DreamOn

Xi'an, Shaanxi

CHINA | Thursday, 3 May 2007 | Views [847] | Comments [4]

I arrived in Xi'an at 7 am after a very long train journey from Yichang, we're talking 16 hours. It's been a while since I've travelled this kind of distance.

Xi'an was nice, again it was baking hot, I think now we're in May this is going to become a recurring theme! I stayed at the Bell Tower hostel as recommended by so many (Paul, Gelan & Sean - thank you)

Spent three hours looking around the Terracotta Army. It was a bit like when I saw the pyramids in Egypt. I know they are amazing, yes they do look beautiful but seeing them with my own eyes didn't match my expectations which were sky high considering all the hype and pictures I've seen of them. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were a disappointment and I know my expectations were unrealistic but I was left thinking I should have felt more when I saw them.

When I was in Emei Shan, Gelan and Sean mentioned a Han Dynasty tomb near the airport that was as spectacular as the Terracotta Army, so recently discovered that very few Chinese people knew about it. I know I'm gullible but I'm certain they weren't winding me up so I asked absolutely loads of people staying and working at the hostel, the guides at the Terracotta Army as I desperately wanted to visit it but not one single person knew anything about it so I left Xi'an disappointed :-(

I also cycled along the entire length of the city wall and went and saw the water fountain show at a pagoda. i didn't think it was all that guys, did I miss something? I'll be honest though one pagodas or one temple is starting to look pretty much like another pagoda or temple - perhaps I've been on holiday too long, yeah right!

People were crammed everywhere in the city. Currently we're in the May holidays where it seems everyone from the countryside comes into the city to see the attractions and relax. Train and bus tickets are getting near impossible to get hold of for the next day whereas before it was breeze. I'm having to plan way ahead again now.

Food indiscretions so far:

OK so I've been in China for over a month and I pride myself on trying the local cuisine and not acting like a typical young British tourist. However even I'm not infallible and have decided to come clean on western food I've sneaked into my diet and offer some pretty valid excuses.

Starbucks Coffee - this was way back in Hong Kong. I agreed to meet a friend for breakfast and this was her choice.

McDonald's chocolate ice-cream - we don't have McDonald's chocolate ice cream in the UK, in the interests of market research I just had to try it. It was nice but not as nice as the vanilla flavour. Interesting in Guilin I saw a standalone McDonalds ice cream kiosk, we never get those back home. I stopped short of taking a picture as I thought it too sad. Typically though McDonald's is located on the first floor and on the ground floor they have an ice cream kiosk located beside the staircase.

Fried chicken and chips - for no other reason than I simply fancied them. Rather than go to KFC I decided to try a Chinese fast food chain called Disco's. The chips were great but the chicken tasted like chicken tikka. It wasn't the colour of chicken tikka and it had a batter around it like the KFC variety but it was definitely chicken tikka - wish I'd gone to KFC! Interestingly it was expensive compared to local cuisine 19Y as opposed to restaurant food that I've been picking up for around about 15Y. I'll have to pop into KFC sometime to see if the pricing holds true for it too.

And that's it, I don't think that's too bad, do you?

OK family and friends,

I've now spent near on ten hours in an Internet Cafe updating you on my travels. Mum, don't fret I went to a restaurant for dinner. I hope you've enjoyed reading them and Danny, did you read them all at once? You know you should be revising, come on, get back to it.

Whilst I hope there won't be a lull in the postings I can't promise it and will upload pictures another day. I'm thoroughly enjoying keeping this blog and it's fantastic for those days when I have no onward travel to organise but just can't be bothered to go sightseeing and just want to relax, days like today for instance.

Thanks for all your words of encouragement in the emails and postings on this blog. Though I think it is a conspiracy to ensure I didn't give up on the blog. Mum, dad and chachi I hope you're reassured that I am alive and well.

