Fake warriors
Trip Start
Jan 24, 2004
1
19
31
Trip End
Apr 01, 2004
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Xi'an,
China
Thursday, March 4, 2004
4th March 2004
The following day we are all dutifully reminded, once again by the hostel reception and tour office that we MUST go and visit the Terracotta warriors. It just makes us more and more determined not to go. To be raped like tourists at one of Chinas most commercialised interests. In the bar, we take some photos of the kind of tourist shit on offer at the site of the Terracotta Warriors - miniature warrior copies . Little clay ornaments positioned on a shelf . Now that we have some pictures will they leave us alone ? Nope. The Chinese staff don't get the joke and simply cannot understand why we will not go to see Xian's 'greatest treasure'. Instead we happily make up our own itinerary as we go along. "Anti-travellers" Peter remarks.
Today I walk along the top of the North side of the city wall . Its very pleasant . Making for the railway station to buy our respective onward tickets . I am continuing south to Chengdu in Sichuan province. The vegetable munching Swedes are steering East towards the Shaolin temple in Henan province, where monks teach Kung Fu.
Next we cover the large area of pavement in the centre of town in which there is a bell tower and a drum tower. No new building is permitted to stand any higher than these monuments to a bygone age. And still, centuries later, at the start and end of each day the bell or the drum will be sounded. There is a souk, a rabbit warren of a thing that leads to a mosque buried deep within. Julie almost buys a tubular red drum but denies herself the pleasure given the logistics of travelling with it. This evening the hostel throws their weekly dumpling-making party. I am joined by a girl whose name is Snow. She is very cute and distinctly cross-eyed. It's faintly alluring in funny kind of a way. She with eyes pointing in different directions, me wearing beer goggles. Together we get very dirty in the business of making Chinese dumplings. I ask her if she would like to go out tomorrow ? She says she will be here at nine.
Travelling coincidences : Mouth full of spicy dumplings , I meet with Dave and Suzanna, the polite French couple from the Trans-Siberian railway. And for the fourth time now, Heather and Angela - the student girls I was with in Listvyanka . They say the best travelling companion is the 'Lonely Planet' . There's nothing lonely about it mate. I guess that's their point.
Next ; Enter the dragon
