Day 6: Xi'an

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So we had ANOTHER problem with the train ticket from datong to xi'an. It turned out that our train ticket was for the 24th instead of the 23rd - I don't know why I didn't check it closer, especially after the first screw up. Normally it wouldn't be a huge deal to leave a day later than planned, but Datong is a pretty aweful place aside from the Yungang caves (and the hanging monestary, which we didn't see) and stephanie would probably have cried for 24 hours until we could leave. Luckily we had just enough time to transfer the ticket over to the 23rd and run to the train. From now on we are booking our own train tickets.

The train ride itself was not too bad... we booked a hard sleeper, which is one step below a soft sleeper. Soft sleepers have bunks two beds high, while hard sleepers are 3 beds high. Also as the name implies the beds are harder and lower quality. We payed the 5 yuan extra to get the middle bunks. The top bunk has zero head room, and the bottom bunk usually fills up with people sitting down, so we read that the middle is the best.

We probably would have slept fine the whole time except the train made at least 15 stops through the night. I guess thats why it took 16 hours, while the express train from beijing to xi'an (a further distance) takes only 12 hours. Each time the train stopped or started we'd wake up because of the jolting and noise it made each time. So lets just say we are not 100% rested today. But still, it would have beat being in a seat for 16 hours, like many of the people on the train. There are actually two levels below hard sleeper: soft seat and hard seat. I hear the hard seat is torture.

Our first mission when we got to xi'an was finding our hostel and getting our laundry done (we are down to our last clothes). We found a decent hostel right in the center of town for a good price, but later found out that the dryer is broken. There aren't any hostels nearby, so we decided to try and take a bus to another hostel down the street. I called ahead to make sure they do laundry, and they do (as do most).

We bought a city map and actually managed to decipher it enough to figure out which bus to catch. We were pretty proud of ourselves. Once we got the laundry started we had a delicious lunch at the hostel (i wish we could've stayed there but they were full) and walked around xi'an a bit. Xi'an is a HUGE step up from datong, and I even like it more than beijing in terms of atmosphere. It is surrounded by a 30 ft wall, similar construction as the great wall. Like other cities in china it is very symmetric, with roads running in rings around the center kind of like a spiderweb. There is a bell tower in the center - which we have a great view of from the hostel we are staying at (the bell tower hostel). The city itself is fairly clean, not too congested, lots of old buildings mixed in with new shops, malls and stores. Probably the reason we both like it so much is that Datong was such an armpit.

Tomorrow we're heading out to see the Teracotta warriors, which is a must see if you are anywhere near xi'an, and stopping at some natural hot springs as well. We also booked a plane to Jiuzhaigou (spelling might be a little off...) for saturday the 26th, because they were offering a special that we couldn't pass up. The plane is a 1 hour flight, for 350 yuan. The alternative probably costs half as much, but it is an 18 hour train to Chengdu, then a 12 hour bus to Jiuzihaigou. 350 yuan is about 50 bucks, so we figured we'd splurge a bit and save 29 hours of travel. Jiuz' is supposedly the "yosemite of china". From the pictures I've seen it seems like something we should not miss.

So that's our definite plans so far... future plans are also starting to solidify. We'll take the 12 hour bus ride from Jiuz' to chengdu, probably see the grand buddha in leshan, then somehow work our way to Tiger Leaping Gorge for the 3-4 day trek, then travel through the southwest (lots of things to see and do on the way) on our way to Macau and Hong Kong. We'll get our vietnamese visas in HK, and then off to vietnam. At the moment it looks like we won't make it to shanghai, which was on our list but it looks like it will wait until another trip.

We are keeping a pretty fast pace in china, mostly because things are more expensive than in the other countries we're planning on going (except NZ). We figure we might as well move fast so that the activities/lodging ratio is as high as possible so we don't end up spending too much on hotels. Our rooms have been about $30 a night in china. It might not sound like much, but I remember having decent rooms with my own bathroom for $5 or even less when I traveled in thailand and laos. Once we get to vietnam I'm sure we will slow down quite a bit. Besides, we'll be on the beach, so why rush?

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