Historic China! From Beijing to Xi`an

November 12th

We both had early landings into Beijing International Airport. And were full of anticipation!  China was set to be a totally different experience, with a huge cultural gulf between what we were used to (even though we’d been travelling for months).  The first challenge was to change terminals at the airport.  At least some (But by no means all) signs were in English. This was lucky because Chinese bears no resemblance whatsoever to any alphabet I’ve ever come across J  Anyway, I decided to follow some fellow tourists through the airport and found the terminal transfer bus.  After a few minutes I found myself in Aoife’s terminal, waiting in our agreed rendezvous spot- Starbucks 😉 It’s amazing how befuddled a lack of sleep makes you so we ended up having to get a taxi to our hostel….we couldn’t tackle the buses in our dozy states!  After a brief encounter with a chancer taxi driver (who wanted 500RMB to take us into town) we found a cab and showed our hostel name in Chinese and settled in for the 45 minute ride.  Taxis, it turns out, are a cheap way to get around in China. They’re metered and  state regulated. The whole ride only set us back 80RMB (about £9).  We were dropped at the end of our street and we started the 400m walk up to our hostel only to find… construction works blocking our way!  The whole street was upturned, with bricks and dust and shovels everywhere! We were sent one way, then the other and couldn’t find our hostel- no one seemed able to help. Every question was met with a shake of the head or “no”.  (We only realised later that in China, people tend to do this when they don’t understand what you’re saying- not because they don’t know).  In the end, one of the old construction lads took pity on us, opened up the hoarding and brought us to the hostel (which was fully inside the construction site!).  It felt like we had arrived in an oasis and we put our heads down for a badly needed sleep J

We woke at about midday and set about exploring the local hutongs (small, winding Beijjing backstreets).  What a difference sleep makes- we were now excited by the change of culture and eager to get on and see what Beijing had to offer J.  First stop was breakfast- Chinese food…..or food as they call it here:))))- We stepped into a little café for some prawn wonton soup.  Delicious!  Such a welcome change after the heavy stans food we’d been eating for the last while.

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Refreshed from the feed and from our sleep,  it was time for some culture!  We were staying in the Dongcheng North district so decided to see the sights on our doorstep first.  First stop was the Llama Temple.  The change in architecture was pretty striking.  We had left behind the middle eastern minarets and madrassas; in front of us were oriental temples and pagodas.  The construction of the temple was quite amazing.  All the structure was made from bamboo, some of which was well over a foot in diameter.  After drinking our fill of the architecture we started to explore the temple.  We noticed that everyone was burning incense and then praying to the giant Buddahs. We had to get involved! So we found incense sticks and got kneeling 🙂

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After we’d had enough of sightseeing we decided to head down into town to try and find the famous Wangfujing night market.  After a bit of a search (Wangfujing street is actually a huge shopping street, more reminiscent of New York) we entered through a lantern lit arch and marvelled at the madness on offer…Street food and shouting venders everywhere! Spring rolls, whole deep fried squid, meat kebabs… and BUGS!  OMG there were loads of different varieties of cockroaches and scorpions for sale.  What to do?  We couldn’t rightly leave without trying the bugs could we?!  Once you get over the fact you’re eating bugs they are surprisingy… tasteless.  Perhaps not worth it?  Whatever, we washed the bugs down with some beers and a whole squid which was delicious J  After a walkthrough this enchanting bustling market we had a go at haggling for some trinkets (We only bought two hats) and then decided to head home.  It’d been a long day afterall!  By the way, in case anyone is thinking of visiting China, the real price the vendors here are looking for is between 10% and 30% of their first price 😉 We learnt this after paying over the mark for a hat!

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By the time we walked home, we were hungry again (not enough meat on those bugs!) so we decided to check out one of the restaurants local to our hostel.  The food was a revelation! Infact, the food all through China was really really delicious! Before the trip I was seriously wondering how I would manage a whole month on Chinese food but actually it is very light, vegetable heavy and full of tasty spices. Nothing like the stodgy, gloopy Chinese you get at home.  Unfortunately whilst beer is quite cheap, wine is extremely expensive in China.  This perturbed Aoife a bit 😉 After looking through the menu for a minute, however, we noticed that Chinese rice wine was only 8 Yuan.  Sorted! We ordered one teapot of this before dinner and another after with some beers in between (the wine is served hot and is more like a dark spirit than wine).  When our bill arrived we noticed we had been charged 80 Yuan for the wine- thinking there had been some mistake we queried only to be told that each teapot contains 5 measures!  We had managed to spend more on drink than on our entire meal.  Oops J  Never mind- it was fun anyway!!  Fully satisfied we hit our beds ready for a more sleep.

