Xi'an, Day 1

We got into Xi'an at 6:30 or something disgusting like that, and they took us to breakfast and told us to eat a lot because lunch might be late. Needless to say, I didn't need to be told twice. There was a mysterious orange beverage being heated next to the coffee that was labeled "Hot Fruit is Treasure," which delighted me, although it was gone before I could try some.

After breakfast we launched right on off for Bing Ma Yong, the terracotta warriors and horses, which is outside the city to the east. On the way we passed a hotel called Xi'an Tourism Victory Hotel, which is a pretty good hotel name, if you ask me. I wrote down all the silly things I saw in Xi'an so I wouldn't forget to mention them all. Hen hao!

It was a longish bus ride out to Bing Ma Yong, but it was okay because we were really sleepy. We wandered around in various museum-type areas, but they were all kind of disappointing...we'd go in expecting armies of terracotta men and instead there would be a handful of them in a little exhibit or something. We kept going from building to building, always expecting that the building we were in was It, the big main attraction, so we took pictures like crazy. Of course, we were misguided in our disappointment, because there was in fact a huge big pit that we went to last with bazillions of warriors lined up in long rows, and it was crazy and awesome. Witness:














There's a lot of them fellas, ain't there? Yeah, it was pretty cool. Also the buildings were all freezing, maybe to preserve the terracotta? Or possibly just to make tourists uncomfortable. Dual-purpose! Woohoo! It was rainy and gross that day (both days in Xi'an, really), and
we actually saw a woman outside with a big broom that was mostly a messy bundle of sticks attempting to sweep water out of the way so we wouldn't step in puddles. As far as I can tell, this is not a particularly effective puddle-management technique.

One of the most fabulous parts of our visit to Bing Ma Yong was the fact that the wastebasket in the bathroom was...wait for it...a Teletubby* wastebasket. The natural choice for a museum housing what they proclaim as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Feichang hao!

*note: if you are Jacki, Teletubbies should make you think of the Oregon Trail.

After we got our fill of terracotta, we went to the Xi'an City Wall. It was pretty cool and historical-like, and at night it is covered in neon lights, as things tend to be, in China. The highlight of my Xi'an City Wall experience was definitely my photo-op ambush, though. I was standing on the wall, minding my own business, when a random Chinese man came up, put his arm around me, and smiled for the camera as his friend took a picture of him with the foreigner girl. Before I even knew what was going on, they were gone. It was all kinds of silly.

That night we returned cold and tired to a hotel for dinner. It was a good dinner, featuring the excitingly Western food of French fries. We were all excited about our French fries, and we tried to ask them to bring ketchup, but the red substance that they brought out turned out to be sweet-and-sour sauce. Oh well, maybe ketchup is asking for too much. This is China, after all. Also I discovered a hilarious Chinese beverage that is not quite as bad as it sounds: Hot Coke. It seems that the Chinese believe that drinking cold beverages will make you sick, so they drink hot Coke, infused with ginger. When the teachers told me what it was, I said they must be lying (it looked like coffee, a normal hot beverage), but nope! Hot Coke. Mm-mmm.

Getting back to the hotel was really nice...some people went out to party because it was Saint Patrick's Day, but I stayed in and did a crossword puzzle. Hen hao! Also I was happy because I had forgotten my toothbrush, but the hotel gave them to us! Woo for dental hygiene!

Also, sometime when we were riding on the bus (I forget when exactly), the tour guide decided to have impromptu karaoke time. She had a heck of a time getting people to do it at first, but once we did it was pretty fun. Except probably less fun for the people sleeping in the back of the bus. Oops. One of the guides sang a traditional Chinese song, and it was not only breathtakingly horrendous, but also louder than all the other singers put together. Yesssss. Also, at one point, as our guide was up in front of the bus talking, we went around a curve and she completely tipped over, complete with a little shriek. She was fine, so I don't have to feel like a terrible person for thinking it was totally hilarious. Which is was. She informed us that the next day we were free to go wherever we wanted in Xi'an "except the PlayStation." What? We were confused by the video game reference, until it was clarified that, in actuality, we were allowed to go anywhere except the police station. Oh.