Had an overnight train journey from Beijing to Xi'an which was 10 hours long but luckily was asleep most of the way. After arriving at our hotel we went to the local huiling who look after people with special needs and teach them skills so that they can get by in the outside world. We had lunch there and the people did some dance and musical performances. We then went to the south gate and cycled round the ancient city walls (14 km). We then headed to the Muslim Quarter and wandered round the market stalls and tried some street food. It was a great atmosphere and I really enjoyed it. In the evening we went to the Big Goose Pagoda for a light and fountain show which goes on every evening. I can imagine it is a lot of fun in the summer when it is hotter.
Friday 23rd we went to see the Terracotta Army which was cool. Glad we got to see it but there was limited information available. The guide we had there told us some basics but I'd already done some reading up so I knew most of it already. We chilled out in the afternoon and just enjoyed the atmosphere.
Saturday 24th was spent travelling, we had to get to the train station for midday to get a train from Xi'an to Chengdu (17 hours). We got excited initially because we were on a soft sleeper, more space and comfort. That was until we realised the air conditioning was throwing a lot of black dust. It was probably because it was the first time it had been used after the winter but it definitely made the journey quite unpleasant. Our clothes got really dirty and it was irritating our throats and it was just not fun!