 

November 13th

We awoke full of energy and well rested. We made our way to the Forbidden City! This is a huge palace at the heart of Beijing which the Chinese Emperors used to rule the empire.  The reason for its name is that during the time of the emperors it was forbidden to enter (the penalty for trespassers was death).  Another quick outing for my Student Card (thanks Cambridge!) and we were in. China is great for student discounts 😉 Despite having seen a myriad of palaces over the last three months we were genuinely impressed by this one.  The scale of the place was incredible to behold and coupled with the Chinese architecture, it left us in awe.  The clock room is a particular highlight showcasing a remarkable collection of pieces which were given as gifts to the Emperors.  I won’t waffle on about them; have a look at the pictures J

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After the palace, we headed town to Tiananmen Square, opposite Forbidden City.  The scale of this place is huge!  And the change in architecture very striking.  In a way, the walk out of the classical architecture of the Forbidden City, across a 10 lane highway and onto Stalinist Tiananmen Square neatly summed up the amazing mix of culture and history of this rapidly changing city.  We got the obligatory photographs on the square and decided to move on- there’s nowhere to sit on the square and it’s full of police.  When coupled with the freezing weather it was hardly the moment to linger!

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We spent the evening at a Kung Fu show which, whilst pretty amazing, made us fill rather fat and unfit. Three months on the road hadn’t done us favours in that department 🙂 The Kung Fu students were breaking iron rods with their heads!  Incredible!  We met an American father and son who were also touring Beijing.  The conversation inevitably turned to Trump and we felt heartened and sympathetic that amongst Americans there is as much worry as we have about the future.  After the show we returned to the hostel.  I don’t know whether it was missing home, or the Americans we had met whilst at the show, but suddenly we had a hankering for western food, threw conscience and unfitness-guilt to the wind, and settled into tasty burgers and chips J

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TVcwtpDapU4/WGuFSSl69_I/AAAAAAAANEY/rLYkHkdTpUs287oQgVYAeUBkMpswjoWYgCCo/s144-o/20161113_200929.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647120730098″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161113_200929.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r185kWn96is/WGuFSSWjAgI/AAAAAAAANEY/r4PFw2DmN28alarIfo0vx6y5thfNw5nqwCCo/s144-o/20161113_190921.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647056245250″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161113_190921.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S1VvOiKfjB8/WGuFSVrqWpI/AAAAAAAANEY/EzcRzUndUlcnAnrL3qhYPhVPOvIqx-DiwCCo/s144-o/20161113_184946.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647950113426″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161113_184946.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

 

November 14th

We had an early start today as it was the big trip to the Great Wall!  The wall is the longest wall ever built and served to protect the Chinese from Mongolian invaders (which it didn’t- when Genghis Kahn conquered China he observed that a wall is only as strong as those manning it.  He had bribed his way in J).  Whatever the strategic usefulness of the wall, it is an incredible sight to behold and a testament to the high regard that security was held in those days.  You can choose between different areas to visit, some of which are very well restored and akin to museums, some are completely wild, almost derelict, and some in between.  We had signed up for a 4hr hike along a part restored section that promised to give a bit of both.  We were not disappointed; we hardly saw another tourist all day (except our tour group), the sun finally came out for us and we had really enjoyable day hiking J

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XDxAbXTcmOk/WGuFSRTUa0I/AAAAAAAANEQ/pKIMYiu1F0czyWP1NIh0CQ5an-QBGWuAgCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0025.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646774270786″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0025.jpg” image_size=”1600×1200″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z8egq_5lXUA/WGuFSXuw6sI/AAAAAAAANEQ/yPsw-PmiXiQlGER0nyjf9gvT2ZOwqLZxgCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0024.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648499997378″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0024.jpg” image_size=”1200×1600″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K6iYg5XAttA/WGuFScXj_ZI/AAAAAAAANEQ/BxAu8hb_l7QbLF74a3wjIPv_SBs9c6xPgCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0023.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649744858514″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0023.jpg” image_size=”1200×1600″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n8pnrbBg860/WGuFSfwS2pI/AAAAAAAANEQ/oUi3dUxpir8rzP0HELVncI8vC8K-j6g3wCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0022.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650653899410″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0022.jpg” image_size=”1200×1600″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U9D481qUeW0/WGuFSe_xvyI/AAAAAAAANEQ/JPBocBMOIQAGtCIBKInVGsziCUO1tn9XwCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0021.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650450403106″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0021.jpg” image_size=”1600×1200″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4Zo3JnYX_KE/WGuFSRw3aCI/AAAAAAAANEQ/-sj1HOnvXbUHgTkeWyVgpQWZOKa879UCACCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0020.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646898198562″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0020.jpg” image_size=”1600×1200″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2FL4bbR8o9A/WGuFSRL24nI/AAAAAAAANEQ/Y790mBR9iXouArOt3_35Qe_x7ne4kZVVQCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0019.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646742975090″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0019.jpg” image_size=”1600×1200″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mCMXd1Cbwps/WGuFSUJ1PbI/AAAAAAAANEY/eqCUVRoT_KEjGu2tj2IWtO8uJlMNIC6fwCCo/s144-o/20161114_140544.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647539785138″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_140544.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wmk78zdOQd8/WGuFSatV1aI/AAAAAAAANEY/fJa30gQWT80jIrICDuVezRokUyL1_L6ywCCo/s144-o/20161114_133846.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649299334562″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_133846.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fHFJVNMaVdY/WGuFSREe0FI/AAAAAAAANEY/pk9JLYPtJOMg9WVKuSoZjT6XosvKMVaWgCCo/s144-o/20161114_132100.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646712037458″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_132100.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZR1mzjDu3eM/WGuFScvJzvI/AAAAAAAANEY/GYugA7t2Dsc7hjBFR8XRNWtQD8hQXf7ZgCCo/s144-o/20161114_124739.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649843805938″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_124739.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uQdqy8c-X7M/WGuFSYbflLI/AAAAAAAANEY/h8sNbdEuW5YgAxnIvOb3UGAImIxYYg-VACCo/s144-o/20161114_122656.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648687604914″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_122656.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K-MMFe9ehro/WGuFSfWcboI/AAAAAAAANEY/AhZWeFqeC8oLa03Z7VqShJIW1HmSnAE2ACCo/s144-o/20161114_122600.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650545475202″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_122600.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0UNfTOHxwnM/WGuFST2E6nI/AAAAAAAANEY/XrRoAxUGc0sLdEiIjTPzZ6PIxMhm9FlEQCCo/s144-o/20161114_122538.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647456926322″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_122538.jpg” image_size=”2592×1944″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_hW9RP3Of8g/WGuFSbMAxrI/AAAAAAAANEY/6Fh1_OjiKJ4owYnxQtsCtRpj7uBcI0fpgCCo/s144-o/20161114_120510.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649427977906″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_120510.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LQ8h85OQiAc/WGuFScudbHI/AAAAAAAANEY/6fylMIyOx4c8ljGqYQ0Lx_WaAycOvT_MQCCo/s144-o/20161114_115332.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649840897138″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_115332.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ik1cU2tD6sA/WGuFSRAueaI/AAAAAAAANEY/ZKINsX74lTIPNvgsWItQB2W0Omc6qKk8gCCo/s144-o/20161114_115314.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646696286626″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_115314.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eQ27F49eG48/WGuFSU50OpI/AAAAAAAANEY/yrebqj97wwkNWDt0w6Nfxhw1U5XS-BM3ACCo/s144-o/20161114_114641.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647741045394″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_114641.jpg” image_size=”2592×1944″ ]

