May 26

Super early wake up call, breakfast in a box, and we were on our way to the airport for our flight to Xi’an. It was a quickie, maybe an hour. On to the buses and straight out to site-seeing (we couldn’t check in til after 3 pm). We checked out the city wall, and a couple of us rented bicycles to ride along it. That was actually pretty fun, and created a nice breeze, but then you got off the bike and realized just how hot you were. So I bought an orange popsicle. Then back on the bus to go to lunch, which was possibly the best meal we’ve had yet. There was only one or two dishes that I didn’t eat from, and it wasn’t because they were necessarily bad or weird, just things I didn’t particularly like or had texture issues with. There was some sweet and sour pork that was awesome, and two different styles of green beans that were delicious. So yay for that, food is getting better.

Then onto the Wild Goose Pagoda. You can pay a few bucks to walk up its 290 stairs, but after lunch, and the fact that I’m still sore and tight from the Great Wall trek, and with how hot it is, I (as well as many others) decided not to take the vertical hike, and just wander around taking pictures. I’m perfectly satisfied with the outcome. Then on to our hotel, the ritziest Howard Johnson in the world probably. For real, this place is sweet. There’s a clear sink in the bathroom, and it has a tub AND a shower (tub will be utilized as a washing machine later). We have a sitting area across the room from the beds, and by "across the room" I mean almost 30 feet away.

I went to take a short nap (planned on an hour) but my alarm didn’t go off so I slept for almost 3 hours. It was nice, but I was in a rush for dinner (and disoriented). Pretty much only had French fries and a roll. Some of us took a cab to go see a water and light show. Cab rides are quite an experience. Everyone just cuts everyone else off, no one uses signals, and I don’t even feel like there is much regulation as far as signs and traffic lights. I’m amazed we don’t see wrecks every five seconds, because we see almost-wrecks every nanosecond. I took some video I might show you later. Not sure if the rollercoaster effect will come through.

The water and light show was similar to the Bellagio’s, with the fountains, music, and light all choreographed. Only a zillion people are out watching this one, and some are running through the fountains. Took a few pictures and video of that, then a cab back to the hotel. A Mai Tai in the lobby bar, then back to my room to update about all this, and then hopefully get some decent sleep, despite my nap. Tomorrow is Terra Cotta Warriors museum.