Xi'an

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Greetings fans, you are in a for a treat in this next tale from your two intrepid travellers. Today is our last in Xi'an. A city not so exciting in its self but a good hub for local sights. On Monday we shunned the extortionate tour organised by the hostel and made our own way to the museum of the terracotta warriors, saving ourselves at least £5. The bus journey was once again as intriguing as the destination. The driver wove in and out of traffic, undertaking police and dodging straw laden trikes.

The warriors themselves were impressive in their number and detail. An interesting fact for you: none of the warriors were found intact, every single reconstructed one was put together by a jigsaw master. The first pit contains the most flower pot men and horses and is a true spectacle, pits 2 & 3 and the museum are hardly worth visiting.

After the shame of our trip to Maccy D's we have been far more adventurous in seeking out authentic Chinese cuisine. We've had a couple of hotpots where the meal is cooked and kept warm on a hotpot in front of you. We often have no idea what we have ordered or eaten but its been tasty so far. Our chopstick skills are coming along brilliantly. Before long we will be snatching flies out of the air whilst blindfolded.

Yesterday we once again decided to shun the hostel tour and found our way to Mount Hua Shan, the Western most of the Tao'ist mountains (I'm sure you all knew that already). Deciding that we are brave and athletic Scots we chose not to take the cable car to the top and instead opted for the winding path starting at the Jade Spring. Their is a Chinese saying that grew from this mountain: sometimes the only way is the hard way. Obviously this is not so true today due to the cable car. We started the climb very energetically and finished 2 and a bit arduous hours later wondering if doing the Inca trail is such a good idea. Some sections of the climb were straightforward others involved scrambling up super steep steps on your hands and knees. The view at the top wasn't much to write about as the mist didn't lift as we had hoped.

Next stop on the tour is Shanghai. Just the small matter of a 17 hour train journey to overcome first.

That's all folks. Stay classy.

Al.

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