By the time we returned, we were famished!  Determined that we should sample the famed “Peking Duck” whilst actually in Beijing, we sought out one of the famous restaurants in town that served it. We wandered through the Hutongs and found a very exciting looking area with plenty of bars and restaurants on the riverfront- things were looking good, although there was no sign of the restaurant.  The lady in the hostel had given very confident directions- clearly she thought it was obvious!  We were starting to get seriously hungry by this point and in no mood to dilly dally over finding our food… Finally we stumbled across a place with a plastic duck outside- surely this couldn’t be the entrance to a posh restaurant?!  We did a quick check of the Chinese name (no English writing) and it seemed to match what we were looking for so we went inside.  It was like entering the Tardis- the inside was bright, spacious and even had a Koi pond!  Excellent.

We were seated and ordered our dinner- we even treated ourselves to wine J  I can confidently say the Duck here is the best I have ever eaten by some considerable margin.  So juicy and tender and not fatty. It practically melted in the mouth.  We were also given a demonstration of the correct way to build a duck roll for ourselves.  Now I know youre all thinking we couldn’t have possibly needed that right?  But have you ever made one using chopsticks instead of your hands?  Exactly!  This needed some serious finger dexterity and although our chopstick skills couldn`t compete with the waitress, we didn`t embarrass ourselves totally 🙂

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aKyIRDuBHfI/WGuFSQtsdBI/AAAAAAAANEQ/CQ8DDjZER_YgFXIk3dtqF5kjXC1Z7L-hwCCo/s144-o/20161115_142631.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646616462354″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_142631.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nWS1OuvUuxo/WGuFSW80L3I/AAAAAAAANEY/bAxITu6LbTgCBvkILfSMGgSnbmRI4congCCo/s144-o/20161114_202306.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648290496370″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_202306.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4VbGMLWPKpo/WGuFSU7OCaI/AAAAAAAANEY/wEZxO0Pm0p4k-A7ugtwE7cpAIwCYLUVnACCo/s144-o/20161114_193046.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647746931106″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_193046.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cw-7vWOes4U/WGuFSXe9h-I/AAAAAAAANEY/3Z0apFXWJnoDEtSYYdmjbiJm1UMeYDlcgCCo/s144-o/20161114_193044.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648433715170″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161114_193044.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

After dinner, we decided a nightcap was in order and set about finding a nice bar to relax in.  Unfortuntately the Chinese have a penchant for exotice dancers in their bars and trying to find one without was tricky.  Luckily there were also a few music bars just along the way from the restaurant so we settled into one of these only to find the drink prices so outrageous that we turned on our heels and went back for a beer at the funky bar next to the hostel.  This turned out to be a good decision and we went to bed tired and happy 🙂

 

November 15th

Whilst walking around town we had been impressed by the facilities on offer to cyclists in Beijing and today we decided to make the most of them!  Although the roads are pretty frantic, there are separated cylce lanes (although you do have to share these with a myriad of other vehicles such as electric scooters, tuk tuks, pedestrians and sometimes parked cars…) and we decided that we`d be safe enough to have a go.

