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Xi'an- The Terracotta Warriors
Thursday 12th November
We arrived in a slushy Xi'an at 7.30 on Thursday and were grateful to see an 'Alex' sign being held high by a smiley looking girl. We battled through the huge crowd to greet her. A short taxi later (paid by the hostel) we were at the Shuyuan hostel.
For 20 yuan a night (less than £2) we had a bed for the night in a 4 bed dorm, a free welcome coffee and a free beer token for every evening we are here. Now that's value for money!
We decided on a slow paced day. A chance to catch up on blogs (or start in my case!), wash our clothes (they were ready to walk themselves to the laundry) and shower (much needed!) We had travelled from Pingyoa with Luca and Barbara so in the evening we introduced them to the game of 'consequences' and were joined by newlyweds Richard and Sue.
We ended the night in the hostel bar and crept back to our dorm at 2am, thinking we were being incredibly quiet. It turned out we weren't, but our roommate Chris took it in good spirit!
Friday 13th November
On Wednesday we all met up for breakfast and set off to the visit the Terracotta Army. Seeing them in person surpassed any expectations I had from having seen them in pictures. I was completely blown away!
The experience was heightened by Christina, a local English speaking guide we met at the site. She was passionate about the warriors and Chinese history, and really knew her stuff! The Terracotta Army is considered the 8th wonder of the world and was discovered in 1974 by 3 farmers digging a well. The army was commissioned by Emperor Qin, the first Emperor that unified China (he also commissioned the Great Wall). The site covers 56 square km, though only 3 pits have so far been unearthed. Even so, 7000 soldiers, archers and horses have been discovered. It's amazing to see the capabilities of craftsmen over 2200 years ago. Over 700,000 people worked on it for over 36 years. And for their trouble many were buried alive to prevent the location of the tomb being discovered!!!
Our hostel had a dumpling night, so we tried our best to make dumplings. Sadly, they tasted as though we had made them! We walked to the Muslim quarter for dinner. The food here reminds me a little of Greek food- flat breads, grilled meats. It's also very spicy!
Saturday 14th November
We visited the Drum Tower today. We were waiting for a performance, but it never came! Still, it was nice to look at. We also visited the Great Mosque and saw the afternoon prayer.
A large group from the hostel went out for dinner. The restaurant had been recommended by our tour guide from yesterday. We had a comical matron-like waitress, who enjoyed answering 'no' to all questions. We ascertained that they had run out of all spring rolls, noodles and rice! Still, what we had was nice and we managed to crack her by the end- she smiled! For that reason alone, a successful evening! But also the company was very nice J
Sunday 15th November
We had an evening train booked today. It was trying to snow outside, although it only managed a constant steady stream of slushy hail. We opted for an indoor day.
Sue had noticed a restaurant around the corner where the previous day there had been a queue of locals- always a good sign! So a group of 8 of us headed there. The restaurant was spread over 4 floors and was a collection of tiny rooms, housing 2 or 3 tables. The paint was peeling, the floor was dirty and all in all first impressions were less than great. That was however until we began to peer at peoples food. It looked fantastic.
They rearranged furniture in one room in order to find a table big enough for us all. The menu had so many tempting dishes that we decided to order lots and enjoy a Chinese banquet! We were not disappointed! The food was delicious, by far the best I have had so far. We left feeling full and happy.
The group dispersed: Nathan for a flight to Guilin, Sue and Rich for an earlier trail to Chengdu than ours, Sarah, John and Marion back to the hostel for an extra night or two. Al and Lynz fancied a shop- a pastime I have absolutely no interest in over here (honestly!!!) I had coffee with a couple of medics who had been on placement in Malaysia and picked their brains for ideas instead.
Our train was departing at 20.07. It was delayed 3 hours so we watched life go by in a huge crowded waiting room. Over here parents often want their children to come and have a look at us, as though we were an interesting zoo exhibition. On this occasion it was particularly amusing as a little boy, roughly 2, gazed up at al towering above him and burst into tears. The terror only subsiding as his dad distracted him by letting him play on his mobile! Poor Al!
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