Welcome to Xian

Stepping outside of this huge Xian train station, I was faced by hundreds of people waiting for those they were picking up. Being the only white guy within 50 miles, all eyes were on me as i approached the large crowd of greeters. Fortunately, my bald, white head, is not hard to spot, and Dujia and Erik found me quite easily.

After a quick stop at the hostel to drop off my bags, we went out for some tastey breakfast snacks in the Chinese Islamic food market... a vital part of the city's delicious quisine.

For lunch we stopped at Dujia's aunt's home which was a short walk up the street. They provided some tea for a short visit, then we all walked to a restaurant for a hot pot, which is a popular social form of dining together where the food is cooked on the table. It was a feast, and a wonderful welcome to their city.

We headed to the South Gate of the city wall, a 14km long, 20m high massive rectangular protective structure that surrounds the city. We rented bikes and took about 90 minutes to cover the entire distance. The red lamps are illuminated at night creating an amazing site.

For dinner, we stopped at a terriffic dumpling restaurant. The meal included beef dumplings, spicey rice noodles, and a bowl of rice porridge with raisins and various beans.

At about 8pm we headed to the Big Goose Pagoda, which is accompanied by Asia's largest fountain and light show. Adding to all of this was the near full moon, which I was able to capture in some great photos.

The entire day was filled with new food, sights, and friends. The next day we would head to see the famous Terracotta Warriors.