One of my friends even had the silly idea that I'd thoroughly researched and planned this trip before I set off, I won't mention any names, Amar :-) Whilst I did some research I didn't do loads - I read a few China travel blogs and Vin's present of long ago - a gem of a book called something like '1000 Places to See Before You Die' which gave me a skeleton plan. I only started reading my guide book when I got to Hong Kong as the in-flight movies were far more interesting! I knew I was here for two months so that has given me loads of flexibility and ability to act on recommendations from other travellers. Other than that I'm making it up as I go along. Though now, I think you will start recognising place names as I am on the typical tourist trail.

As any long term travellers will know you quickly start losing track of the days never mind the dates. As I see it I've had a few Sundays, a couple of Mondays and rest have been all Saturdays. About three weeks into my holiday when I was following whims left, right and centre I set an alarm in my phone for a week before my departure date saying 'get your arse to Beijing' It still remains in my phone to this day but as I'm nearing the end of my holiday I'm starting to remember days, mores the pity.

Love you all loads and looking forward to coming home in May. Though I'm happy it's near the end of May, if you know what I mean.

Kiran

Apologies to those that hate group mailings ;-)

Tags: Philosophy of travel

Comments

1

just been cruising through your journal - like the bit about the yellow river&terrocoata army.Are you just feeling a tad bit bored (what with all that food if you can call it that).I am in Yarm at the moment and your mother sends her message"kidda poth,hon bas karh ghar no ah ja, thanu booth miss garthe hey".
anyway see you in london soon ,have a glass of sake on me...i promise to pay you the 50pence on return to the uk....+ dont forget to buy a bottle of the stuff for jassi&me.
pps....i would be intresting to read about the worlds fastest growing economy&green house effects due to pollution.
see you soon....si-in-are-eh(cant spell to save my life).
nav & jassi(who proofed this document so it does not contain anything offensive)

nav toor May 7, 2007 7:59 PM

2

Hi kiran

Rob and i just had an offer accepted on a 3-bed house. Fingers crosssed it all goes smoothly. The weekend was good saw petula and others in Richmond on saturday, petula is realising married life isn't always exciting!! Spent a day and a half with the in-laws that was nice. Glad you are well, will be seeing you soon. Weather is miserable here, so glad you are getting some sun, Love Vin

Vinita Chambore May 9, 2007 2:27 AM

3

Hi Kiran,
Thought it's about time I left you a message! Glad you're having a great time - you're really getting about and seeing things! It's been mad hot here all week with temperatures in the 30s, I've been really grateful for the air coditioning in the bank. Look after yourself, and I look forward to having a good chat with you when you get back. Love Nova xxx

Nova May 13, 2007 10:07 PM

4

Hi Nav,

The food has been boring at times, though I'm still loving the novelty of being able to eat using chopsticks. Can't wait to visit Liz and impress her folks ;-) In restaurants, more than anywhere else I wish I spoke/read Mandarin the food and variety of food available for me to try would be much, much better.

You're more than welcome to pay me 50p on my return. Though if someone tried to charge me that for a glass of sake they would surely be taking the piss - pun intended ;-)

China is rich, the cities have countless shops and restaurants and would not be out of place in the West. Consumerism is well and truely established.

What Pollution!? I was living in Boro before I went - joke, Boro! I think the air quality must be really good in Quebec, Canada - amongst the travellers I met they mentioned the bad air quality most often.

The only places I was affected by pollution were:
Xi'an - I had runny eyes and nose whenever I was out walking. On buses both symptons disappeared which leads me to think it was an external factor. However it was here that I was ill so perhaps my immune system was more susceptible than in other places.
Shanghai - had a white bath towel that got changed everytime I showered as the dirt was blantantly obvious, though I didn't feel the city was dirty when I was walking around.
Pingyao - loads of dirt in the air, I could feel it in my hair and see it on my clothes.

Global warming or industry?:
Datong - the river has dried up, according to our tour guide it's been dry for 10 years as a result of global warming. Internet search suggests the water has been diverted underground for the purposes of irrigation.
Chengdu - the river has been dammed whilst a bridge is constructed though I doubt it's little more than a stream when it's flowing as the river bed was shallow and the water behind the dam didn't look deep.

Kiran

kirank May 31, 2007 5:48 AM