Xi'an City Wall (Chengqiang)

This morning we hired bikes 10Y (1 pound) for the whole day. We wanted to take the bikes to the wall and then cycle around the top of it like it says in the lonely planet. However, when we got there the ticket office said we could not take our own bikes on we had to hire theres 60Y for 100mins (if you didn't get round the 8.5miles in 100mins you …

Second day in Xi'an and we decided to hit the walls.

One of the main things we had been looking forward to doing was biking the city walls, which (we've been told, and read about) is a great idea. Seven of us got up early and made for the east gate in the city, just about 30 minutes walk from the hostel.

To get through the gates, …

Last night I went for a long walk around Xi'an; after dark the city springs to vibrant life. The streets are awash with brightly lit buildings, neon signs, and cooking fires. Honking horns, barking dogs, shouting vendors, music, and screeching brakes fill the air with a cacophony of sound. The main job here is not to get hit by a car, bus, taxi, …

Desde Beijing, tomamos el tren nocturno hacia Xian, la tierra de los guerreros de terracota. El tren estuvo bien, ya que nos esperábamos algo menos moderno, pero nos sorprendió. La estación de tren era gigantesca, como casi todas las construcciones y la sala de espera...aún mayor...Afortunadamente la persona que nos vendió los tickets nos explicó …

"Ni hao" to everyone in the States. The other day I accidentally made the moronic mistake of saying "howdy" to a student coming into class, he quickly corrected me explaining that the pronunciation is Ni Hao...

I actually had a very American day today eating Subway and McDonald's for back to back meals. I had not had either one since I …

On Saturday we decided to bike the wall, as the weather was a little on the cool side which made for ideal biking conditions.

When Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), captured Huizhou, a hermit named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should 'built high walls, store abundant food supplies and take time to be an …

Today we leave Beijing and head out for Xi'an, the ancient capital city of China. After waiting in line on the tarmac, we finally take off. Farewell Beijing - you have been a wonderful introduction to China!

Arriving in Xi'an, we meet up with our guide, Kevin, who has worked with our tour company before. First item on the agenda - lunch. …

As I mentioned before, I'd been told I made the rookie mistake of booking too much time in Xi’an, a city considered "boring" by Beijingers. However, I really can’t complain, as the last couple of days have been my most relaxing in China so far. I’ve also saved a little bit of money, which I’m sure I’ll put to good use …

6/19/2012

Today, we arrived in a hard sleeper train. A hard sleeper is basically like a soft sleeper, but there are six bunks in each compartment, and there isn't a door that separates the beds from the hall. It wasn't that bad, except that me and my dad were in car two, and my brother and my mom were in car seven.

We are staying …

Hello from Xian!

Another easy transfer, another hotel I managed to find without asking for directions and another day without getting seriously lost. You know, I might start to believe this is competence rather than luck. No, can't be. It just doesn’t sound right!

So far, my impressions of Xian is that the only reason people …

... min drive to the northern gate in the city wall or a twenty minute walk if the taxis are not stopping. Xi'an has an ancient city wall that surrounds the original city. It is the best preserved and complete ancient city walls in China. Originally built ...

... vendors everwhere. To be honest.. everything smells a little bad, and thats not just when you walk past a little nook along the city wall which has been used clearly by some hardy local - but there are some uncomfortable smells and drips which you prefer ...

... Xi'an is an old city, but it seems to have a certain charm about it. It was once the capital of China and has a distinct city wall around the outside. There are no modern office blocks like in Shanghai. Instead the City revolves around 'The Bell ...

... the actual spa area is awful but the complex is amazing.  After a brief tour we head back to Xi'an where we check out the city wall which makes the city so unique.  We walk around the city and head to an old traditional street where ...

... to head back to the city, we had two more sights on the schedule, the city wall and the Wild Goose Pagoda. First stop the city wall, we were both a bit deprived of sleep and in need of a shower after a night on the train, so we did not feel like riding ...

... its pagodas, and lots of jade on sale, trying not to buy things we don't need, its pretty cold. the town is surrounded by an old city wall, which you can cycle around, if your not to full, and it isn't freezing. xian, was the ancient capital of china for ...

... bus enthusiastically babbled about the wonderful facts that make Datong the 'number one tourism city in China': the muddy remains of a half-bulldozed city wall; a rebuilt pagoda, now marooned on a traffic island, circled by traffic and closed for ...

... up but it was difficult to climb down. Xian City Wall Xian City Wall is renowned as the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. 15/05/2008 ...

... , belting each other out of the way for a few meagre leaves.  That evening we went to the small pagoda outside the city wall, climbed to the top where we met a Canadian Journalist. The three of us exchanged pleasantries, as ...

... Lhasa we were greeted by a very enthutiastic Ni Hao!!!!, it was the snoring man again..but luckily he wasn't in our dorm. Yep, Xi'an's city wall is still intact (or should I say reconstructed) and runs in a 20km square around the center of town. A great ...