2 days in Xi'an
The train ride from Lhasa to Xi’an took 33 hours straight to complete. Luckily the conditions on Chinese trains are pretty decent – bunk beds, food carts, power plugs and hot water are available. That railway which lays on the Tibetan Plateau is the highest in the world with the highest point, Tanggula Pass, situated at 5072 meters above sea level. The views on the vast landscape from the train windows are really out of this world!
My time in China was limited. I was planning to reach the Philippines by the end of the month (November 2018) and in order to do that I had pre-built a route through the massive country. In 10 days I would travel thousands of kilometres in trains and sleep a similar amount of nights in trains than in hostels. Since long-distance train tickets are hard to get in China (and not cheap), I needed to buy them in advance and I ended up being on a strict schedule with limited time available. So as I described in the beginning, my first stop after Tibet was Xi’an, where I “landed” after a 33 hour train ride. I had reserved 2 full days in one of the oldest cities in China . So how did I spent this time?
Xi'an city wall
One of the “top things to do in Xi’an”, is to rent a bicycle and ride it on the ancient City Wall of Xi’an which surrounds the imperial city. The wall which was built already in the 14th century has withstood through time quite well and is in decent condition until these days. Driving the bicycle there was a good introduction to get an overview of the whole layout of Xi’an. The Wall is 14 km long and it takes several hours to complete the whole circle.
THE GIANT WILD GOOSE PAGODA
A walk mixed with a short metro ride through the city took me to The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The Buddhist structure was built already 1500 years ago during Tang dynasty. You might ask why is it called like that. Well, if you figure it out then let me know as well. The whole territory is dedicated to Buddhist buildings/temples and from the top of the pagoda, it is possible to get some nice views on the city of Xi’an once again.
Muslim Food Street
On that evening (and the following evening as well) I visited the heart of the city, where the Muslim quarter is situated. Several streets are closed for traffic and full of people who are all munching on the delicious street food bought from one of the countless booths on the street curb. The streets are colourfully lit up and the atmosphere is mixed in various scents and sounds. The food is just delicious! On both evenings I left the streets almost exploding from different meals. It was pleasant that the wallet stayed almost full as well.
The Terracota Army
A visit to Xi’an would be incomplete without visiting the Terracotta Warriors. On the following morning, I went to the train station to catch the bus heading to the excavation sites.
The story is that figures were produced and buried with the emperor with the purpose of protecting the “big boss” in his afterlife. The craziest thing is that the figures which were made already in 200 B.C!! were just discovered 45 years ago in 1974 by local farmers. Besides a small museum, there are 3 different magnitude pits were the Terracotta Army is situated in. Two of them are smaller but the biggest one is quite impressive. The excavation is actually still being carried out and they probably have not found all of the figures yet.
IMPRESSIONS ABOUT XI'AN AND CHINA
I definitely would have needed one more day in Xi’an. There is Mount Huashan which is located just east from Xi’an where I simply did not have the time to go to. It is famous for its steep and narrow paths. Just check the photos from here and you know what I mean. So if you are heading to Xi’an and reading this then I definitely recommend spending at least 3 days there.
The first impressions I got about Xi’an and China after coming from Tibet Autonomus Region are the following:
- The pollution is real. As you could see from the sunset photo in this blog post then the sky is pretty much not visible in the big cities.
- Locals English-speaking skills are scarce. Translation apps come really handy. Even in the hostels, restaurants, shops and bus/train stations. They pretty much just do not speak English.
- Food is delicious! I enjoyed myself a lot in the food market.
- It is developed and clean. It is definitely different in South-East Asian and South-Asian countries where the condition of roads and waste-management is poorer.
So that was it for my first steps in China (besides Tibet Autonomous Region). From Xi’an, I continued my way towards south to Zhangjiajie, where are one of the most peculiar mountains I have ever seen in my life, located. But about that already in the next post!
