 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
XI'AN |
|
|
|
I remember thinking when I touched down at the Xi'an airport that I should get ready for some serious culture shock. I was right.
After stays in Japan and Hong Kong, I had become accustomed to Westernised Asia, a couple days stay in Xi'an showed me the other side, one that is devoid of air conditioning, clean water as well as low-emission automobiles. What I noticed that Xi'an did have that Japan and HK didn't have to offer was a sort of vibe that I can't really explain, the people here were mostly friendly and sometimes curious, whereas Japan and Hong Kong was strictly business.
After the bus ride from the airport, which I have to add was an experience on its own (imagine a very grey, Communist-style building devoid of advertising and military-looking people everywhere...it was great!), we headed to Xi'an city centre. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
[click on images for a closer look] |
|
|
|
|
|
XI'AN COUNTRYSIDE |
|
|
|
To say that I was excited during the bus ride would be an understatement. I was in China, for the first time in my life (everyone knows that HK doesn't count). This is a place where my parents were from and where my grandparents lived for most of their lives. It was one of those moments where one would take out their 'Things to do before I die' list and check off item #3 (I'm not telling what's #1 and #2). |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
OUTDOOR MARKET IN XI'AN |
|
|
| I was part of a tour group the whole time I was in China, except for a night or two when I ventured out on my own. While there was a lot of convenience in being with a tour group (ie. lodging and meals were ready for us), but there were two features of the tour that I disliked a lot. One was that in between historical sites, they'd take us to a jade factory or tea house and expect us to buy something there, I have to admit, I actually purchased a couple items from these 'visits', but for the most part it was a waste of time. Secondly, the entire tour was conducted in Cantonese since this tour was based out of Hong Kong. Now, my Cantonese isn't horrific, but when they started using historical terms and stuff like that, I just couldn't follow. Eventually, I just joined in with the ubiquitous American tour groups at the sites just so I could listen to what their guides were saying. The trick was to look for the white people, one day that backfired on me as I left my group and joined in with a German group by accident...NEIN! |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back to 'China' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click on Xi'an's historic city wall to continue. |
|