First stop was the Drum Tower and by a lucky coincidence we arrived just as a drum performance was about to start.  The drums were used to signal the time to residents of the city much like, for example, Big Ben.  The drums, however, are seriously massive!  The largest was easily 2m in diameter.  We`ve uploaded a video for you guys to see what all the fuss is about J  After the drum tower, the next stop was the bell tower next door.  The was also cool to see although we never did figure out what the difference in purpose is between the drum tower and the bell tower since both were used to signal time.  This one contains the largest cast bell in China and is 600 years old and weighs 63 tonnes!

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yXQpUPXRPpQ/WGuFSWiODeI/AAAAAAAANEQ/y2NNqiN4HGYhn1ggGwovAB9r-LusZ5hPQCCo/s144-o/20161115_115721_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648178945506″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_115721_001.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A1F8l5rJi5M/WGuFSW3fdRI/AAAAAAAANEY/ITM6Qvvb8rc1YddHHQ45_P1JaBPAjxqjwCCo/s144-o/20161115_125349.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648268166418″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_125349.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OmmeAmYYvnI/WGuFSbn01nI/AAAAAAAANEY/29K67e9c2JgeC4EqA8AlU17eTz9sZwc7gCCo/s144-o/20161115_115813.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649544636018″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_115813.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jIpiXBQX7YU/WGuFSdUmVtI/AAAAAAAANEY/SgUbZZfDB4480T-QWpV2ler6jKM_Nr96gCCo/s144-o/20161115_113219.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650000864978″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_113219.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

After taking in the two towers we moseyed onto the Confucious temple.  Confucianism is important to the Chinese way of thinking however our sight seeing powers were diminishing by this point and we really only had a cursory look inside the temple and accompanying Imperial College.  It was time for some lunch!

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v7EAwXWOwjg/WGuFSc_OQdI/AAAAAAAANEQ/STC2_gTL4_QDr9pM9XUZFPnvl3m7ZhH9wCCo/s144-o/20161115_131032_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649911206354″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_131032_001.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rYyuXpMD-RM/WGuFSSZtSZI/AAAAAAAANEQ/XMdy1LGcsv8cmMeE8bV-zMq5tbLOe11tQCCo/s144-o/20161115_130719_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647069501842″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_130719_001.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Kh8KELf6VTc/WGuFSXHkNwI/AAAAAAAANEQ/MNGbilDSiVUBeQdxA4A-L85whDt3IvosQCCo/s144-o/20161115_131541.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648335587074″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_131541.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-otsK8TBGK08/WGuFScrInnI/AAAAAAAANEQ/PIy9xTXuRwkh29VzKqV6VKR1OcdKCzqQACCo/s144-o/20161115_130820_003.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649826950770″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_130820_003.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-US5lMFTxSP0/WGuFSf9s5OI/AAAAAAAANEQ/WoChpQXyGykdNBQeBupvHOk45VLNYqbRACCo/s144-o/20161115_130745.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650710131938″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_130745.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZjPvFlPwwF8/WGuFSSHQ3ZI/AAAAAAAANEY/vEMg298VzZEC2GXaOzt3e3NoonkrHUVOwCCo/s144-o/20161115_130724_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646992141714″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_130724_001.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A41ZSUT5jHg/WGuFSTLoKNI/AAAAAAAANEY/fJjhdFfftDYPABnpHgbd-jGW8at-5BjcwCCo/s144-o/20161115_130335.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647278880978″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_130335.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-15iQ-jgMIcE/WGuFScqbGuI/AAAAAAAANEY/pIGaHvdFsGkWoi7TSNc_PF6o4OzFzcugQCCo/s144-o/20161115_125156.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649823967970″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_125156.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QMFvoeqwdDI/WGuFSTn38XI/AAAAAAAANEY/RlESZ6Q3qwgVEGt82kYLJVAFnZ7POFscgCCo/s144-o/20161115_124328.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647397355890″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_124328.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

We stopped our bikes in a little street market that we`d seen when walking to the duck restaurant the night before and decided to sample some of the local stuff.  All the locals seemed to be eating some kind of tripe (yup, pig intestines!) and although it didn`t really appeal we thought we`d better get with the programme and try it!  It was nice enough, especially if you added lots of soy and chilli however it didn`t really have any particularly distinguishing features apart from being cheap J  The pear tea that we bought to go with it, however, was heaven in a glass!  The Chinese really know how to do things with fruit and this tea was a delicious brew of pear and spices.  It was just the ticket to warm us up and get us going for some more sight seeing action.  We also tried a wierd looking fruit stick which turned out to be crab apples dipped in hard sugar syrup.  These were also fantastic with a lovely bittersweet contrast between the crab apple and sugar.  Aoife was particularly taken with them as you can see from the photos!

