Beijing to Xi'an
We're on the bullet train again today. Destination: Xi'an. Our train leaves just before 8 so we're up early. We get to the station and the security and check-in is again super quick and easy. We've got just enough time for breakfast and a coffee before we board. Again, it's a smooth ride to Xi'an with only a couple of stops along the way and 4 hours later and we've arrived. We've hopped off the train and walked a few hundred metres before Jeff realises he's left his Kobo (e-reader) on the train. Shit. Courts runs back as the train hasn't left yet. She tries to explain to the attendants what's going on before jumping back on the train to look for the Kobo. It's a good hour or so between stops so it wouldn't be a great outcome if the doors close behind her. The language barrier isn't helping but she's told she's got 2 minutes before the train leaves. She frantically hops on and searches to no avail. Damn. Maybe Jeff will be able to pick up an English book here (although he's not had much luck so far).
We dust ourselves off and head for the Metro. We're still able to use the same app which has been really handy. We're on the metro in no time and it's about a 20 minute ride to our stop. We noticed on the bullet train from Beijing that the smog was getting thicker the further inland we came and Jeff's air app confirms. The air quality is shit house. We decide to have a quieter arvo partly due to this but also because we're wrecked. We've been going hammer and tong for over a week and it's finally catching up to us.
We check in at the hotel (it's lovely on the inside and gaudy on the outside), drop our bags and head out for a mask (we notice a lot more people wearing them here) and a bite to eat. Our first impressions (after the crappy air quality) is that Xi'an is a cool looking city. Different again from where we've come from, the old city is inside a huge rectangle wall built in the Ming-era. We're staying just inside the South entrance to the wall.
The pharmacist where we buy masks from is out the front having a smoke and we ask him for a food recommendation (certainly won't be taking any health advice from him). He gestures around the corner so we dutifully head in that direction and are rewarded with a strip of restaurants. They all look good but we pick one that has roujiamo, basically a meat sandwich. We order one each and a bowl of spinach oily noodles to share. The cook finishes his smoke and heads into the kitchen. We're sure he washed his hands before cooking. We quickly forget our hygiene concerns when the food arrives. We mix the green chewy noodles into the oily chilli coating and it's magnificent. The sandwiches are juicy and the flat bread toasted with the perfect amount of oil.
We wander back to the hotel via the convenience store for the usual supplies: beer and water. It's been drizzling a little bit and we're hoping this will blow out the smog. The air is pretty gross out here. We head back to the hotel and decide it's too late for a nap and then take a nap anyway. We're having a hard time getting a plan together this afternoon as we're both feeling pretty flat. Not to worry though, we have plenty of time here and could use a chill evening. We head out for dinner via Defu lane which is apparently a bit of a bar/craft brewery type strip. Maybe a beer will perk us up. There's not as many drinking holes as we expected and we settle for one with a cosy sailor (?) type theme that sells German beer, naturally. We've managed to escape the outdoor smog for indoor cigarette smoke. We have a draft which does the job and we're on our way.
We're making our way to the Muslim Quarter, which is part of the wider Muslim community. It was settled back in the 7th century when the Silk Road brought Islam to this part of China. So as you'd expect, the food around here has a big Muslim influence with a lot more lamb and beef as opposed to pork and different spices and hand pulled breads.
We don't get very far before we're oohing and aahing at all the good looking food stalls we're seeing, many with great looking fresh produce, which we've not seen in the other cities. There's a guy doing some seriously good looking stir frying which he serves straight into a plastic bag (the original bag see ew!). We continue down the strip intent on not settling for the first thing we see and settle on a small restaurant with a big outdoor eating area of tiny tables and stalls which is packed. We order by getting what everyone else seems to he having, a delicious looking chicken noodle dish with capsicum and onion. The lady8 serving us says it's spicy so we order a beef one as well which isn't. The chicken is szechuan spicy and Courts wonders if her throat is closing over at one point. Both dishes are delicious and the noodles here are fantastically chewy as well. Despite the fact we're leaning heavily over our dishes we're frequently coming alway with oil stains up the wazoo. Can't take us anywhere.
Time for the after dinner stroll aka find an ice-cream. We wander past the bell tower which is in the middle of the city in the roundabout so violently lit up the man on the moon can probably see it. All the lights around the city are dialed up to 9,000. It's insane and over the top. We head back to the hotel absolutely knackered and keen for a good night's sleep.
