Can I Move to Xi'an?

Saturday, June 26

This has been my favorite day of the trip so far. I think I may move to Xi'an if tomorrow is anything like this. I am not kidding - this place is amazing. People who come to China without visiting Xi'an need to have their heads examined.

We started our day at 8:30. My stomach was upset this morning, and I was worried about it affecting the other parts of my day, so I had a very light breakfast and a couple Pepto Bismol tablets. It was tasty and refreshing! Our first stop was the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It was originally built during the Tang Dynasty, around 652 AD. It was very peaceful, and there was a light rain falling, which just added to the atmosphere. It was nice to be able to walk around and check out the many structures inside the temple. It was a thousand times more peaceful than the Jade Buddha Temple that we visited in Shanghai.

As much fun as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was, I couldn't wait to get on the road to our final destination of the day - the Terra Cotta Army. But, there were many side trips along the way. First we had to visit another factory. This one made reproductions of the terra cotta soldiers. Honestly, these factory visits are getting out of hand. I refuse to believe that a factory consists of four ladies working by themselves. Where's the sweat shop? It's really just a lead in for the multitude of shopping experiences at the end of the "factory tour." Many of us ended up on the bus early in a bit of silent protest! Mom, I was one of them! Can you believe I got out of there without buying anything?!?! Amazing!!

Lunch was next. This was interesting, to say the least. Right outside the restaurant was a replica of the Great Pyramid in Egypt with the Sphinx right beside it. The draw of this lunch was that we were going to have a noodle making performance. Pretty cool! WRONG. That lasted approximately 30 seconds, after which they gave a sales pitch for the noodles - 3 yuan a bowl. Seriously? Anyway, I didn't get any noodles because there was more than enough food on the table. After that we visited a Chinese family's home. This was definitely not a tourist stop. This family has a house and then behind it, rooms carved into a hillside. These are called cave homes. They stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The family was extremely nice. Many of us bought some crafts that they had for sale. I bought a handmade wall hanging that is done in the shape of Chinese zodiac symbols. It was very cheap, and I didn't haggle over the price. It just seemed to be the right thing to do for invading someone's home. This very beautiful piece cost me the equivalent of $3. It's one of my favorite things bought on the trip.

Last official stop of the day finally came, the Terra Cotta Soldiers and Horses Museum. This is another World Heritage Site, and it is easily seen why. This place was amazing! This is the terra cotta army ordered built by China's first emperor Qin Shihuang to protect and serve him in the afterlife. It was very busy in there, but just amazing to see. I bought a book signed by one of the farmers who had discovered the site back in 1974. Books are cheap in China as they are subsidized by the government in order to make reading accessible to more people. I love it here!!!! We were given plenty of free time to move through the museum at our own pace. This was definitely a highlight of the trip.

After our ride back to the city, we had the choice of going back to the hotel or going to the Muslim Quarter for shopping and dinner. I chose to go into the city. After a free day of not doing much in Shanghai, I wasn't going to let any more opportunities pass me by. Cindy and I struck out on our own, meandering through the stalls of the Muslim Quarter. I did a lot of my souvenir shopping tonight! The prices were fantastic, the bargaining was fun, and it was just a good time! We tried our best to find an authentic Chinese restaurant to eat it, but they were all packed since it was a Saturday night. We settled on a less busy Chinese restaurant, McDonald's. The food looked different - my Big Mac was a different color, seriously - but it tasted SOOO good!! Great choice!

Upon returning to the hotel, we decided that our feet had been mistreated far too long, so it was time to search out a foot massage. Our hotel didn't offer them, so we decided to hit the front desk and ask where the closest place was. We ran into David on the elevator and convinced him to go with us. It was across the street, and cost us 100 yuan for 70 minutes. Let me tell you - that was the best $15 dollars ever spent. It was pure bliss. I may have to go again tomorrow! Needless to say, a very relaxed Micky fell peacefully into bed that night. Best day yet!

