The Great Chinese Adventure Part 1: Xi'an

Ten days. Six cities. One girl.

Our first stop was the historical city of Xi'an - most famous for being the home of the Terracotta Warriors. Some 16,000 carved warriors, all different faces. If that doesn't fascinate you in the least, maybe you should lay off the pot.

Xi'an is a lovely city and contrary to the popular belief that all cities in China are dirty(-ish), Xi'an is anything but. It's a walled city, surrounded by a fantastic fort. It's the start of spring so the air is still cool and crisp, with a hint of sun in the afternoon. Lovely for a walk. I'll let the photos to the talking:

Hyatt Regency, Xi'an, my home for two days.
A mausoleum of one of the many Emperor's of China (his name escapes me right now) Sprawling gardens, beautiful landscapes. So the very pretty...

Batu Caves of Xi'an, heh heh. You have to climb a gazillion steps to get to the top. This is me, still want to 'posing glamour' in case I die of a heart of attack on the way up.

I survived the gazillion steps and the huffing and puffing was worth the view!

Rule no. 1 in China: Bargain like your life depended on it. But Rule no.2: Be prepared for verbal abuse if you fail to actually PURCHASE anything after haggling.

Eating is a FREAKIN' BIG DEAL in China. A very painful lesson. A minimum of 13 dishes every meal. Die la. I had vegetarian noodles and stewed lamb oozing out of my nose and ears by the end of my trip...

...But having some beer to wash it down made the torture less painful. Heh.

We visited Moslem Street. Great place for shopping. Fascinating to hear Chinese women in headscarves greet you with 'Assalamualaikum'.

So much to see, so little time! China has excellent bargains. Too bad MAS has a baggage limit.

Believe it or not, this is not a temple but a mosque.


And finally, nothing like a bit of retail therapy to make me forget I don't like cold weather. Hooray!


In the next episode: Join Fridaycat as she makes her way to sunny Hainan island!