Terracota Pottery at its best
Trip Start
Sep 25, 2007
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31
44
Trip End
Dec 07, 2007
Xi'an, China
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
We had our first experience of a Chinese sleeper train on the overnight train from Beijing to Xi'an. Hard Sleeper indeed.....the top bunk was pretty close to the ceiling and I guess I had just enough room to roll over in my sleep.
We stayed in a great hostel in Xi'an called Xinshamen International Youth Hostel, very comfortable and in the heart of the old city. Xi'an itself looks like a story book with loads of traditional buildings (Du gongs?) that truly are quite special.
We managed to join a tour through the hostel to see the Terracotta Warriors as well as an ancient Chinese settlement that dated back to 6000 BC.
Anyway, the Warriors were fantastic, very imposing and historically ghostly if there is such a description. The only draw back was the weather.....being overcast didnt make for great photos. The same can be said for when we rented bikes and rode along the outer perimeter of Xi'an ancient city wall. Good fun though.
Highlights for me:
- Playing with the Hostel's resident puppy Bobbie
- Doing my very own South African graffiti on the ceiling.
Note.....I would recommend to other travelers that its better off doing the Warriors on your own, its more rewarding and you dont feel as if you're getting ripped off.
