Train to Xi'an

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We had foolishly thought that, with the subway system being so high-tech and organised, the trains would be too. We were wrong; it was utter chaos. Hundreds and hundreds and, yes, hundreds of people crammed into a train station, and not only do you have to find your platform (with none of the destinations in English), you also have to find the number of your waiting hall, and the number of your gate, before finding your platform! But we did manage to get onto the train, and luckily we got a compartment to ourselves (possibly because nobody wanted to share with the foreigners). The compartments were very nice, with little TVs for each bed, but the toilets were beyond disgusting (I won't go into detail). And when we did arrive into Xi'an, we weren't overly impressed. It's a city of cranes and work sites, covered in a very heavy layer of smog. As soon as we saw it, we just wanted to run back to Beijing! But, thankfully, the hostel here is really nice, with a cheap restaurant and rooms that look more like hotel rooms. And sites like the terracotta warriors are all outside of the city, so hopefully we'll actually be able to see them through the dense coating of smog! And inside the city walls (where the hostel is) it's quite nice (I wouldn't say the same for outside the city walls...) so hopefully Xi'an will grow on us. Even if it doesn't, we're not here for that long!

Hello to everyone at home, by the way!

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Comments

[Dad]

Train
Did you get the train drivers autograph for Phil?