: photo album :
shaanxi

beijing < shaanxi > henan

Xi'an
The hard seat train from Beijing was surprisingly comfortable and so amazingly cheap it kicked ass (less than £4 for the 15 hr journey). I arrived early in the morning and checked into this youth hostel and met some great folks from Belgium and Holland

My Youth Hostel in Xi'an

These new found friends invited me along for the day and we visited the Shaanxi Provincial Museum (I wouldn't recommend it) and then headed for the pagoda and water park thing.

The entrance to the pagoda

Sadly the water park only heats up at night when fountains 'dance' to music and I missed it but it is highly recommended. Just south of that we dived into the back streets which was a wonderful experience of traditional life and real Chinese food. The guys I was with weren't willing to risk this so we eat in a dodgy fish restaurant instead and headed back on the bus, an experience in themselves

A wonderful back street south of the city

The following day I had a chance to potter round the city which I found rather pleasant and a new experience. I stopped by a shopping mall and wandered along a frenzied market street.

My first shopping mall

I was pleasantly surprised to find Xi'an littered with recycling bins, though sadly people were not exactly well versed with using the new-fangled devices.

Recycling facilities everywhere

On my third day I made it out to the terracotta warriors but buss from the train station.

Pit one of the terra-cotta warriors

The warriors themselves

The terracotta warriors were well worth the visit but the entrance price was a little on the steep side. I perhaps more enjoyed just wondering round the streets of Xi'an and meeting real people.

beijing < shaanxi > henan