Nicky
Today we woke up at 430 in the morning to catch a flight from Beijing to Xi’an. We landed safely at Xi’an’s airport and drove into the gridlock traffic of the city. Xi’an is one of China’s ancient capitals and dates back thousands of years. The city is home to about 8 million people which is small compared to Beijing but still feels large compared to U.S. cities. After a long bus ride we finally arrived at the ancient wall of Xi’an that surrounds the center of the city. There, we all got to bike around the 14 kilometer wall. I rode around with a kid from Reading named Troy while many others, including Lauren and Mrs. Lee, had to pair up on tandem bikes. The ride took around an hour and gave us many fantastic views of the city. It is very interesting seeing the contrast between ancient and modern in the city for while the wall is 600 years but is surrounded by ever expanding modernization. After biking the wall we went to lunch which was more western than Chinese. The meal included chicken nuggets, spaghetti and French fries. The hotel rooms are very nice and have a perfect view of the ancient bell tower in the center of Xi’an. We are very excited for what is to come in Xi’an.
Jason
It is hard to believe that we have only now arrived in the second of the three cities we are visiting. There was so much to see and do in Beijing that it felt like the vacation could end there and we would all be satisfied. The first thing I noticed about Xi’an was that it was much clearer than Beijing. Here, we can actually see the sun, and there was a little bit of blue sky. This was really nice for the bike ride on the city wall, but it was also really dry and dusty. I was towards the end of the line, so I ended up taking a tandem bike with Kathleen instead of a single. The ride was fun, but we were all really thirsty and ready to eat by the end. Lunch was very American today… there was spaghetti and meatballs and “stir fried potatoes” (french fries). We came back to the hotel to wash up and get settled in. Our room has a really great view of the Bell Tower. Right now, Nicky and I are watching TV, and this commercial type thing came on that was just pictures of China and singing. It seemed kind of like a propaganda commercial, and I would be interested to find out the meaning of the lyrics. Now we are going to get massages… very exciting. We all can’t wait for the rest of the trip.
Goodbye from Xi’an
Oh, the hotels in Asia are great; the great service, food, and spa facilites are something I miss when traveling in Africa for business. Your trip sounds great,but chicken nuggets and french fried? What about a sweat meat-filled steamed sticky-white bun, or dumpling? Goes better with soy sauce, don't you think? Off to Ghana / Liberia tomorrow for two weks. Jim B. (Nicky's dad.)
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