Okay, so for our summer vacation we flew to Xi'an, an inland city in Shaanxi province which was formerly the national capital for several ancient dynasties. In the heart of the city is a complete (but partially reconstructed) city wall and the streets are laid out in a grid pattern. It would be pretty hard to get lost, you might think, if your landmarks include a four-storey-high city wall with gates marked "South," "North," "East" and "West." Yet Ross and I kept getting ourselves turned around and confused about which way we walked to get to the Bell Tower and which way to the bus station. Even with two maps!
We were trying to be as independent as we could be in a strange city where we can't read most of the signs and can only speak a few dozen words and phrases. Out of stubborn pride I suppose -- well, not just pride (and boy, our conviction that we could hit the ground and find our way around took quite a beating,) but a desire for thrift. P.J. O'Rourke said that the mark of an advanced civilization is how quickly it can suck the money out of your wallet. Xi'an certainly passes this test. So I thought I'd share some detail about what we experienced and learned.
We were trying to be as independent as we could be in a strange city where we can't read most of the signs and can only speak a few dozen words and phrases. Out of stubborn pride I suppose -- well, not just pride (and boy, our conviction that we could hit the ground and find our way around took quite a beating,) but a desire for thrift. P.J. O'Rourke said that the mark of an advanced civilization is how quickly it can suck the money out of your wallet. Xi'an certainly passes this test. So I thought I'd share some detail about what we experienced and learned.
The Xi'an airport was easy to negotiate. We had no trouble finding the airporter bus and getting a ticket downtown. We had found a good hotel (Ibis) at a reasonable price in a good location and savvy locals (like us) know how to bypass the larger flashy restaurants on the main streets, for the neighborhood noodle house, or even get a tasty breakfast egg pancake from the street vendors.
For local travel in Xi'an, we used the bus, taxis and some motorized rickshaws which are fun but they tended to be more expensive than taxis. We figured this is because the rickshaws can weave in and out of traffic while the taxis were stuck in the gridlock of the downtown core.
However, I'm facing the sad realization that at our age and condition, we can't go wandering around in the muggy summer heat for any length of time before we need a) rest, b) a cold drink, c) a bathroom. Because this is the case, spending an hour or more walking in the wrong direction, as opposed to shelling over some money to a taxi driver, might not be the best strategy for us, because we're already worn out by the time we've found the Interesting Thing we were trying to find. And to reach the Interesting Thing we have to climb several flights of steps. For example, notice the name of the Bell Tower. It's a Tower.
For local travel in Xi'an, we used the bus, taxis and some motorized rickshaws which are fun but they tended to be more expensive than taxis. We figured this is because the rickshaws can weave in and out of traffic while the taxis were stuck in the gridlock of the downtown core.
However, I'm facing the sad realization that at our age and condition, we can't go wandering around in the muggy summer heat for any length of time before we need a) rest, b) a cold drink, c) a bathroom. Because this is the case, spending an hour or more walking in the wrong direction, as opposed to shelling over some money to a taxi driver, might not be the best strategy for us, because we're already worn out by the time we've found the Interesting Thing we were trying to find. And to reach the Interesting Thing we have to climb several flights of steps. For example, notice the name of the Bell Tower. It's a Tower.
I also regret signing us up to see an evening of Tang Music and Dancing, an ancient China meets Las Vegas floor show, where we were given lousy seats at the very back of the theater and which left us 650 RMB poorer. It was only after the fact that we learned there are outdoor live shows at the City Wall and there is also a huge outdoor show at Huaqing Hot Spring about a tragic love affair, translated as "Eternal Regret." Presumably it's about two doomed lovers trying to vacation together while squabbling over which direction the Bell Tower is. To be fair, the musicians and dancers at the Tang Dynasty Show, as far as I could judge, were very good. And it's amazing to think that we were listening to thousand-year-old court music. But I felt like a stupid tourist in a stupid tourist trap watching this show from a great distance while nursing a ridiculously expensive glass of sweet tea.
