Tuesday 3 November 2015
This morning our alarm went off at 08:00; a lie-in! We got ourselves
ready and packed our bags for the flight later. We went down to breakfast about
08:45 and I had my usual rice, egg, tomatoes and melon.
We met the rest of the group done in the lobby about 09:30 and we got
onto the bus. We went to the Muslim quarter and looked around a mosque.
To get to it we had to walk through a bustling street market with stalls selling all sorts of different foods. There was an amazing atmosphere there: hustle, bustle, sights and smells. It was exactly what I had expected China to be like. Xi’an most definitely gives a better experience of China than Beijing.
To get to it we had to walk through a bustling street market with stalls selling all sorts of different foods. There was an amazing atmosphere there: hustle, bustle, sights and smells. It was exactly what I had expected China to be like. Xi’an most definitely gives a better experience of China than Beijing.
The mosque was a tranquil haven amongst this really busy area and, amazingly, you couldn’t hear any of the street noise whilst walking in the garden.
Wild birds! The first ones I had seen in urban China
The cat who pretends to be friendly and then attacks!
The mosque
Would you trust this drinking water?!
There were sparrows pecking in the grass and a friendly skinny cat that
had an evil side just waiting for an opportunity to get out! After our peaceful
time here, we slowly walked back through the market. I wasn’t tempted to buy
anything but many of the group did. Sarah bought a Batman t-shirt from a young
woman who seemed desperate for a sale. When they finally agreed on a price, she
told Sarah that she was her lucky first customer of the day.
Bev and Kate's food was nearly as big as them!
We ate lunch in a local restaurant and I ordered beef stew with
vegetables, which was quite nice but there was something in it that made my
lips and tongue tingle. Faye, Amy and Leroy all had the same. It was weird. The
sensation soon wore off so it was all fine but it was a little worrying to
start with!
Fried crabs
Fancy a massage by the blind?
Pig's trotters
We walked back to the bus and headed out of Xi’an to the airport. We
got there in good time and checked in. We were only taking carry-on luggage
rather than checking in any bags to make it easier and quicker at Beijing. This
was potentially problematical though because of the restrictions of what can be
taken onto a flight now i.e. maximum 100ml of all liquids and, a new one on me,
was only being able to take a portable battery (phone) charger up to a maximum
of 160MH. The security checks were pretty strict but thankfully I was fine with
all that I had packed. We all got through but some had to ditch toiletries.
We only had 30 minutes before we were due to board so we went straight
to the departure gate. The flight took off on time at 16:05 and was only 90
minutes long so passed quickly.
We landed on time and waited a short time for Alan to arrive as he was
stuck in traffic. Back to the delights of Beijing traffic jams! I got a
delicious mango frappe juice while we were waiting. Alan arrived and we boarded
the bus. Thankfully the traffic wasn’t too bad on the way back to our hotel,
certainly better than when we drove from Beijing airport 2 weeks ago.
We returned to the Rainbow Hotel and were allocated our rooms for the
last time. Sarah and I were given Room 304 which was a small suite! We said our
goodbyes to Alan as he wouldn’t be around the next morning to wave us off. He’s
such a nice chap and had been a great guide who really looked after us.
I wasn’t feeling great, with a headache and really tired. I sorted my
bags out for the journey home and went down to the lobby to try and get some
wi-fi, without success. I gave up and returned to our room to go to bed as I
was feeling pretty grotty. A few people including Sarah had been suffering from
a stinking cold during the trip and I had a nasty feeling that I had caught it
too.
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