Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Karen's Travels
Hi everyone
Good overnight journey from Beijing to Xian on a very comfortable train which exceeded all expectations. Xian is a comparatively small city compared with Beijing (6 million live here, 14 million in Beijing). It has a complete city wall, with a bell tower in the centre and four streets leading north, south, east and west. We are staying on South Street in a very comfortable hotel. I have my own room! Went to the terracotta warriors this afternoon. Shame we were all feeling a bit jaded and I struggled to listen to our guide's explanation of everything, but it was good to see the warriors and take some pics. To think they have survived over 2,000 years and are known as the eighth wonder of the world. Tonight we are eating out together - 'hotpot' which is dipping vegetables and kebab-type meat into a kind of sauce! Food in China so far is great - will put on lots of weight! Some people are cycling the city walls tomorrow, when we have a free day. I intend to explore Culture Street for souvenirs and visit the Muslim quarter and a large mosque there (after a lie-in, that is!). Roads very busy here as in Beijing, but there is a subway. Couple of general things: it is considered offensive for members of the opposite sex to make displays of affection in public but you often see friends of the same sex holding hands (mostly women). Chinese men have a disgusting habit of not blowing their nose, but emptying the contents onto the pavement. There was a lot of that, with accompanying noises, on the train this morning. Made me feel quite ill on an empty stomach! Poorer Chinese people will collect your empty water bottles as they can get small change for recycling them. I visited a Chinese supermarket today to get some lunch. I could not identify most of the things on offer but managed to buy a tasty roll with some kind of vegetable and sauce filling, and a strawberry yoghurt drink. Along with two small bottles of water, the cost was 5 yuan (100 yuan = 7 pounds) so the mathematically minded of you can work that out! Very cheap. Have discovered I was born in the year of the horse. It's the year of the dog this year, and next year - the luckiest year of them all - the year of the pig, when Chinese couples planning a family hope their child will be born. Right, time to get back to the hotel and freshen up for dinner. Leaving Xian tomorrow at 9pm for another overnight train journey to a place I can't remember. Will update you tomorrow before we leave. Bye for now and love to all. xx
- comments