We met Billy at the hotel this morning at 8AM and headed to the airport. We arrived on time despite the cab driver missing the exit for the airport. Jingyi met us at the airport and asked the best question of the trip so far - she asked Billy why we say "Hey There" instead of "Hey Here"! After hot chocolate at Starbucks, we boarded the Air China plane with the Olympic logo and headed off to Xian. Air China was interesting. Before we were seated, the plane began taxiing and once we were in the air, it was like anyone could sit anywhere. People started moving around without regard to their seats! The two hour flight included lunch which was picked up before we were even done eating! Plus our luggage was waiting when we got ot the baggage area!
We landed in Xian and began a bus ride to the city. The highway had 3 tolls before town and we cruised in the "traveling lane" while cars passed in the "Overtaking Lane". Xian has a population of 8 million and they were all out shopping today! We have never seen so many people. It is a very cosmopolitan city with shops and modern buildings everywhere. Xian is known for its incredible city walls that were built in 1370 as protection against invading armies and are 18 miles around the city. We also visited the Great Goose Pagoda and monastery where Meg made her fist key buy (or Billy did). Meg's birthday comes in the year of the monkey and Billy found a jade monkey in the gift shop. It was marked Y150 ($18) but we paid Y50 ($8) instead!
We finished the day in a restaurant that Jingyi knew served a typical Xian meal - pita bread with lamb in a chicken broth with noodles. It was interesting. We also had chrysanthemum tea to warm us up. It was another amazing day in China. Tomorrow we visit the Terracotta warriers and then it's off to Shanghai.
We landed in Xian and began a bus ride to the city. The highway had 3 tolls before town and we cruised in the "traveling lane" while cars passed in the "Overtaking Lane". Xian has a population of 8 million and they were all out shopping today! We have never seen so many people. It is a very cosmopolitan city with shops and modern buildings everywhere. Xian is known for its incredible city walls that were built in 1370 as protection against invading armies and are 18 miles around the city. We also visited the Great Goose Pagoda and monastery where Meg made her fist key buy (or Billy did). Meg's birthday comes in the year of the monkey and Billy found a jade monkey in the gift shop. It was marked Y150 ($18) but we paid Y50 ($8) instead!
We finished the day in a restaurant that Jingyi knew served a typical Xian meal - pita bread with lamb in a chicken broth with noodles. It was interesting. We also had chrysanthemum tea to warm us up. It was another amazing day in China. Tomorrow we visit the Terracotta warriers and then it's off to Shanghai.
A couple of other thoughts - driving and walking in China is exciting. Cars have the right of way. At a stop light and right turn on red, there is no stopping - the cars just keep on moving so you constantly have to watch yourself. Also, the sidewalks are a joke because cars just pull right up and park! In the afternoon, rickshaws and bicycles pull up and vendors lay out their grill/barbeques and start cooking incredible shish ka bobs of lamb, chicken, pork and other concoctions (squid, snake, scorpion) so the smells are incredible but I don't want to end up in the hospital so we haven't tried anything!
1 comment:
hey I was born in the year of the monkey toooooooooo
Take lots of pics of the teracotta warriors, I've heard their faces and expressions are all different. So cool. Tom, ya woos, try the squid.
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