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s76vNPACUX0/WGuFSU_ss3I/AAAAAAAANEQ/O8Gy53AP8dcy40aumayQ2q3-zqBaeqvDgCCo/s144-o/20161115_145544.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647765717874″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_145544.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OOck8pgb3Ng/WGuFSbN-TMI/AAAAAAAANEQ/-J-xi2F8sCY_ihuqvW2K_VeAqXm_OTkegCCo/s144-o/20161115_143736.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649436204226″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_143736.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SKNpeoFdpN4/WGuFSV2NqsI/AAAAAAAANEQ/Xx9MEPuQhuso8VhH5fFUKReIlcTP-MrtgCCo/s144-o/20161115_142716.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647994370754″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_142716.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lDUa4qu9-70/WGuFST-VELI/AAAAAAAANEQ/BSE_T3iwf8gRZvzg-B25UgXWr4xLI1dnwCCo/s144-o/20161115_140001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647491539122″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_140001.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

 [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yihGxLMaBt8/WGuFSdFLACI/AAAAAAAANEQ/2AX4rH1a-wAJSWJeTIKN-EUPWeq7w48yQCCo/s144-o/20161115_162441.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649936158754″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_162441.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_3o_5iZHxNU/WGuFSfTHOjI/AAAAAAAANEQ/uxPkvsj1h7ojkadmIe8GyfJy1WJ9KZfXQCCo/s144-o/20161115_162311.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650531502642″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_162311.jpg” image_size=”2592×1944″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uAQIekZP098/WGuFSRJZi1I/AAAAAAAANEQ/flUbNsq7krUej3vR6dyr-naZvhQerh_kQCCo/s144-o/20161115_155938.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646732663634″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_155938.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AKpk73yVkHU/WGuFSaNPruI/AAAAAAAANEQ/ES8OPsXsC_EMd4UGB7zpHg30qLnU41E8wCCo/s144-o/20161115_155830.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649164713698″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_155830.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-79-zZnFZbrE/WGuFSdCjZhI/AAAAAAAANEQ/XmOea3pNrF8NQuSG_z9cnkJhcgzQEJc0QCCo/s144-o/20161115_153618.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649925174802″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_153618.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

We spent our afternoon strolling around the Temple of Heaven park and then headed back with our bikes to the hostel for a quick shower and change before heading out to go back to the Wangfujing market for a street food dinner.  This time we successfully avoided eating any discusting bugs and feasted on delicious deep fried squid, kebabs, sticky rice, spring rolls and more fruit dipped in syrup!

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iQl44nE5u7Y/WGuFSTCY4nI/AAAAAAAANEQ/YCQMPNySzNs2kS6rDahmdlewZCt8zhCPACCo/s144-o/20161115_202132.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647240131186″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_202132.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nviU5mTL-pk/WGuFSS1WdQI/AAAAAAAANEQ/0BcL5rfYNDsXSU7g6hhiX-Mx52xNy4hKACCo/s144-o/20161115_201533.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647185446146″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_201533.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eKPQjOB4zbI/WGuFSYTr14I/AAAAAAAANEQ/2U0VpLitojEk7F27j3pmUdVPS3JIqphlgCCo/s144-o/20161115_201514.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648654854018″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_201514.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YfKSOV_rYPs/WGuFSXNw8WI/AAAAAAAANEQ/rv16WJaOiu84A2rflUxannHqhHxKb2wuQCCo/s144-o/20161115_201507.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648361587042″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_201507.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ][peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AEKzBIAcEJY/WGuFSXW6trI/AAAAAAAANEQ/wSGkhGuIuW4hiKvmWFIUdTYsQQlS4XeewCCo/s144-o/20161115_202650.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648399976114″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_202650.jpg” image_size=”2048×1152″ ]

After an hour of feasting on everything we could find, we felt we really ought to walk the 3km back to our hostel and were so invigorated by the time we arrived that we dipped into a little back alley jazz bar just round the corner.  This was the music experience we had been searching for the previous evening!  A quirky little atmospheric bar with a few jazz musicians rotating through the stage and a crowd of about 20.  The music was excellent, the beer reasonable and the crowd friendly.  What more could we ask for?!

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jM-X1s00YCY/WGuFSdB8SCI/AAAAAAAANEQ/G3SYe6_83vsMnGmRkkwXwmYO2iBRuSsxQCCo/s144-o/20161115_234850.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649922611234″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_234850.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7GBdDMvpeyY/WGuFSUO1FRI/AAAAAAAANEQ/Y1KIVfbueMI3gEv-e-bILdNvMadqfDU-wCCo/s144-o/20161115_215544.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647560746258″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161115_215544.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

 

November 16th

The Summer Palace was the final big sight of beijing that we hadn`t been to, however after our night of jazz we were feeling a bit tired.  We therefore decided to satisfy our inner child instead, by going to the zoo!  The idea had been planted in our heads a few days earlier by the Americans we met at the kung fu show and what better way to spend a lazy day than seeing the animals.  We were particularly excited about seeing the Giant Pandas.

