Meeting Catherine at 9.30 today, where she is going to perform some miracle and get me a train ticket. Hopefully I'll be able to get the hard sleeper this morning and not have to mess around on the train, hoping some guy I've never met comes to find me. We walk up to the train station, I'm getting used to this walk. When we get there she phones he uncle, but he doesn't answer. So we wait for a bit, she phones other people to try and find where he is. The train station is hiving as usual, it really is a hive of activity, it is the epicentre off all long distance travel with trains leaving regularly to all over the country. After a short while we track down the uncle, I get no introduction and Catherine proceeds to talk to him. I am more of a by stander as I hand over my passport and money when asked. All in all a very easy transaction, the uncle just walks to a window and gets the whole thing organised. I get a hard sleeper, middle bunk, perfect! What a relief! Imagine if I hadn't met her? I'd have missed the warriors, or had to endure a hard seat for 15 hours. It really is quite fortunate, I like it when things work out.
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On the way back to town we pass a few places selling bags, I take a wee look and see something that'll do the job. Catherine negotiates, 25, a price I'm prepared to pay. Job done. Some knock off Nike bag, but it is the right size so it'll do the job. Breakfast time. I want to try a traditional Chinese breakfast, so I ask Catherine to take me somewhere she would go if she was having breakfast. We head down this narrow street and Catherine asks me if I want a small or large bowl. Having seen how much you get in a large I opt for small. When I'm handed my bowl, the soup has spilled all over the side of the bowl, the server wasn't exactly delicate as he slipped it in. When I get to my seat Catherine has brought some bread. Not just any bread, ohhhh no. Ulster's finest, a nice wedge of soda. The best way I can describe my breakfast is that it was like a thick spicy stew, I had potatoes in there and everything. Got to dipping my soda in to my soup, now this was dense soda, a lot more dense than back home, but really good. It's funny how you travel round the world and find out that they eat for breakfast in the summer what you eat for dinner in the winter. I am stuffed after breakfast, a real good feed so we walk slowly back towards the bell tower. I'm also in need of a sim card for my phone, this email business is no good for trying to organise things with people. From what I gather you pay 50 but get to use 100s worth of credit. I don't really understand, but Catherine assures me that it's ok. So I get a sim card, Catherine puts it in her phone to check the credit is right and we are on our way. I've been asking Catherine to teach me Chinese chess for the past few days so we try and pick up a small set at one of the shops, but all we can find are large sets, which cost too much, perhaps the hostel will have one. Back to Hantang House where Yolanda is going to meet us.
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When we get in I take a look at the board game selection, as luck would have it there is Chinese chess. Yolanda comes in and we sit down and Catherine explains the rules to me. It's similar to international chess with each price having its own moves and a king to protect, though as prices we have a soldier, cannon, rook, knight, elephant, king and kings protectors. After my crash course in what the pieces do we're off, straight in to the game. It's a bit faster than international chess with most pieces being able to move the full length of the board. After about 10mins playing Catherine 'just remembers' a couple of rules she forgot to mention. Obviously these work in her favour at this point in the game. Never fear, after a couple of good recovery moves I'm back in the game and it's not long before I have her on the ropes. Shortly after, I deliver the killer blow which is met with head in hands and the uttering of 'ohhh no' You know how much I love to win a game, I'm pleased I managed it on my first try. Catherine makes excuses that it has been many years since she played, I remind her this was my first game. We play a rematch which ends up the same, yours truly on top. I decide she has had enough of a beating and so the three of us head upstairs for some foosball. The girls vs me. I don't need to tell you what happened.
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After discussing the chicken feet phenomenon the other day, I decide it is time to take the plunge. The girls go and buy some from across the road, I am assured that they are delicious, I have my doubts. Out comes the bag. These are different to the feet I have seen before, these look soft and are covered in a sauce. I ask them to show me how to eat the feet, because I'm really not too sure how to even go about it. I don't really get much of an explanation, the girls just pop them in their mouth and after a bit of chewing, pull out the bones and claws and put them in a napkin. I decide to take a more candid approach, holding the foot like you would a chicken wing, then trying to eat what I can. I'm not even sure what you can eat, it's all hard and grizzly. I nibble like an amateur for a while, the taste was pickled with some spice. Not entirely unpleasant. However, as I'm not a fan of meat on the bone, you can imagine how much I enjoyed meat on the feet! At least I gave it a go, now I know it's not for me, I think I managed half a foot, I ate what I could, though the girls were stripping theirs, it was impressive to watch them devour these feet with such ease. All seems like a lot of effort, for not a lot of meat. The girls tell me it's good for the skin, I laugh.
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They suggest that maybe tonight we head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, as it has a water fountain light show. Sounds good to me. It's bus 601 that we need and we can get it not to far from the hostel. The bus driver is crazy! If bus drivers back home were to drive like this there would be no end of people suing, but here everyone just knows the score. Slamming on the breaks, swerving and erratic acceleration are all part of the experience. It's about have an hour until we arrive and the pagoda comes in to view. The local government have spent a lot of time and money developing this area of Xi'an, and it shows, it is a tourist dream. Nice new buildings, walkways, sculptors and plenty of places to eat. They are even in the process of installing a monorail, so that the Chinese don't have to walk. It's early evening so we walk through the area and find somewhere to eat. This pagoda is all dedicated to Xuan Zang, a famous Chinese story. He was in search of an important book, he had 3 monsters to protect him and was on horseback. God sent 99 challenges at him, with all the monsters wanting to eat him because that would grant them eternal life. He succeeded and the book is stored in the pagoda. It was funny as the girls tried to translate this story in to English for me, but that's the gist. We head back down to get a good view for the show. The area is beautiful, about 10 teirs each with fountains, then lined up the side are trees all lit up in red, with the pagoda at the top. Apparently there is a show every night, if I lived here I'd be down here daily. The show starts and the position I have picked is perfect, for getting completely soaked by the fountains! After my drenching I relocate. The show is brilliant, fountains, lights and music, all the good stuff. I scupper around trying various spots to get good shots, I could really have done with a tripod. I'll had to do with off the hip. May well have been my best day in Xi'an. It is the largest fountain display in Asia, can't believe I nearly missed it.
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I say goodbye to the girls on the bus home. It's been really good having them show me about the city, and sorting me out with my train ticket. Super help! I'm off to bed, have to get up at 4am to get my train the Chengdu, a monster 15 hour train ride. It's 1am, I probably should have gone to bed earlier. Oops!