We awoke early to our first and only full day in Xi’An. We were to meet our driver, guide, and car at 8:30am. We set out from the hotel for the east gate of the wall of Xi’An. From the parking lot, we ascended the stairs to the top of the wall where we had good views of the surrounding area. After a few minutes walking around we were directed inside a building where we were given a brief explanation of fung shui. Our scam sensors were going off at this point as we were directed up some stairs to a small room where there were tons of little carved lions for sale. After another brief presentation we were offered the ability to improve all manner of things in life by purchasing one or more of these carved trinkets. So I should now live a long and happy life, be safe, and sleep well. [2/24/09 Update – none of these has happened, so fung shui at your own risk].
City Wall - Xi'An:
City Wall - Xi'An:
After leaving the building, Wesley decided to purchase a tasty beverage. He has been in search of Apple-Kiwi Fanta ever since he visited the World of Coke Museum. While they didn’t have Apple-Kiwi Fanta (and I don’t think anyone does), they did sell Green Apple Fanta, which was almost as good (and darn tasty in my book). Temporarily satisfied and with no immediate safety concerns thanks to our new trinkets, we set out for our next stop – another tourist trap where the guide could earn a commission off of us.
A Very Tasty Beverage - Green Apple Fanta
Terra Cotta BS – I don’t know it’s actual name, so I’ll refer to it as “Terra Cotta BS”. At this lovely abode, you could ostensibly learn how the real terra cotta warriors were made several hundred years ago and, of course, have an opportunity to purchase your very own authentic replica made from the exact same clay and fired in exactly the same way as the originals. We ended up buying a few of these too before we were finally allowed to leave for our final destination – the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum.
Making Miniature Terra Cotta Warriors:
Little Terra Cotta Warrior Statues Neatly Lined Up:
The Terra Cotta Warrior Museum was quite impressive – once we actually got inside. It’s a fairly long walk, and from the parking lot to the entrance gate, you are accosted by many people trying to sell you all manner of things that you probably don’t need. Our guide filled us in on the history, Wesley tried to get her to discuss politics and other things, and I was happy to snap away photos. While in one of the buildings, we were taking pictures when someone came up and started talking to us in English. It turns out he was a graduate student from Hawaii who was studying Chinese in Beijing. He had been in Xi’An since February and was returning the Beijing the next day. He showed us some of his eclipse photos, and I showed him mine. He gave us his phone number and told us to call him when we get to Beijing in a few days. Perhaps we’ll meet him for lunch or see if he wants to head out to the Great Wall with us.
Terra Cotta Warrior Museum - Statues:
Terra Cotta Warrior Museum - Statues:
Terra Cotta Warrior Museum - Statues:
When we finished up at the Museum it was already after 2pm, and we were hungry. We had only one stop left after this at the Hot Springs which were conveniently on the way back to the hotel. Since we were hungry, the guide suggested we stop at a restaurant. When she said she knew “a great one”, I knew it was another tourist trap. Luckily I was not disappointed. Lunch at the Tourist Trap was very unimpressive – the first table we were offered was disheveled and the glasses were dirty. We chose another which was only slightly better. We ordered some food and it came out a while later. For some reason in all of my meals I’ve found it very difficult to get tea refills as often as I’d like – I don’t know if I drink more or if the service is bad or what, but I’m always looking for more tea and not getting it. After lunch (which was okay and fairly cheap) we left for the Hot Springs.
The Hot Springs were as advertised – although far more built-up than I had expected. I found it interesting to compare them to the hot springs in Bath, England. Both had been around for a very long time (though these had about 1,000 years on those in Bath), and both were quite consistent. The water from the hot springs of Xi’An was nicer, in my opinion, because it had no overbearing sulfur smell as the water from Bath did. That said, the Roman bathhouse complex of Bath was really quite impressive – probably more so than Xi’An, though the latter was by no means simple.
Shrine near cemetery at the hot springs:
Colorful view at the hot springs:
After we wrapped up at the Hot Springs we headed back to the hotel. We learned during our drive back that red lights are only suggestions, as multiple cars turned left on red lights and did all manner of illegal-in-the-US things. We also learned that the prices for junk food from the street vendors are marked up for foreigners (duh!) – our guide paid only 3 CNY for ice cream while we paid 5 CNY for the same. About 40 minutes after we left the Hot Springs we were back at the front door of the hotel – we bid goodbye to the driver and guide and went inside to drop our stuff.
After a brief rest it was time to head out to buy essentials – for Wesley a SIM card for his phone and new clothes for me as our bags had still not yet arrived. We set out down the street to buy the SIM card, but after twenty minutes of very limited communication back-and-forth it was clear that we wouldn’t be able to get it to work. NB: It appears that the company we were trying to buy from only works in Shaanxi Province, so perhaps that’s a good thing. Next we set out to buy clothes for me, since I had no more clean clothes and we weren’t sure when (or if) our bags would catch up to us. We entered a department store that didn’t seem to conform to any clear pattern – there were different shops selling the same or similar things all over the place, and the second floor was all groceries. At any rate, after a few minutes we finally found all of the things I wanted, but couldn’t figure out how to pay for them. We followed these blue arrow signs which seemed to go in a circle, and I finally found a cashier but she ignored me. So we went downstairs to the grocery portion of the store (where the blue signs ultimately led) and found a checkout line. Once it was my turn it became obvious that no one else was attempting to purchase clothing, so apparently we screwed that up. The cashier was able to scan everything except for a polo shirt I had hoped to purchase, so I was shirtless after all.
After that experience we decided to go and get dinner at the restaurant that had been recommended to us by the hotel concierge. We got there and were offered a table and a menu. The wait staff spoke exceedingly limited English, and the waitress kept asking if we liked something as she would point to different items, but it always sounded like she was asking, “Do you like eggs?”. Don’t get me wrong – I do like eggs on occasion, but surely every dish here isn’t egg-based? We finally ordered a few different things, but I was getting uncomfortable – she suggested what looked like pot stickers and she said they had hamburger in them. When they arrived I asked the waiter what they were and he said “pork testicle”. So to this day I don’t know if we were eating “pot stickers” or “pork testicle”, but I certainly hope it was the former. The soup was supposed to be some kind of mushroom soup but we’re dubious as to whether they were truly mushrooms or rather some form of sea-faring life form. I asked repeatedly if the soup contained “mushrooms” or “fungus”, and was told each time that it did not. Wesley ordered a whole chicken which was the only thing that came out as expected and tasted as expected.