Somehow managed to wake up at oh-my-god o'clock and get to Xi'an station, board my hard sleeper and sleep reasonably well. The first thing I saw when I woke up were big mountains and drizzle - western China. Spent most of the journey chatting a bizarre mix of Chinese, Kanji and vigourous gestures to the guy in the bed opposite.
Getting off the train into the cold evening was a shock to the system, but one I probably should have expected at 2500 metres up. The hostel is pretty cold too and I have no warm clothes. Time to go shopping...
Apart from the temperature Xining is fantastic. As a foreigner you really stand out and lots of people seem very excited when I give them a "Ni hao." I got lost getting here by taxi because #$%#ing hostelworld.com gave me the wrong address. I went into a net cafe with my enormous pack causing untold staring and giggles, loaded up the hostel's web page and asked the locals where it was. People crowded round the computer, phone calls were made and things were scribbled, a taxi was called and before I knew it I was in the right place. Very, very nice people here. Good markets too. Saw a guy skinning the severed head of a bull with his bare hands and a knife, blood everywhere and an enormous pile of bull skulls on the roadside.
Met a very nice Japanese girl Shouen and we went to a temple today. One of those wonderful built-into-the-side-of-a-mountain Chinese temples, where we saw loads of cool stuff, the best being a gnarled old woman wafting flames from burning paper in her hand over the body of a prostrate worshipper, burning his clothes with the ash! This place is fun!
Also got fantastic news about Tibet. All going well I'll be on my way to Lhasa on Thursday!! Fingers crossed...