Location: Titan Times Hotel, Xi'an
Tooth Update: Tooth is wondering if tooth massages are available in China...
Weather Update: Glorious. Slight falling rain periodically. Lower temperatures than normal and great breezes. Heavenly, in a word.



Friday, June 25

Today started EARLY! I got up at 4:00 to get ready to leave to catch a flight to Xi'an, one of China's ancient capitals and the site of the famous Terra Cotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. We had a boxed breakfast on the bus because we left the hotel too early to eat breakfast there. It was an interesting breakfast! I had a ham and cheese sandwich, a croissant, and a banana. I didn't drink the warm soymilk or eat the boiled egg. Best of all, it came in a reusable shopping bag! Woo hoo!

It took a while to get us all checked in, but I did have time to check my internet for free in the airport (best part about Chinese airports). I can't say that I am upset to be leaving Shanghai. It was busy and hectic, and for a person like me who gets anxious around crowds, a bit of a nightmare. I was definitely looking forward to arriving in Xi'an.

When we landed in Xi'an we were met with a different kind of weather - hot and dry, rather than the hot and humid that we had been experiencing. We met our city guide Rose who told us that the temperature yesterday had been around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Today they were expecting rain, so the temperature was much lower.

We were able to check into our hotel early because we had to change into our professional attire for our school visit in the afternoon. First though was lunch - another big banquet affair. I am telling you, a mountain of food is placed on our table at every meal, and we never eat it all. It's pretty wasteful, and I feel badly about it, but there is nothing that I can do to remedy the situation except eat more, and I am definitely not doing that. We did have some really good pickled melon today that was out of this world!

Our school visit was at the Bodi International School, a private boarding school in Xi'an. We were first given an introduction to the school, and then divided into two groups. I luckily got in the group that visited the art and music classes. The first class was a class of girls who were learning to play the chang, a stringed instrument. The second class was my favorite! It was a group of boys who were learning to play the erhu. This is a traditional two-stringed instrument played with a bow. It has a very pretty melodic sound, and it was fun to see the boys learning it. Our next class was a painting class. The teacher came back and taught us how to paint a fish. Mine were disastrous, but it was still fun! Probably the most interesting thing about the school visit was talking to students who told us that students had volunteered to go to classes that we were observing, and that they were just wearing their uniforms for our visit. Hmm! It was kind of funny!

After the school visit, we paid a visit to the Ancient City Wall. Xi'an's city wall dates to the Ming Dynasty, roughly around 1300 AD. It is supposedly the most complete city wall to be found in China, and I believe it! It fully surrounds the central "Old City" of Xi'an. We climbed to the top of the wall and were able to walk around a bit. This place was huge!!! It's roughly 8.5 miles to do a complete loop on top. Needless to say, I didn't do one! Besides, we only had about 20 minutes!

Next stop was a street market, where I felt completely in the way. This definitely wasn't a tourist stop - it's where the Chinese shop. We got a lot of interesting stares! Luckily we weren't there long, and we headed to the evening's highlight - a dinner show. These can be EXTREMELY cheesy, but this was actually great! Xi'an is known for its dumplings - jiaozi in Mandarin Chinese - and they were amazing!! Dad, you would have loved these! These are Chinese gyoza! We had around 20 different types, and they were amazing. Best meal in China so far. There simply aren't enough words to describe how amazing this was. The meal was followed by a Tang Dynasty singing and dancing show, which was surprisingly really good! But, by this point, many of us were dragging - we had been up way too long and it was nearing 9:30. We're such party animals, I know. It was so nice to get back onto the bus and come back to the extra plush surroundings of our hotel - and I do mean plush. We have a sitting room that features a purple velour couch. If that isn't plush, I don't know what is! Sleep came VERY easy tonight!

Location: Titan Times Hotel, Xi'an
Tooth Update: Just hurts when flying.
Weather Update: Dry and hot. We brought some rain with us, which hasn't been a problem. Just sprinkles!