Downtown Xi'an
We only had a short stay in Xi'an, and so by Monday morning we were packing for our departure. However our train wasn't leaving until late evening and so we had plenty of time to spare for some outings.
To begin with we walked down to the Muslim Quarter, which is very close to the Drum Tower. Xi'an has a very old Muslim population - and apparently also had an early Christian settlement as well. These days the most obvious feature of the Muslim Quarter is the bustling streets and lanes that are almost one continuous market. The Great Mosque is apparently a blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture - but we had rumbling stomachs and found some lunch at one of the shops in the Islamic food market. To continue our food safari, this place was somewhat Central Asian in style, with an enormous serve of soft lamb from the grill.
After lunch we walked down to the South Gate of the City Walls. Once we had walked up to the top of the wall we were able to hire a couple of tandem bicycles, and then ride the full 14km circuit around the city centre.
There were many other people who we also saw riding around, with most people taking in the sights and ambling along in a very relaxed manner. However both of our tandems had a fit and competitive young boy as the stoker, so we set a much faster pace - with many exclamations and smiles from Chinese sightseers as we raced past!
After squeezing in some more pool at the hostel it was time to go, so we flagged down our obligatory 2 taxis and headed for the station. It turned out that the taxis dropped us off at different parts of the station and so we had a difficult spell of trying to find each other in the busy crowd. Fortunately however we'd allowed plenty of time and so we headed into the station and were able to settle down for some dinner, and then found our way to the special lounge for Soft Sleeper ticketholders. Owen and Liam settled down with an iPod and listened to some more episodes from Dr Karl.
The train ended up being about 40 minutes late, but at least we were in a very comfortable place to wait. Because of the delay the train was moved to a different platform, and so we were taken by a station attendant along a maze of passages and platforms to find our train - with another very helpful passenger taking Liam's suitcase.
We were nearly at the train when Peter cried out "Liam!" in alarm, and we realized that he was no longer with us. Maree rushed back along the platform, and about 100m back she found a small crowd of concerned people who were trying to help a very upset young boy. With our family together again we finally got onto the train for Nanjing - and we were all very ready for bed!
To begin with we walked down to the Muslim Quarter, which is very close to the Drum Tower. Xi'an has a very old Muslim population - and apparently also had an early Christian settlement as well. These days the most obvious feature of the Muslim Quarter is the bustling streets and lanes that are almost one continuous market. The Great Mosque is apparently a blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture - but we had rumbling stomachs and found some lunch at one of the shops in the Islamic food market. To continue our food safari, this place was somewhat Central Asian in style, with an enormous serve of soft lamb from the grill.
After lunch we walked down to the South Gate of the City Walls. Once we had walked up to the top of the wall we were able to hire a couple of tandem bicycles, and then ride the full 14km circuit around the city centre.
There were many other people who we also saw riding around, with most people taking in the sights and ambling along in a very relaxed manner. However both of our tandems had a fit and competitive young boy as the stoker, so we set a much faster pace - with many exclamations and smiles from Chinese sightseers as we raced past!
After squeezing in some more pool at the hostel it was time to go, so we flagged down our obligatory 2 taxis and headed for the station. It turned out that the taxis dropped us off at different parts of the station and so we had a difficult spell of trying to find each other in the busy crowd. Fortunately however we'd allowed plenty of time and so we headed into the station and were able to settle down for some dinner, and then found our way to the special lounge for Soft Sleeper ticketholders. Owen and Liam settled down with an iPod and listened to some more episodes from Dr Karl.
The train ended up being about 40 minutes late, but at least we were in a very comfortable place to wait. Because of the delay the train was moved to a different platform, and so we were taken by a station attendant along a maze of passages and platforms to find our train - with another very helpful passenger taking Liam's suitcase.
We were nearly at the train when Peter cried out "Liam!" in alarm, and we realized that he was no longer with us. Maree rushed back along the platform, and about 100m back she found a small crowd of concerned people who were trying to help a very upset young boy. With our family together again we finally got onto the train for Nanjing - and we were all very ready for bed!
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