No I haven`t forget about the blog but my last few weeks in China have being jam packed. After Chengdu , I arrived in the city of Xi`an . After a few weeks in China I am turning into a bit of a tea junkie, wherever you go there is always someone holding out a free tea sampler, its usually one of the first things you get when you arrive at a guesthouse or restaurant. Everyone walks around with a little flask of tea all of the time even in the citys.
Xi`an is of course where the famous Terracotta warriors are. I was hoping for this to be one of the highlights of the trip , and even after reading all of the mixed reviews and hearing about people coming away disappointed , I was more than impressed. They are truly amazing and the pit areas where they are displayed are not overly tarted up like most other attractions in China. Even the main pit only has about a 1/3 of the warriors fully reconstructed.
Jacques Chirac suposedly suggested that the Terracotta Army be named as the 8th Wonder of the World. Well I was also suprised to witness the 9th Wonder of the World also in Xi`an. Early reports suggest that evidence of this Chinese Natural Wonder is being contained to the region alone. There are a few rare sightings of this wonder throughout China but not on such a scale as seen in Xi`an. This occurance started at train stations and has now spread to bus stops, merchant stalls and even in Mc Donalds. It has not being confirmed if it is conatgious.
If you haven`t realised what this natural phenomenon is yet, it is the simple fact that for reasons unbeknown local people in Xi`an actually seem to queue for everything. As many travellers will attest queuing is an entirely unfamiliar concept in China. Typical just when I was getting used to the whole lassiez faire attitude and waltzing right up to the ticket office to join the melee and choas to buy a ticket on a sought after train.