Unfortunately, we quickly realised that Beijing Zoo didn`t pay the kind of attention to animal welfare that you’d hope for, and our excitement at seeing what is a very impressive collection was dampened by a sense of guilt at supporting the place at all.  Whatever, we had bought our tickets and so had done our bit to support it anyway. No point running out. it had a pretty impressive collection of animals in fairness! By the end, neither of us could think of a single large animal that wasn`t represented at the zoo and, conditions aside, we`d had a lovely time, and a bit of a laugh? Surely better than going to another palace 😉

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-foMiXe6Hj0w/WGuFSUW_mmI/AAAAAAAANEQ/bNpZnYSME-o26l3Im04aKlTzk83aAol8gCCo/s144-o/20161116_153042_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647594990178″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161116_153042_001.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MU_i5LasHs0/WGuFSdfTK4I/AAAAAAAANEQ/RGSbzk20Hl48xr6zLWuqN4H995YTewAjQCCo/s144-o/20161116_125152_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650045746050″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161116_125152_001.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WSOlvL1uzK4/WGuFSQgc56I/AAAAAAAANEQ/aO3eFZO9FWEHUEvz0Oi0DPGTUAORi3-_gCCo/s144-o/20161116_140739.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646560917410″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161116_140739.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O7KpgoD7ua0/WGuFSSdYVrI/AAAAAAAANEQ/QHFOGTfDi_gb4xlyojZoWYKjRjHT-FHlwCCo/s144-o/20161116_132549.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647084906162″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161116_132549.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4WDv1nImhjI/WGuFSWeVfuI/AAAAAAAANEQ/SRPTNJePfSIVPTHVIEWQEhqfvktJa53kACCo/s144-o/20161116_125124.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648162655970″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161116_125124.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yg0GXJ7KOJk/WGuFSf8NIPI/AAAAAAAANEQ/lqVmRd7cqVMNRKBIJe4dFAbH5PDI_1C0ACCo/s144-o/20161116_124916.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650703855858″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161116_124916.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IpbDg9ZF7P4/WGuFSZaCGxI/AAAAAAAANEQ/nU6qVkVtY48NPIcWTA_JKO5kyXeVsDgqgCCo/s144-o/20161116_124122.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648949914386″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161116_124122.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

It was time to leave Beijing and our hostel had helped us book tickets for the overnight train between Beijing and Xi`an, a journey of 14hours.  This promised to be an adventure!  We`d done a little research on how to catch the train in China and when we got to the station we were glad we had because it is quite bewildering!  Think Kings Cross at rush hour with about 3 times as many people all going in different directions and all the signs in Chinese…  It`s fairly different to getting a UK train in a few other important ways too.  Firstly, your tickets are allocated with your passport number on so you have to go through security to get into the train station in the first place.  Second, you can`t just turn up and get on the train.  You need to be in the waiting area at least half an hour before hand.  Thirdly, tickets are hard to come by and everyone is allocated a seat or a bed so once the train is full it`s full.  We booked four days in advance and still didn`t get on our first choice of train.  And finally, of course, you`re sleeping on it!  Anyway, we decided the best policy was to get in our waiting area and then just do what everyone else did J  We got a few supplies together and got ourselves onto the train in good time and settled ourselves in.  The comparments are pretty cramped in Hard Sleeper (the cheapest sleeper class) with triple bunk beds however once youve got yourself in there`s enough room to do what you need to do and people are surprisingly respectful of each others personal space (particularly considering that in China, such a densely populated country, personal space is a rare thing to find yourself with!) ).  We drank some wine we brought and grabbed some pot noodles off the food trolley that is circulated every half an hour or so. By the designated lights off time of 10pm, we were ready for a good night`s sleep.

 

Novemeber 17th

The night passed fairly quickly considering we were sleeping on a train and we awoke bright and early and ready for our first day in Xi`an.  On the whole, the train experience is pretty good and is a very cheap way to get from A to B- the ride to Xi`an had set us back about $40 each which is very good value for a trip of 14 hours that doubles as a hotel.

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cF4ZeMDE-QI/WGuFSRRTAAI/AAAAAAAANEQ/eu5BhaCCszgfgC3b–jRsIvYQGtRuNa4gCCo/s144-o/20161117_100813.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646765789186″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_100813.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ]

The purpose of our trip to Xi`an, of course, was to the see the famous Terracotta Warriors.  The Warriors were created and burried with the Emperor Qin who was the first to unite China.  Although there is still some debate as to why, it is thought that Qin assumed he would also be an Emperor in the afterlife and would therefore need an army.  The scale of this site really is something to behold.  It is still unknown how many figures will be unearthed as the dig is still a work in progress but so far around 5000 have been unearthed.  From the live dig it is clear that although a lot of damage was sustained to the warriors over the 2000 years that they`ve been buried, there are some which are surprisingly well preserved, even coming out whole.  We spent the day seeing the three pits, and left the area very happy we`d come.  This really was extraordinary.