And we're not tourists, we're locals! We just happen to be locals who can't speak or read Chinese. For example, when we asked about the Terra Cotta Warriors, we were told that a driver, guide, lunch and entry to the exhibit would cost 1,000 RMB (or over $200 Canadian). But thanks to our Lonely Planet book, we learned that we could catch a bus from the bus station to see the Terra Cotta Warriors for just 8 RMB apiece. Entry to the site is 150 RMB per person. So we saved a lot of money by going to see the Terra Cotta Warriors like the locals do. The bus ride itself was entertaining because it's a private company, with a fleet of buses with a driver and conductress intent on filling every seat and the aisle with Terra-Cotta bound tourists. Our bus driver was more than usually aggressive and um, lively. In fact they also made some extra money by stopping at bus stops along the way and picking up ordinary commuters headed for the suburb where the T-C Warriors are. Unregulated capitalism like this sprouts up everywhere in China.
And we're not tourists, we're locals! We just happen to be locals who can't speak or read Chinese. For example, when we asked about the Terra Cotta Warriors, we were told that a driver, guide, lunch and entry to the exhibit would cost 1,000 RMB (or over $200 Canadian). But thanks to our Lonely Planet book, we learned that we could catch a bus from the bus station to see the Terra Cotta Warriors for just 8 RMB apiece. Entry to the site is 150 RMB per person. So we saved a lot of money by going to see the Terra Cotta Warriors like the locals do. The bus ride itself was entertaining because it's a private company, with a fleet of buses with a driver and conductress intent on filling every seat and the aisle with Terra-Cotta bound tourists. Our bus driver was more than usually aggressive and um, lively. In fact they also made some extra money by stopping at bus stops along the way and picking up ordinary commuters headed for the suburb where the T-C Warriors are. Unregulated capitalism like this sprouts up everywhere in China.
Once we got to the site, a nice looking uniformed woman with a badge came up to me and said, "I am the government guide. It is necessary for you to have a guide to see the exhibit." "I don't think it's necessary," I said, walking on to the ticket booth. She followed me for a while, dropping her price again and again and finally asking me what I'd like to pay. I have nothing against people earning a living but I didn't care for her obvious attempts to mislead. And I don't need someone telling me how many meters high, wide and deep the excavation is, plus other facts I won't remember.
Once on the site, we leaned that there are volunteer student guides who offer guide services in a variety of languages, if you happen to have a question. There is plenty of explanatory signage and it's all there in front of you, in enormous airplane hanger type buildings. You can see the different stages of the excavation and there is even a station where you can see the fragments getting put back together, although no-one was working there on the day of our visit.
In fact, most of the site is still not excavated but you can see plenty of the famous warriors, up close and personal. And we were up close and personal with massive amounts of tourists, mostly Chinese. That's not a dig -- I'm always happy when I see proofs of a rising Chinese middle class. An architect can come here with his family and contemplate the tomb of a king who had all his architects slaughtered, so the story goes, and reflect on the progress made by his profession. There are children here on school field trips whose own parents and grandparents couldn't afford to go to school and had to work in the fields as children. It was in fact some farmers who discovered this site, while drilling into the ground for a well. If we had a guide, I would have asked -- so what happened to the farmers and their village? What kind of compensation did they get? But I doubt I'd get an answer to that one.
Once on the site, we leaned that there are volunteer student guides who offer guide services in a variety of languages, if you happen to have a question. There is plenty of explanatory signage and it's all there in front of you, in enormous airplane hanger type buildings. You can see the different stages of the excavation and there is even a station where you can see the fragments getting put back together, although no-one was working there on the day of our visit.
In fact, most of the site is still not excavated but you can see plenty of the famous warriors, up close and personal. And we were up close and personal with massive amounts of tourists, mostly Chinese. That's not a dig -- I'm always happy when I see proofs of a rising Chinese middle class. An architect can come here with his family and contemplate the tomb of a king who had all his architects slaughtered, so the story goes, and reflect on the progress made by his profession. There are children here on school field trips whose own parents and grandparents couldn't afford to go to school and had to work in the fields as children. It was in fact some farmers who discovered this site, while drilling into the ground for a well. If we had a guide, I would have asked -- so what happened to the farmers and their village? What kind of compensation did they get? But I doubt I'd get an answer to that one.
There were also lots of foreign tourists from all over. In Zibo, foreigners are so rare that when you see one, you say, 'Hi, where are you from?" Not so in Xi'an. Hardly anyone looked friendly but perhaps everybody was horrifically jet lagged, plus everybody's dealing with the muggy heat of a Chinese summer. Plus some of them were German. Yeah, I said it. More about Xi'an coming soon.... I've been trying to upload more pictures but the internet is just too slow tonight, I'll try again tomorrow....
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