Here is another brief journal I was able to put together from Allies Notes on Xian.

As in many other parts of the world, pedestrians have no right of way (even in a crosswalk with a light) and constant vigilance is necessary. At first I tried to cross in the midst of a large group of locals hoping they would at least provide some protective barrier. Now I have simply become morecomfortable with a much closer "safe" distance from cars- you can reach out with a fingertip to touch a taxi in the crosswalk, but no one actually gets hit. (Ostensibly anyhow).  I am amazed at the total lack of anger involved in negotiating the road. No one yells or curses about being cut off etc.,and since everyone accepts that attention must be paid always, stress doesn't seem to be high in vehicles. Honking in fact is less a sign of annoyance as a replacement for a signal light when swerving into another lane. A good idea since noise is an absolutely necessary warning system.

Anyhow, we went to a very famous Teahouse Theatre that features many celebrity performers and a long wall of photos attesting to it's dignitary credentials- capped by a bronze statue of George Bush Sr shaking hands with the owner! The performance was the Chinese version of a variety show with snippets of opera, music, acrobatics, dance, comedy/magic routines, etc. The set-up was clusters of tables facing a stage, and we were served snacks and fantastic green tea. Very enjoyable.

Yesterday (Monday) was basically just travelling to Xi'an. We took a domestic flight and had no end of trouble with overweight luggage, carry-on issues, etc, which differed greatly going through customs to actually enter the country. (We apparently broke all kinds of mysterious suitcase regulations, but people were kind enough to give us lee-way.) We were stopped for quite a long time in security- we had to open all bottles in the suitcase and the guard smelled the contents. (What she thought she could detect by nose I just don't know.)

Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised to check into a 5 star (the same amount of $ gets you a lot more the farther you get from Beijing). Our guide took us to a special restaurant to try some Chinese Muslim food. The most famous dish of the region ended up being the best thing we've eaten yet. On the table are empty bowls and hard unleavened(?) buns that you rip into tiny pieces. Then the bowl is removed and returned filled with broth that cooks the bun into dumplings, as well as noodles, and very tender mutton- this is topped off with parsley and chili sauce.

Today Susan, who has seen the sites of Xi'an opted to skip the day's tour and spend some time downsizing her luggage, and resting her foot. The province of Shaanxi is quite a richly interesting one as 12 dynasties were founded here- many things to see. We started with the famous Terracotta Warriors- the "8th wonder of the world" and something I have been excited to see. I was not disappointed- the magnitude of the excavated sites and the intricacy of each of the aprox 6,000 warriors and animals  cast to protect emperor Qin Shi Huang (200 B.C.E.) in the afterlife were astounding. The site was looted some thousand years later by peasants who needed the weapons of this fake army!

Tomorrow we take a train to Zhengzhou and will be picked up to drive to the village. The train will likely be a pretty interesting cultural experience- I'm quite sure we will be the only foreigners on it                                                                                                    Back to Table of Contents