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Xi'an City
I practically slept very little as I had to get up at 0400hrs. Was at the airport in time. Met Tessa and Ryan in terminal 1. Unfortunately the flight was delayed more than an hour and half and it was midday when we arrived at the hotel in Xian city center. It was first time I was in a Dreamliner and I liked the aircraft. It was more roomier than most aircraft in that class and a there was an ambience.
I was very apprehensive of the quality of the hotel more so because Ryan and Tessa also had booked there because of me. To our amazement Xian Tooyo was a modern hotel, close to the Norh Wall gate, almost in the center of the city. The rooms were really spacious, modern shower and toilet and it was really cheap at €25 including a good breakfast.
As Tessa and Ryan had only another day in Xian we decided to do the tours by taxi the next day. After checking in at the hotel and arranging the taxi for the next day we went for a long walk through the city. We walked through the Muslim Quarter with their narrow
streets lined by small shops. One could see the Islamic presence with women wearing hijabs (no purdah) and men intheir traditional white round hats. Eateries was the most prominent. It appears China has an obsession with food which makes this a astronomers' paradise. We also bought a couple of things at 50% of the asking price. Then we proceeded to the Grand Mosque.
This mosque built in 742 AD show the influence of the Silk Road on the city which was at the end of Silk Road. Traders from Arabia travelled across the deserts and mountains to get to the Capital of China. Xian was the largest city and capital of the Empire. Even though a mosque it is built in with Chinese architecture and not in Arabic style as most mosques in the world are. The roof was in typical Chinese palace style, plenty of dragons even. The carvings were exquisite again more Chinese than Arabic. Even the layout was Chinese except the main prayer hall (still used) where there were small Persian carpets for kneeling one of the gate/pagoda, the Phoenix gate was a Chinese version. There were inscriptions on pillars from Han Dynasty.
From Muslim quarter we
proceeded to the south of the city and came upon the south gate. Unfortunately the gate was closed for repairs and we could not get on the wall and hire bikes for a ride over the wall around the city. Disappointed we looked for an alternative, got a ride to the north gate on a motorised rickshaw. We managed to get on the wall and walk a fair bit. It was too late to hire bicycles as the gates closed at 1830hrs.
The Walls around the city is around 12km long. It is approximately 15m in height and has a "road" paved with bricks and very smooth at the top approximately 16m wide. Probably made in the same vain as the great wall, the bricks on the outside are of far better quality and preservation (then it is 900 years younger). It is an imposing unique structure which would strike fear into the heart of any invader coming up against it.
As the city grew now 90% of the city lies outside the Walls. But it is still the heart of the city.
Later in the night we went out to get something to eat. By the time we found
a suitable place we came another Xi'an attraction, The Bell Tower. Its unique features were hi-lighted by bright lighting making it look like a Jade Palace. After a traditional meal we retired to the rooms thinking about the day ahead.
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