Day 9 - Xi'an

Early start today, for the Terracotta warriors, the organized tour is picking me up from the hotel but a quick walk outside is needed as legs are a little stiff today. 

Anyway 8 O'clock comes by and the tour arrives, it's a van with no seat belts or heating and it is freezing cold today. The tour guide is really nice and has very good English but repeats the most important fact in the sentence after the sentence without even taking a breath like an echo. Joining me on the tour are a Argentinian couple so looking to get advice on South America from one of them who speaks great English.

First stop on the tour is Banpo Neolithic site, which is an museum with remnants of housing from 6000 years ago, it's quite fascinating but there isn't much of it left so videos basically show you everything plus you have to use your imagination quite a bit but the guide gives interesting information so wasn't to difficult. 

We went to a factory where they reproduce the warriors and they show you how they make them, but I mean let's not pretend it's not the shopping stop. But I did buy some reproduction figures, I mean can you leave Xi'an without them, fist purchase of the trip.

Next stop is the Terracotta warriors which is actually a museum so once in there are 3 pits it is really quite awesome what they have uncovered but it's not as impressive as it seems in documentaries. Plus it is so busy here which takes away from the atmosphere when people are pushing you trying to get a photo.  There warriors that they are putting back together are the most interesting and finding out that each one was filled with 3 liters of mercury to keep them standing and for protection was good.

Lunch is included for the group, well three of us and we get asked spicy or not spicy so we go for not spicy. The food comes out covered in chillies and is so hot we had to but bottles upon bottles of water just so we can eat the food although it is really good. 

Next a quick visit to the site of the tomb of the first emperor of china Qin  Huang Di for whom the Terracotta Warriors were built to protect in the after life. There isn't much to see aside from a huge stone telling you where the tomb ground are, so it's only a quick stop.

Back from the tour, I left its some good info about South America and that the Argentinean couple to tickets to Chengdu the day before they were leaving so this gives me confidence I can get out of Xi'an, so off to the train station to get tickets armed with the written instructions from the hostel. Waiting in line with hundreds of people also trying to get tickets to see family was stressful and tiring. There is no English counter like in Beijing so it is ore difficult and a lot of nodding and hand gestures later I end up with what I hope is a ticket to Chengdu tomorrow at 1.35pm (would have rather a later train but just glad for the ticket now). 

Back at the hostel it is confirmed that it is the right ticket so I'm all set for departure to Chengdu tomorrow after a full day sightseeing stayed at the hostel for dinner and had sweet and sour pork and fried rice which was way to much for one person and a pot of green tea to keep warm. Met two girls from the US one who teaches English  in China at the hostel and was nice to have a chat, they are having problems getting tickets to Shanghai, so the problem seems to be going east rather than west with the tickets at the moment. 

Off to bed with not movies as its a weekend night, but watched this weird Chinese show about two fat people and she is trying to lose weight cause her old boyfriend still likes her and she has to get thin. It's a little weird and couldn't totally get it but oh well it was entertaining.

Nights rest and a traveling day tomorrow.