Our last day in Beijing was spent stolling through the streets and alleys and the Temple of Heaven. We made our way to the enormous Beijing West train station to catch our train to Xian which was much easier than we had anticipated. The trains all have a train number which is written in English so even though you cant read the Origin or Destination you can still find your train, however their are trains leaving to dozens or destinations all within minutes of each other and the platform numbers arent always correct. So always double check your train number with a staff member as they wont come and collect your tickets until the train is on its way. The overnight trip took just under 12 hours and was very comfortable in soft sleeper. Soft sleepers have 4 beds per compartment, hard sleeper 6 beds per compartment. The farms enroute where thick with snow and we arrive the next morning in a freezing Xian (below zero). I find an English speaking worker at the station who assists me in buying our onward ticket to Chengdu. We ask the local police if they know where we can buy a town map in English, they load me and the boys onto their golf buggy police vehicle and take us all around town, the lady police officer running in to shops and hotels asking in chinese if they have a map for us. They dont give up and after 45 mins of scooting us around town in their buggy they finally find us one. Hows that for service!!! Now with map in hand, we find our way on foot to our accommodation and then set out to visit the Drum Tower, Bell Tower and the Muslim Quarter. It was xmas eve which unbeknown to us is actually the biggest night of the year in Xian. Thousands of people fill the streets letting of fireworks and fire balloons. The party and fireworks carried on to the early hours of the morning. Unfortunately we were so cold we had to retreat to our hotel fairly early. Xmas Day we visited the Terracotta Warriors to gaze in awe at this amazing accomplishment. It truly is hard to get your head around the scale of this tomb and its contents. Truly one of the great wonders of ancient time. We jump aboard a bus returning to Xian and seem to be on the one taking the scenic route heading down dirt tracks in little villages, past schools, workers, markets and more. It was a very interesting journey. On our return we took our freezing bodies out shopping for some more layers and find some great ski jackets $5AUD for the kids ones and $10 for mine. They didnt have anything big enough to fit poor Paul so he's still cold. We find a local cafe where not a soul speaks or understands English, we mimic chickens and cows to the staff who find this very amusing but then produce the most beautiful chicken and beef meals for us. Once again all our food including several beers and soft drinks comes to around $2AUD per head. It is now our last day in Xian and tonight we are on the overnight train to Chengdu which takes around 16 hours. http://www.byokids.com.au/ ...your family travel gurus
No comments:
Post a Comment