Arrived at the hotel in Xi’an at 1100 – quick shower and then met for a quick orientation – we are pretty central within the Old Walls staying in the middle of the Bell Tower and Drum Tower. Jo, Julie and I initially set off together heading towards the Bell Tower which is in the middle of a huge traffic roundabout that you get to via underground subway passages lined with shops and expensive shopping malls. Starbucks in one corner, MacDonalds in another and have already gone past a KFC and Pizza Hutt. Eventually found our way there and uo zillions of steps to get to the top. Got a combined ticket for the Drum Tower as well – 40yuan – approx 4 pounds. Had a look around and took some photos and then we all headed our separate ways. I found myself coming out the entrance near Starbucks so decided to test their worldwide free wifi and it worked. Had a Panini and frappuchino here and it cost the same as our dinners for the last 4 nights – our dinners have been extremely cheap as eating at very local places. Lunch was 6 pounds so average in UK prices. Sent various emails and loitered for a while as quite warm. Then headed to the Drum Tower and had a look and then back to the hotel for 1600 as meeting some others to go off to the Large Goose Pagoda and watch the Magical Fountion.
Martin, Jo, Julie, Hannah and I met – Lorna didn’t come as she thought the Magical Fountain beneath her. We initially tried to get a taxi as too far to walk – however it was driver changeover time and impossible to get one. It seems to be that taxi drivers work 12 hr shifts and have to change drivers between 4-5 pm and there seem to be strict rules about this. Decided to give up and cah a bus so walked another 10 mins to get to the place where 610 should leave from only to find 610 is no longer in existence. A lovely Chinese girl helped and we discovered we needed 2 buses. The first bus was extremely crowded and we got off a stop too late so another 15 min walk back, then another bus for 4 stops and another short walk – took s 1.5hrs in the end and arrived at the Large Goose Pagoda just on closing time but we were fortunate to be allowed in. Wandered around by ourselves for an hour. Then Hannah and Julie went back to the hotel and the other 3 of us wandered some more and found a restaurant for dinner – no English spoken but some words on the menu. Then back to the North Square of the pagoda to watch the Magical Fountain. Werent sure what we were going to see but seemed to be the only tourists there with a mass of Chinese people. Got what we thought was a good spot and settled to wait. It was really good – some music and lights and water everywhere somehow controlled to spurt at various heights in time to the music – went on for about 20-30 mins. Really excellent – vaguely like what we saw at Disneyworld without the glitz and glamour of Disneyworld. Then we tried to find a taxi back with hundreds of others trying the same thing. Got in one taxi first but after 5 mins he refused to take us – still not sure why and he just took off with no one. Then another taxi just sitting there refusing to take others but agreed to take us – he charged us double the normal price which we knew but accepted anyway. His gearbox was shot and he was a very aggressive driver and it was the drive of a lifetime. Jo and I giggling hysterically in the backseat at every near miss which happened several times per minute. He slowed a bit nearer the hotel and then lost it again for a while.
Safely back to the room where Lorna was still up to let me in. Puddled around a bit and then coughed myself to sleep eventually. All of us are at varying stages of a cough and cold that has ripped thru the group – I am one of the last to succumb.


Up at 0800 ready to be on our way to HanYanglin temple about 40mins outside of Xi’an. Five of us again. This is the tomb that was recently discovered of one of the Emperors. They have opened the actual Emperors burial tomb under the mound as they archeologists are afraid that everything will deteriorate with the contact with the air so are leaving it until they have the knowledge to preserve it fully. However they have excavated some of the less important burial sites which they have enclosed in the dark underground in their original position and which they kept at a contant 22 degrees celcius and at 97 % humidity which should preserve everything. Walkways have been built on top so you can see right down and the glass has a protective layer so you can take orange photos without ruining the artefacts. Really interesting and I enjoyed it. However became violently and rapidly ill about halfway around and missed the rest – 3 hours later I had basically recovered – possibly food poisoning. The driver ran out of petrol on the way back but just made it to a petrol station as help arrived from his company. Back to the hotel to rest for a few hours and then out to Starbucks where I chatted to a Norwegian girl who was doing a short Intrepid trip before heading out on her own to SE Asia.

Then met some of the others for dinner. Went to a Chinese restaurant - menu had pictures and some English. I had spicy chicken with peanuts - some of the others had duck. Then wandered around afterwards and had icecream and eventually in bed by 2300 after a bit of packing