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6dpCYubZkAU/WGuFSWtvQlI/AAAAAAAANEQ/XEXlmXP_3eERak8WBEN60Suy2fLvO8GsACCo/s144-o/20161117_142434.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648227258962″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_142434.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EWeRU5I_haQ/WGuFSY5ql9I/AAAAAAAANEQ/9bRd1SiiEUEG5-i_rm-XiXvYiY7kWPXvwCCo/s144-o/20161117_135618.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648814155730″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_135618.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h7KyQXyij20/WGuFSS8bAMI/AAAAAAAANEQ/LdDD92CZUOArHqrGYQD5T2nmBr6wKyjrQCCo/s144-o/20161117_135508.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647215104194″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_135508.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FCHLf3yiWHw/WGuFSXrp1jI/AAAAAAAANEQ/Bi5w9-MdpHIDRDcmUHYrDHuJNw20fuLnQCCo/s144-o/20161117_134610.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648486950450″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_134610.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dqtzDeZgJiA/WGuFSW1cTUI/AAAAAAAANEQ/9WE1ncONhQE3qgK-LEijk8UIwaK6TBs3gCCo/s144-o/20161117_132510.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648259571010″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_132510.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q1xKbj5buI4/WGuFSWb3U4I/AAAAAAAANEQ/3awCChPEdFAzk4ki9RiuXVlQQhbkyA34gCCo/s144-o/20161117_132202.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648152290178″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_132202.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n8tREy0WAJ8/WGuFSfsxiTI/AAAAAAAANEQ/R3yS6Xi0JbAMcpmVJ2ufT4sDKsx1Vv0RgCCo/s144-o/20161117_132133.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650639132978″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_132133.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CX43TyRj9Mg/WGuFScX2IgI/AAAAAAAANEQ/1LMkUYE94OE1i4uM9ES_a4wIRfAxDcuggCCo/s144-o/20161117_131155.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649746047490″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_131155.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hMSnoB_47Oo/WGuFSfoG-SI/AAAAAAAANEQ/G6Ve_yX8xawCpDONSnQWIFG9esv-9KaAwCCo/s144-o/20161117_124156.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650619566370″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161117_124156.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

After tucking into some wonton soup (we were starting to get the hand of finding Chinese food we liked now) we headed back on the shuttle bus to Xi`an to find our hostel.  By the time we finally got in it was dark and we were extemely tired and hungry- the overnight train journey had definitely taken its toll on us!  On the plus side we were given a free welcome beer at the hostel….  Result!  After a quick shower we headed back into the hostel bar for another beer and soon realised we weren`t leaving.  Too tired/lazy 😉 We therefore ate some lovely food there and got a well deserved early night J.

 

November 18th

We awoke a little bleary eyed today after the exertions of the previous few days and decided we needed to brush away some cobwebs with excercise.  Xi`an has very well preserved and maintained city wall which are wide enough to cycle around the top of- what better way to see the city?  The 14km cycle took us a little less than two hours and when we came down we felt much more awake!  The old city wall give an indication of how important and busy a city this once was.  Xi`an is the old capital of China and must have been a hugely important city to have had such a large area enclosed by a city wall.

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e7t3aLZo7-k/WGuFSed7cUI/AAAAAAAANEQ/iFI42MVB2FIt9a64OOEY9jyU9JgKFvpHQCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0017.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650308432194″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0017.jpg” image_size=”1200×1600″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Akk9G2miDGQ/WGuFSdThT9I/AAAAAAAANEQ/7ao1xEPnJgcxIL6Y8F0NNn2sw-y80YIHgCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0008.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649996341202″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0008.jpg” image_size=”1280×960″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ggh6MCH1r8Y/WGuFSR8QKrI/AAAAAAAANEQ/ijrM2Y7b_v8VifGHWqhzaoI5THTD4dx_ACCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0006.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646945958578″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0006.jpg” image_size=”1600×1200″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rBoo53vsbM0/WGuFSfxjmnI/AAAAAAAANEQ/b3qdvHzEq7AbKiVYqClgUVfSCV6fmsqcQCCo/s144-o/20161118_135112.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650659191410″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_135112.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YsYdLx1loiM/WGuFSYTsRdI/AAAAAAAANEQ/G1wGgf-WHpAHy0t9K__A8It4RPzeC-g2ACCo/s144-o/20161118_133417.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648654882258″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_133417.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kf8aqbOF6bc/WGuFSX97bgI/AAAAAAAANEQ/7DOX1jG2PW0UVq_XM4lND9n1tFwvgQw9ACCo/s144-o/20161118_132743.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648563600898″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_132743.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

After our wall trip we ate a bit of lunch in a noodle bar and then hit the other `must see` sights of Xi`an namely… the bell tower and the drum tower!  Of course, we`d already seen one of each of these in Beijing and we were curious to see how the differed here.  The answer is not a lot!  Although they were very nicely preserved buildings, we weren`t enthralled enough to linger and soon moved on to look for some dinner.  Happily, we stumbled upon another night market with more tasty looking street food!  They also had some rather nice terracotta warrior chess sets…which I had to buy despite the obvious problems associated with carrying a chess set around for months J ….(I, Aoife, used my well-honed haggling skills on the vendors in Xi’An, and got Seb a steal of a deal on the chess set ;))

The market was a bit different from Beijing and apart from being cheaper than Wanfujing Road market, the food was also tastier.  We were enthralled by the street vendors preparing their food on the street whilst they sold it, in particular the kebab guys who were carving raw meat off carcasses hanging in front of their grills before skewering it up and getting grilling.  At least you knew what you were eating was real lamb and not dog or some other alternative!  We also tried the Chinese beef burger on account of it having the largest queue of locals in front of the stall- it was actually worth the wait!  Kind of like the shredded brisket burgers you get in trendy London bars now (except about a 10th the price!)

