Xi'an Swallows Time

Journey update: .. Datong > Hohhot > Huitengxile > Hohhot > Taiyuan > Zhengzhou > Xi'an >

So we are in Xi'an. Large, open city with plenty of pollution and people not interested in tourists (to the point of being rude!)
We have been here 2 weeks! Why!!!!
Well first we mainly needed rest, which we've now had an abundance of, and secondly we've been waiting for train tickets. Train tickets are truly hard to come by (demand from an overpopulated country with an infrastructure unable to cope with the numbers) and harder to actually buy!

We first go to the train station and wait at the 5 day advance ticket booth (the longest you can book in advance) to ask for tickets to Zhengye (to begin the Silk Road) and are told all sold out for the next 5 days! Shit! So we leave and decide to come back the next day at opening, 7:00am, to get in first. My birthday pooed on that idea as I wasn't going to get up at 6:00am. The following day, 29th August, we tried again. All sold out for the next 5 days! So we are armed with plan 'B'. From Xi'an to Lanzhou (The Most Polluted City In The World) where we can then buy a bus ticket to Zengye overnight. What a palaver!

The damn station that ruins everything


We saw the Terracotta Warriors. Not the most stunning of things, the pictures and blurb I've seen about this before I arrived raised my expectations very high! Still I was impressed by the shear size and detail that's gone into the project. 700,000 forced laborers were sacrificed to construct his tomb which was begun as soon as he ascended the throne. All workers and childless concubines were interred with him to safeguard its secrets.

How did they make these cool things?

It was by constructing each of the hollow statues upon solid legs that the Ancient Chinese craftsmen solved the perplexing problem of how to make a statue free-standing. Hollow heads, arms and legs, made of coiled earth, were joined together with strips of clay and set upon the solid legs. After this rough model was assembled, a fine clay slip was added, and details such as eyes, mouth, nose and details of dress were carved into the clay while it was still pliable. Additional pieces such as ears, beard and armour were modeled separately and attached, after which the whole figure was fired at a high temperature.

The warriors in formation


The 26th was my wonderful girlfriend's birthday. She is now 26 years old and doesn't look a day older. We spent her birthday lounging and buying her gifts.....

My bird



Our YH has a fantastic view. (If Frenchy is reading this: Fantastic View!)
We get to stay in the expensive rooms for cheaper because they touted us from the train station. We've spent a disproportionate amount of time sitting there reading and talking. One night some of us blokes got drinking and after the hostel bar was closed we decided, rather loudly, to go clubbing. It was a lot of fun, but disturbing to see some of the others turn into horrendously arrogant foreigners in the street. I was the only one who could speak Chinese so the group were forever saying "Martin, go talk!" Well I bargained for stuff and ask about for a cool nightclub where we could rock our bodies.

Anyway we got to a club, the 1+1, and waited outside while we drained our bottles of beer. On waiting a couple of Chinese 'whoopsies' came out and started chatting us up! One of the Dutch didn't take too kindly to this and kept saying in a drunken slur "You like the woomen". Then they caught sight of two in our group, Dutch man and Russian man, both over six feet with long blonde hair, well he was bored with us and skipped off excited as a could be!
We spent the night dancing badly to Chinese club music and avoiding the odd weirdo that stood motionless in front of us staring.
Great night, but not good after morning feeling.



The Bell Tower. View from the YH


On my birthday, bloody 27 already, we decided to leave the YH and cycle around the city wall. A beautiful ride, better on a bicycle as it is a 3 hour walk of similar looking things, with great views from above.

The city wall. (With thanks from stevecadman's Flickr account)



Now the exciting news! We have been sent a little birthday gift from home we have decided to spend one night of luxury in a five star hotel.

Thanks Mum, Dad, Val and Jerry.

We are very excited and can't wait for the night, the 1st of September. We walked past the Hyatt Regency Xian Hotel recently and couldn't resist a look. Well we were totally under the spell, feeling rather inadequate too, but persevered for a reservation. It will be over 16 times the price our average night costs! Plus we get breakfast and cocktails with snacks in the evening. We're going to find the pool and all the other free services and indulge. After the Hyatt fun we are leaving Xi'an at 10:30pm on the train. We're actually embarrassed to ask where to catch the bus to go to the train station!

The Hyatt Regency Xian from outside


Click here for the website:
Hyatt Regency Xian Hotel Website

Now we are going to save some money making ham sandwiches and drinking a bag of yoghurt!

MC