It was really an uneventful day. Tomorrow night i will head out of Xi'an and travel further west into Lanzhou. I plan to stay there one night then off to Xiahe. Tibet is too far to go, so i decided to visit a place nearer and often known as a mini-tibet. It would be just a minor detour towards my final destination, Xinjiang province. I thought, if i didn't visit the monasteries and did not hear the sounds of Om, i did not come to China at all. Tomorrow i will visit the Great Mosque. Apparantly, the place i visited was not the great mosque of Xi'an. It was just some small mosque. I will also go to the Forest of Steles Museaum. It holds a lot of artifacts and information about the history of the Silk Road. Thank you vinod for your excellent suggestion. Included is a map of where i have been so far. Till next time, pai pai!!
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vinod
non-member comment
ok... i see the V. now all youve got left is the I.N.O.D