Another 48 Hours

Let me start with this… Traveling for 48 straight hours is rough. Enjoy the video and ask questions in the comment section. Back tomorrow with more from Hanoi. It’s great to be back!

7 miles, 3.25 hours, one entire city wall.

Xi’an… Hmm…to me, this city feels quite small for housing eight plus million people. Maybe it’s because the majority of the city is contained by a wall that started construction in 194 BC (the reconstructed wall that you see in the photo above is just a baby at 640 years old) and I feel confined. Or maybe its because I just came from one of the largest cites in the world… But something just feels right here. Little to no pollution (that I see or taste, yes I said taste), normal people and travelers and a great daily flow. It’s nice to slow down every once in awhile and this is the perfect place for it.

The internet here in Xi’an goes in and out more than Amy Winehouse and rehab… Thus trying to work is pretty much pointless at the moment. Just uploading these three pics and writing this post took over an hour. But just wanted to give a look at our hostel and what living on 10 dollars a day looks like…

Today’s lesson: The Terracotta Army are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China. The terracotta figures, dating from 210 BCE, were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi’an, Shanxi province, China near the Mausouleum of the First Qin Emperor. The figures vary in height, according to their role, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.

Now, my thoughts… The general idea of the Army and the actual statues are incredibility interesting. Just thinking that so many of these pieces are still in tact after many centuries is amazing. However the way in which this army is presented was very poor. The entire surrounding area felt like the Bridgeport Mall in Lake Oswego complete with many shops, a KFC and corporate branding from Pepsi. I understand that the need the money to pay for this dig/discovery but there had to have been a better way…

Overall this visit is another that is a can’t miss on a trek through China… Enjoy the more detailed photos below.

I’ve said it before… Sometimes it’s more about the journey than the destination. With the Terracotta Warriors being one of the main attractions near Xi’an we set out on a journey to see this legendary army. This bus ride was the result.

Side note: I’m pretty sure the girl next to me in the video proposed during this bus ride. I can’t be for sure, but I’m about 95% sure.

Welcome to Xi’an… I guessing they knew I was coming and threw we a welcoming party. That was very nice of them. I mean, I knew the word was out that I was on my way, but this was totally unexpected…

In all seriousness we were walking around the city to get our barrings and we came up on this “event”… Just moments after filming these drummers, the man on the left oftered me his drumstick to continue this beat (He saw me standing there for 5 mins studying the beat in my head) Even as I’m sitting down to write this it seems unreal… Although I only took one hit on the drum in fear of destroying this dance, it was defenitly a moment that I won’t soon forget… Welcome to Xi’an.

I really didn’t think I would write another post after a long train ride… But just like everything else here, nothing is the same twice. After literally running to catch out train with one min to spare, we again were off. As we watched Beijing fade off into the night, our thoughts were now on to Xi’an. I personally was quite excited, as I had been looking forward to this city for quite some time and after over two weeks in Beijing it was time for another change.

With this train only being an eleven hour journey I figured with two Benadryl and a glass a tea I would be set. On a side note, I again am fighting a little cold…damn new set of germs over here. But the idea of rest was out the window as soon as we sat down. It started with people asking where we were from… Now usually this only last 30 secs as you say “America” and then they say “Welcome” and you continue on your way. This time the response was, “Oh really, I study in England”… (Me thinking…Yes…Finally!)

Now I wasn’t excited that this gentlemen was living in England because if you know me that usually gets me excited. This time I was thrilled because this would be our first real encounter with a local that could actually have a conversation with us and what a conversation it was… Three hours later and after a few beers shared, Beijing and China was held in such a new light. I don’t really want to get into details but just being able to have a real colloquy with this young bloke was just what I needed.

Even more valuable about this meeting was that he would also be staying Xi’an with his family for the week. This will be our chance to actually get out with the locals again and see a great new side of the culture that China has to offer…aka partying with the locals, yes please.

Where I Rested: Night Train from Beijing to Xi’an

The beauty of not having to be anywhere at anytime is really starting to set in… Just as long as I can find the internet for 10 hours a day… Nothing else really seems matter… However living with that mind set can come back to bite you in the ass… And this would happen to be the reason I’m still in Beijing…

Thinking; with eight trains a day leaving from Beijing to Xi’an we would be able to find one with seats wouldn’t be a problem, we headed to the train station early last night… To our somewhat of a surprise there were none, but not just for Thursday night but Friday as well… So back to our hotel we went… Greeted with the biggest of smiles and a “What Happened?”, we all laughed as they rang us up for two more nights…

With already being here for 14 days there wasn’t much we hadn’t done… So another night walk was in order…to the Mall this time… This bringing me to the video above… Most busy streets here don’t have crosswalks as there are 5 lanes on each side of the roads, but don’t be confused its not like any driver stays in these so called lanes… In return there are many underground passage ways around the city… I chose this one because I could hear this man signing from outside… After reminiscing earlier in the day about shows on the West End in London and recent concerts such as Austin City Limits, I was really missing live entertainment…and just hours later I was welcomed with the Eric Clapton great “Tears in Heaven”… Now a few notes might have been missed, but vibing out for just 2 minutes  what exactly what I needed…

Sorry this entire post is trailing thoughts. That happens from time to time…