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Today, being mainly a travel day, was rather
uneventful. We began by waking up at 7:00, getting packed, and eating
what was another awesome breakfast at the “Bogart’s Café” in our hotel.
Surrounded by pictures of the Three Stooges and Marilyn Monroe, we
enjoyed noodles, dumplings, eggs, and Abraham’s favorite: “you tiao,”
which is a long fried dough stick.
We then checked out and left for the Nanjing
airport, which was about a one hour bus ride from our hotel. Finally
arriving at the airport, we were alarmed to find that the new gifts we
had bought caused our baggage to be way over the weight limit.
Shannon’s bag won the “heaviest luggage award,” weighing in at over 35
kg. That bag, coupled with a series of close seconds, forced us to pay
640 yuan in overweight baggage fees. Luckily, this was only about 6 US$
per person.
Although the weight standards were much like
those in America, the airport security was alarmingly different. As we
approached the metal detector and began to customarily remove our belts,
sunglasses, and watches, the attendants at the screener told us to leave
them on, and we walked through uninterrupted. The security didn’t
improve as we approached the plane, as we were greeted by a young man
repairing a bicycle on the tarmac. When we finally reached our plane
after the bus ride across the runway, many in our group were shocked to
see that our transportation to Xi’an was a tiny prop-plane. The ride on
that small plane was, in the words of Liz, “the worst plane ride ever.”
After the turbulent ride had ended, we were
elated to finally be on land again. Our elation grew even greater when
we saw the new bus that would carry us for the rest of our trip. The
new vehicle was newly painted, well-furnished, and, in the words of Mr.
Rokuskie, pervaded by a “new bus smell.” This shining mode of transport
was in stark contrast to our previous bus, which featured worn seat
covers sporting dancing bears and the word: “gymnatics” (gymnastics
misspelled).
After riding for an hour on our new mansion
on wheels, we arrived in the city of Xi’an. Although considered the
most heavily polluted city in China, the natural beauty of the
historical city could not be denied. The words of our new tour guide,
Irene, summed up this vast history best: “If you want to learn about the
past 100 years of China, go to Shanghai; the past 1000, go to Beijing;
the past 5000, go to Xi’an.”
Our first taste of that history was the
Small Wild Goose Pagoda. This tower once stood 30 stories tall, but the
top 15 floors crumbled to the ground, leaving only 15 remaining.
Although slightly diminished in stature from its earlier days, the
Pagoda was still a sight to behold.
After enjoying the Pagoda, we took a short
bus ride to the Tang Dynasty Museum in Xi’an. This art museum featured
many priceless pieces of artwork, as well as an extensive history of the
Tang Dynasty. The museum even featured a wonderful little art shop with
many beautiful paintings. The store also featured a calligraphy
demonstration, at which Ms. Lee promptly volunteered to draw a piece of
ancient bamboo art; the demonstrators were stunned by the quality of her
work. She later gave the piece to Joelle, since the name that Ms. Lee
chose for Joelle means “healthy bamboo.”
Following the art exhibit, we traveled to
what was probably our best dinner of the entire trip. The restaurant
featured a Chinese version of fondue, in which each person cooks meat
and vegetables in boiling water and then dips them in a self-made
dipping sauce. The food was great, and the experience of cooking it
ourselves was a great alternative to the blandness of the earlier
airport meal.
After dinner, we took the bus directly back
to our hotel, as we were too tired to embark on our usual shopping
excursions. When we stepped into the lobby of another AMAZING hotel, we
were greeted by a string quartet playing the Disney classic, “Can You
Feel the Love Tonight?” As the entire bus had been rocking to the Elton
John CD that I bought in Nanjing (for less than 1 US$) on the way from
the airport, it was great to hear such familiar music in such a foreign
place as Xi’an.
Overall, today was not a particularly
noteworthy day, with much of the time being spent in transit from
Nanjing. Also, the group came to a consensus that Nanjing was our
favorite spot so far, so it was hard for the more
agriculturally-centered Xi’an to compare. It was great, however, to
have an ample opportunity on the plane ride over to try out the more
than 100 DVD’s that the group bought the night before. Thus, although
long and largely uneventful, today was still fun, and it was great to
get to see such a historic city as Xi’an.
Shout Outs to:
…Hello to mom dad, and
any other family members who may be reading this. We’re having a great
time! To Ruth, I’m sure that school is as fun and exciting as China.
yea… |
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