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Published: April 11th 2015
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Baibai, Beijing!
Leaving the hotel. My train ride to Xi'an was rather uneventful, other than my sitting in the wrong cable car. Darn Chinese train tickets.
The Beijing West Railway Station was nice and clean, but very big. There were many, many people. I watched children run around, and I went looking for little doo-dads. There was nothing interesting enough to consider purchasing, except for Lychee-flavored water (yes, as good as it sounds).
The train was normal, seats were like older airplane seats. There were many little farm villages on the way to Xi'an. For the first time in China, I saw arable land being used specifically to grow crops for nearby villages. The majority of the crops were rice and mustard flowers.
The train ride was about 4 1/2 hours, and then my cab ride was around 40 minutes. He was absolutely insane. He was on a mission to get me to my hotel in about half the time. I'm amazed that I'm alive, but I made it!
Hotel #2 is Garden Hotel Xi'an, which is amazing (as I knew it would be). The location is excellent, the lobby was still decorated with Chinese New Year items, and the staff was very
helpful. There was no issue checking in like there was at my first hotel in Beijing. You could stay within a mile radius of the hotel and still have a relaxing vacation, but I'm into seeing the sights. They had eastern and western restaurants, a sauna/spa, and a cozy Japanese bar "Sakura Bar," which was the hot spot at night. The pond with pagoda, geese and peacocks was an awesome feature until a peacock that sounded like the bird from "Up" decided to wake me up after having a terrible night. I had dinner in the hotel's eastern restaurant by myself. Sichuan chicken noodles and a sort of shrimp pancake with hot tea. Soon after my meal came, a cute elderly British couple sat down at a nearby table and began sipping on jasmine tea. They reminded me of my grandparents. I could just hear my grandma telling me I was brave and smart to go on an adventure by myself before "tying myself down to a man and kids."
After dinner, I went to one of the hotel's little gift shops. Nothing too special, just some trinkets and jewelry. Still on the hunt for the good stuff. I
did buy a jade ring and a few good luck charms. Then I went and sat near the pagoda and enjoyed the cool breeze. I am so lucky to be in China.
The new bed was just as hard as the last bed. Dangit, China. But the view from my room was excellent, and the hotel was quiet. Their pillows and duvets are top notch, though. How odd. It's like putting lipstick on a pig, in my opinion.
Anyway, I'm winging it, so I called a tour guide just after 11 PM for a pick up tomorrow at 7:30 AM. I got sick around 2 AM and decided to blog before trying to get a bit more sleep. I'm too excited, so I can't promise I'll sleep. I did, however, decide to order a big, American breakfast tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, my lovely dinner vacated my stomach, so it's completely empty. I'll need a large breakfast for tomorrow, so I filled out the door hanger thingy and room service will come at 6:30 AM. I'll let you know how their coffee is, since it will be my first cup of coffee since being in China (hallelujaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!).
Take care, everyone. The adventure lives on.
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