On the Train from Xi’an to Guilin, Beijing, May 18, 2010

Soft sleeper trains aren’t really all that “soft,” we’ve come to find out. This is our second train ride, the first being from Beijing to Xi’an. Beijing to Xi’an was a relatively quick overnighter that lasted about 11 hours. This leg of our journey is much longer, a 27-hour ride from the north to the south of China.

A bit about Xi’an…
Robin totally scored hiring a guide for when we first arrived. Our guide, Penny, was really nice and very sweet. She met us at the Xi’an train station wielding one of the small posters we have come to know and appreciate. Seeing your name on a sign in the middle of all the chaos that is a Chinese airport or train station is a welcome sight indeed.

After tending to some basics (coffee!) we were off to the Terra Cotta Warriors, which lived up to their billing in every way. Enroute, we stopped at a small facto
ry that made replicas of the warriors in various sizes, from a few inches tall to life size. It was such a relatively low-pressure sales environment that it caught us off guard and we actually bought a small series of the different warriors. Now, we need to find a way to ship them back to the U.S before we leave China – they certainly won’t fit in our backpacks when we fly to Kenya.

The first emperor of the Qin dynasty, who was the first to unite all of China, constructed this gigantic tomb (40 sq. kilometers!) so he could continue to rule in the afterlife. They have only excavated a small portion of the entire site, but there are still hundreds of warriors to check out. Reconstructing each warrior takes about a year - apparently, they were all broken when the tomb was raided during a peasant uprising shortly after the emperor died.
As cool as the Terra Cotta Warriors were, we both really enjoyed just talking to Penny for the 6-7 hours we spent with her. We covered all sorts of topics, from the Great Recession and its effects in the U.S. and on the China tourism industry in Xi’an. Family stuff (she has a brother AND a sister, rare in China – “very lucky” she said…), the Second Amendment, the concept of federal land in the U.S. and “owning” property in China (you can’t, just lease for 70 years), the “deposit” that Chinese must pay in cash if they want to leave the country for vacation or work (~$30,000!), and much more. Really fascinating to get her take on China and the U.S., and share our thoughts with her.

Stayed at an Ibis hotel – a very good deal, not a lot of charm but very modern and convenient, too. They must not have gotten the word that the Gerrows were coming, however, and neglected to stock up on the local beer in the lobby bar. So, they soon ran out…

We spent one nice morning taking a bike ride atop the old city wall, much of which runs between tiny parks and a moat. We rode all the way around the old part of the city, stopping occasionally for photos or a beer.

On our last day in Xi’an, we were playing cards in one of the parks by the wall when we heard music from across the moat and decided to investigate. We found what we guess is the Chinese version of a hootenanny, with various women singing to the accompaniment of traditional Chinese instruments. As usual, we attracted a fair amount of curiosity from the crowd gathered there to listen. The singers and band were really quite good, and we were looking for the tip jar but didn’t see one. Not to worry, as we were soon approached by one of the singers who displayed a 20 yuan note and clearly indicated that she would like us to give her one. So we did, happily, but that seemed to open a door. Next thing we know we’re being served tea and encouraged to give still more money, at which time we decided to move along. Still, very interesting encounter.

Really, though, Xi’an seemed very much about the food for us. Lots of it, and mostly delicious. We say mostly, because we frequently didn’t know exactly what we were ordering until it showed up on the table. The menus in most of the restaurants have photos of the food, but even that can be misleading. A small photo of pickled tripe, for instance, looks a lot like a bowl of noodles.