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Published: August 1st 2008
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Drum Tower
haha doink Getting off the 20-hour train ride, I felt like a trooper. A true travel warrior. If I could survive in a crowded, non-air conditioned, top bunk, hard sleeper on one of the jankiest trains in all of China, then I could do just about anything.
We got to Xi’an at around 9am, so we were all set and ready for a brand new day (in theory). The cool thing was that the City Wall wasn’t just a small portion of it…it literally still encompasses the whole city, separating downtown from the suburbs. Passing through the walls felt like quite a treat, a little like entering a forbidden city hehe.
That day, we headed over to the Muslim district to see the giant mosque, but instead stumbled upon the Bell and Drum Towers. These were named after the instruments used to warn the town about invaders—namely, the giant bell and drum. We then entered a street called Xi’an Heaven. Ok I’m lying, I don’t remember the street name. But it was basically a giant market that was exotic by day and bustling by night. And the street food and souvenirs were AMAZING.
Let's go through my food check list
Street Fooood
That Arabic sweet thing I told you about (with some names of my own personal invention):
-Arabic sweet glutinous rice
-Pan fried flat bread with sour kraut-like substance and egg with veggies
-Cold noodles with peanut sauce
-Glass noodle cubes in hot sauce
-Red bean rice balls in plum sauce and so on...
The Mosque itself was gorgeous, and one of the most peaceful places I've explored in all my travels in China. Maybe that was due to the weather that day--a slightly overcast, breeze-filled afternoon--but I felt refreshed and tranquil. The perfect state of mind for shopping, of course. And boy did we go up and down those streets, examining jaded, bargaining for chopsticks, bagging scarves. Have I mentioned how amazing the shopping in China is? And how adept at bargaining I've become? You just have to remember to bargain with a smile, and do the "walk away" technique. Generally, this is useful in getting a vendor down to your price. On some occasions, you just keep walking and they don't chase you, but in that case you are getting poor customer service and shouldn't be supporting the venue anyways. And if they go down to your price too quickly (like the first 10 seconds), then
Mosque
So peaceful you know you could've gotten a better price. Shame on you.
With those tips in mind, I returned to the hotel with full shopping bags and a slimmer wallet.
*Note: We haven't been partying much in our travels. Actually, we didn't hit up any clubs at this point. Crazy or tired? I guess I shall have to come back to explore the nightlife scene. We've just been devoting our energies to cultural sites. SEE we aren't crazed nocturnal college students hopping from bar to club in the hops of a sweet party.*
The next day was devoted to the only reason we came to Xi'an: the terracotta warriors. And they proved to be worth the 20 hour train ride, which is saying a hell of a lot. This was the day that we hired a driver to take us to the spots outside the city, which were about an hour away. We started with the terracotta exhibit (the farthest of them all) and then migrated back to the city with some hot springs and temples on the way.
Here's the backstory behind the terracotta soldiers: When the First Emperor Shi Huang Di died, he had huge plans
for his death go into motion. The army was made as a form of protection for his tomb, and there are 3 pits of them. The first pit is the one that everyone takes photos of. It's so big that an airplane hangar was built on top of it, and it might be bigger than a football field. Each soldier has a unique face...and that's saying a lot considering that there are estimated to be 8000 soldiers. Most of them are still buried, and the next two pits were still being excavated; but you could still see them, and how tedious the excavations were.
The emperor's actual mausoleum is an almost crazier story. It hasn't been excavated because 1) they don't want to destroy the tomb and 2) it is said to have lakes of mercury and diamonds in the ceiling and automated bow and arrows to shoot anyone who tries to enter. Maybe the latter reason is the more significant one. It's also said that he had his brothers, sisters, and concubines that couldn't bear children buried with him in this underground complex within the pyramid. None of us shall truly know until they dig into it.
After the mausoleum, we headed to the Hot Springs to do a little exploration...and maybe for some jacuzzi time. I have no idea if they were actually pumping hot spring water into the pool, but the room we got was pretty spankin' hip. But doing hot springs on a hot day after we had sweated out copious amounts of water was less than a good idea. Maybe a poor idea. O welsh.
The only noteworthy thing for the evening was that we hit gold with dinner. I mean pure, 100% treasure. An all-you-can-eat buffet for 29 rmb (that amounts to a little over $4) complete with beer and tons of FOOD. The downside is that we found it when it was within half an hour of closing. I don't think we've ever run quicker in a restaurant...the busboys couldn't beat us. Walking and eating, balancing multiple plates and various limbs. And the joys of pineapple beer (which is basically pineapple soda). That was how we spent our last night in Xi'an.
The next day, with our departure imminent, we seeked comfort in the face of another train ride. Our solace came in shopping. We went to an antiques
market with various jade, pottery, posters, swords, etc. This was where I would get my jade. I could feel it. After searching through the vendors and entering and exiting various shops, the whole crew congregated in this one shop. The vibe was good. My friends were with me, the storeowner was pleasant, the selection was excellent. And then I saw it. A gem that caught my attention. A long gem with a gentle curve and the shape of some sort of fruit or gourd, it was a bamboo green with a dripping of red on one side, giving it a sense of balance. But it also had imperfections, with flecks of black. And in that flaw was perfection. For me. Thus, I found my next jade, the jade that will travel with me for a span of time until I feel the next one coming. I'm so pleased! I even took a picture with the shopowner hehe.
Later that day, we began our journey to Beijing, our final destination in our travels of the rest of China. This time we had "soft sleepers," which was the best of the best for our 12 hour ride. Still a bit cramped
Masoleum View
Another epic hike and stifling at times, but with good company it was pretty fun. Similar to our trip in China...
3 days until I'm back in the states! Can't wait to see you all 😊
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lindsey
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wow your vacation sounds soo awesome. i never know when you're online, so i don't get to talk to you D: but your stories are awesome. p.s. thanks for the postcard!!! it made me so happy to get it :D i can't wait to see you~