Ed and I left Beijing on the doorstep of Chinese New year. We boarded a train headed for Xi’An. Because of demand, we were only able to purchase a “hard seater” for the ensuing 12 hour ride. As I may have mentioned before, Chinese New Year is the one time of the year that every migrant worker in China boards planes, trains, and buses to make the pilgrimage home to see their family for a week, then go back to work for another 51 weeks. Well… we were smack dab in the middle of this mass exodus. Great experience… did it, don’t need to do it again and here’s why: First of all, the seating was 3 to a bench. Every two benches faced each other with a small table in the middle. The table didn’t do much except take up leg room, which was already limited since you’ve got another set of legs coming at you from the bench across already. What’s more is they oversold the train, so when ever you got up from your seat, someone sleeping in the middle of the aisle would snag it for as long as they could. They were good about moving once you got back, but still something you wouldn’t get back home, that’s for sure. It really wasn’t so bad for the first 5 hours or so. As we hit hour 8, I was ready to get off. Little did I know what was in store for us when we did…
We arrived in Xi’An at 7am. The train station was buzzing, and it took us a bit to figure out which direction to head. Ed pinted us in the right direction of
“Bob’s Guest House” and we started walking. What we found was a boarded up guest house corpse. Bob was no longer accepting guests. So we found a nearby place that was cheap enough.
We only planned to stay in Xi’An for about 24 hours , so we got going early.
Xi’an(西安) is the capital of Shaanxi Province, China and is one the country’s oldest cities. Throughout China’s long standing history, Xi’an has been the capital city for many of China’s most important dynasties. Nowadays, the city is home to China’s space program and many research facilities. For tourist concerns, Xi’an is where the Terracotta Army is located.
The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well about a an hour outside Xi’an proper. The site is in fact a mausoleum for the first Qin Emperor. The clay soldiers date back to 210 BC, and there are estimates that there were originally up to 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 120 cavalry horses. [Source: Wikipedia] I couldn’t help but feel that they were a strong inspiration for the animators of the Disney film Mulan.
Our visit to the standing army was a bit short lived as Ed was beginning to feel some effects of the day’s first meal. After arriving back in the city, Ed had to take the rest of the day off. We figured he must have gotten some dirty food, but it didn’t make sense that I was feeling fine…for now. I took some time to walk around the city until dark came. I made friends with a PLA soldier who was currently not in service. He was working in an appliance store where he engaged me to practice his English. Soon enough I was enclosed by a small crowd of employees all speaking English/Chinese and praising Obama! The soldier was an amazingly nice person who helped me buy an voltage converter at a nearby “mom and pop shop,” as well as get a cab back to where I needed to be!
As for the rest of the city I saw, I did not see much that you wouldn’t be able to find in other Chinese cities. The pollution was heavier there in Xi’an too. Overall, the city seemed a little too dirty (though it reminds you that China is still very much a developing country). I would not recommend more than 24 hours in
Xi’an. Get in, see the Terracotta warriors and get out. Oh, and eat Mickey D’s or KFC. Take a lesson from Ed… and soon to be, me!
JohnyG
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