Operation Travel Bug Presents:

Date: June 2, 2009
Time: 9:19 AM
Location: Xi’an

So we arrived in Xi’an yesterday after an 11 hour train ride from Beijing.  It was sad to have to say goodbye to Beijing, but the trip must go on.  Before we left on Sunday May 31st, we had stopped to see the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, where the Olympics took place.  Then we stopped in an Chinese Herbal place, where we learned about Herbal Tea, and get a diagnosis from professional doctors.  I was told that I had too much heat in my blood and that I should buy some herbal pills to take before sinus problems develop in the future.  Needless to say, I didn’t buy it (480 Yuan… I don’t think so).  But I did get some cheaper tea leaves to drink when we get to Nanjing.  The train ride was an interesting experience.  Groups one, two, and three were in a separate car than the rest of the group, but we made it work.  Two hour shifts for the guys to stand guard over our stuff.  But Barbara from Hunter and I didn’t really sleep on the train, so we helped the shifts out for the entire ride.  But I’m determined to sleep tonight when we board our train to Nanjing.  13 Hours!! *sigh*

So yesterday, we stopped in our hotel for about an hour or so, showered and ate a buffet breakfast.  [[On a side note, I have to say, food here has been really good so far.  Sure, it got kind of repetitive after a while in Beijing with our basic dishes (rice, some pork dish, some beef dish, some soup, some unidentified green vegetable [not choy], some chicken dish, broccoli, and soda), but the buffet food we have in Xi’an is getting better.  After today, food will be on ourselves, so instant noodle in Nanjing?  Maybe… and maybe not…]] Then we went to a Jade Factory to learn about telling real jade and fake jade, and the different qualities that Jade comes in.  After the Jade Factory, we were bussed over to the see the Terracotta soldiers.  It’s interesting to see them in real life as opposed to a picture.  There were people still excavating parts of the pits where the soldiers were found.  It seems like really intricate work, because it must be hard to distinguish between what was a part of the soldier, and what is just hard dirt.  But the interesting fact that I did learn about the soldiers was that it was discovered by a farmer that was digging a well for his family.  After having been vandalized by rebel forces way back when and lost to the world for so long, it must have been amazing to find such history under the land on which you and your family has been living and working on for so long.  At the Terracotta Soldier Museum, we also sat down in a teahouse, where we learned how to properly brew herbal tea, and about what teas are good for what health purposes.

At night, I took a walk around the neighborhood with the rest of Group 3 and checked out some stores in the area.  Stopped in a supermarket for amenities for our stay in Nanjing.  I only bought it here and not in Nanjing because then I could use them on the first day of arrival.  I also need to figure out how this laundry thing is going to work.  Walking through the street vendors here in Xi’an was crazy.  It was super hectic and crowded.  But even though I felt as if I would be robbed every other second, it was still a fun experience to see, smell, and taste a little of the food there.  Good news is, that there is no poison in my stomach yet. =]  I’m going to wait till I get to Nanjing to upload more pictures from the trip.  I’m already up to about 600-ish.  Yikes…  But I don’t think I’m taking any videos this trip because I decided not to bring my video camcorder with me, but I guess if the camera quality isn’t that bad, then there might be videos to come.  I’m looking forward to finally settling down a little when we get to Nanjing.  I’ll see you guys then!  Peace out…