Returning to the 40 degree heat of Houjie has sent my brain into a coma so I feel it would be best writing about my trip to Xi'an mainly in photo form....
Step 1 - 30 hour train journey surrounded by Chinese people staring at us like we have two heads. Character building journey to say the least.
Visit to the Terracotta Warriors, goes without saying one of the best things I've seen in my life. Every single face of the warriors is different, and even though I'm not too fussed about history the story behind it is pretty interesting.
Next stop was the muslim quarter, home to the muslim community of Xi'an, amazing markets with great food and shopping. They had so much cheap stuff so me and Iris did our very best haggling to get some good souvenirs and some other tack (of course). I've definitely improved since Beijing, grabbed a (quote) 'Chanel' scarf, Dr Dre 'Beats' headphones, a 'silk' dressing gown and a 'Mulberry' purse for around £20!
Right near our hostel was the Bell tower in the center of Xi'an. I'm a firm believer in that once you've seen one temple you've seen them all, but this one was really pretty, especially when it was all lit up at night.
The next day we took a trip to the 'Ancient Street', kind of like the Muslim quarter with loads of outdoor market stalls but a lot less touristy. Lots of stalls with people selling their calligraphy and paintings, not so many 'genuine fake' Prada bags etc.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a little bit further out of the city but worth the journey.
Finally we took a bike ride round the wall that encloses Central Xian, 9 miles in an hour and a half. I don't think I stopped laughing the whole way round as me and Iris tried to remember how to ride bikes.
Overall impressions of Xi'an is that it is a really great city, obviously lots of tourists flock there to see the Terracotta Warriors but the city itself hasn't really 'sold out' to that, it still felt quite genuine to me. And we didn't get too ripped off either which is always nice! I parted ways with Iris when we arrived back in Guangzhou to return to Houjie to begin the long task of packing up my room.... it's amazing how much junk I can acquire in only 5 months....
Next stop Shanghai!
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