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sILvHMVzO0Y/WGuFSYe7jDI/AAAAAAAANEQ/hXDzDaC9WCEdDg2z7f02JA32662cOT-VwCCo/s144-o/20161118_171344_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648702020658″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_171344_001.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3F-4WV5qZtM/WGuFScMgfKI/AAAAAAAANEQ/3yIThkLVkRsLNTwJB9DRFJmL1HgN0TapACCo/s144-o/20161118_183932.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649698491554″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_183932.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OeCcdJEayLE/WGuFSTD1K5I/AAAAAAAANEQ/3KqXcc0sh0k9xyha82Aob_aEvHzKXmpJgCCo/s144-o/20161118_175551.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647246179218″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_175551.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pjZ5vxNqeRE/WGuFSeH7lWI/AAAAAAAANEQ/EXrYD35V8f4_U-AcBRorTAKK3evtjcstACCo/s144-o/20161118_172438.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650216166754″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_172438.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SxmA_Gu4NGk/WGuFScxJStI/AAAAAAAANEQ/m0vBgtD8BAAQFC5jZETYJWU5z_YCgarQQCCo/s144-o/20161118_172217.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649852160722″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_172217.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LpX4hza4suc/WGuFSXU6dXI/AAAAAAAANEQ/GaYcmkOjlkEM1AdLr1BtG9x31nkBrvQbgCCo/s144-o/20161118_172145.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648391570802″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_172145.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-duVBbEtnJ3A/WGuFSXM_VGI/AAAAAAAANEQ/Zdope1qlMPYOJS3wC4Ws4sUC9kQfPX4KwCCo/s144-o/20161118_172033_001.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648358335586″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_172033_001.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nQ-NR0wG5cQ/WGuFSfM6paI/AAAAAAAANEQ/9bWnpBUfAmc-RiA8mXc2VeUc1ddrIKwLwCCo/s144-o/20161118_171921.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650505512354″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_171921.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D-KmNw1LX0Q/WGuFSct2HzI/AAAAAAAANEQ/4ZJ92OKgG48dE7UXfJUePzRQx9JG2Kj7gCCo/s144-o/20161118_171839.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332649838321458″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_171839.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-96KaHKlKE4c/WGuFSeyvFkI/AAAAAAAANEQ/D8eAIjXyJtA6orgqidjZBH-MLOzjvOzOwCCo/s144-o/20161118_171315.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650395702850″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_171315.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UjUW9yeYp8Q/WGuFSWf397I/AAAAAAAANEQ/qVT09VUfqxExHgYjjaOtL2Z0r7nhWMV6wCCo/s144-o/20161118_164725.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648169109426″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_164725.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K3Wjjwswz88/WGuFSQ8DdRI/AAAAAAAANEQ/IVtYD0TzxYoQ1Gt4i0kqUj18hatKxLdcwCCo/s144-o/20161118_162948.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646676690194″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_162948.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6SE2P0FUP9w/WGuFSYHEbzI/AAAAAAAANEQ/YanRAeziu_gpYAqzObKUhjIQLfEie609QCCo/s144-o/20161118_162913.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648601939762″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_162913.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E5GJWMpycEU/WGuFSVwBRvI/AAAAAAAANEQ/0jTVLdHqI04SViz8iZpCLmFamImBLTEFQCCo/s144-o/20161118_161548.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647968392946″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_161548.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]

Finally, the time came for us to get on board our train for Shanghai.  It had been a whistle stop tour of Xi`an but probably about the right amount of time; we settled into our bunks in eager anticipation of what we might find in China`s biggest city!

[peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iFzb8blFrLM/WGuFSTA-38I/AAAAAAAANEQ/0BZdPkpFT9cHXYbrbxWa6VJLRiAxqoI7QCCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0039.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332647234232258″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0039.jpg” image_size=”1600×1200″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mX1jP993SrE/WGuFSeM8_-I/AAAAAAAANEQ/RZhd_IZw8W4uEWGlOXstwJT3WQVurx3SACCo/s144-o/IMG-20161120-WA0038.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650237231074″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG-20161120-WA0038.jpg” image_size=”1600×1200″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BPG25vajJ_w/WGuFSRnwMeI/AAAAAAAANEQ/jCmqJh2FVUwgq8pMUJF_N5NgXGKq7JaiwCCo/s144-o/20161119_140636.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332646859977186″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161119_140636.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b_H5lekn-XE/WGuFSY6FH8I/AAAAAAAANEQ/5haEZd4zF6kSlIHHc_b1VXA8S15SAvKwACCo/s144-o/20161118_213916.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332648815894466″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_213916.jpg” image_size=”2988×5312″ ] [peg-image src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fb_749cKdwc/WGuFSeRqqnI/AAAAAAAANEQ/oscFwkKXCK0yRoLOFgov6KW67S_hKmlxQCCo/s144-o/20161118_213409.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/106656392310830434275/6371332646546342417#6371332650257001074″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”20161118_213409.jpg” image_size=”5312×2988″ ]