Xi'an Update Letter


For all of you who do not recieve my update letter here it is...and for those who have there are some new pics!
This year’s Thanksgiving was a long one full of fun and new experiences, umbrellas and wet feet (it rained in Xi’an everyday that we were there), yang rou pao mo (lamb soup), and sightseeing.


We left Thanksgiving afternoon for our Destination Thanksgiving. Xi’an is about a 2 hour flight from Qingdao. I stayed in my first hostel- the Shuyuan Youth Hostel. It had a great little restaurant where we enjoyed several cups of hot chocolate and games!



Our first day we went to see the “8th wonder of the world”- the terracotta warriors!!! They were incredible! I took lots of pictures!



Thankfully, the rain let up at night so we spent the evenings wandering around the Muslim Quarters shopping and eating Yang Rou Pao Mo. Yang Rou Pao Mo is lamb’s soup. It contains lamb’s meat, pieces of bread, noodles and a broth. It was both delicious and cheap! (6-10rmb/bowl- 75cents-$1.25) The bowls of soup were so big that Christy and I shared. I was also able to do a little Christmas shopping, appropriate as it was the day after Thanksgiving! I had to carry on with some traditions! Inside the Muslim Quarters there are tons of vendors selling a variety of things- shoes, purses, art, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, etc…

Our second day was spent trying to see pandas at the zoo. I finally saw pandas in China, but I think I still need to go to Chengdu… At first, we were only able to look through a window and see pandas in their cages…they didn’t want to go out in the rain! On our way out, the workers were able to coax the baby panda (XingXing) out of her cage!!! Isn’t she cute?!?!

After our panda tour, we went to the city wall and rented bicycles!!! We biked on top of the Xi’an wall! All 8.5 miles of it!!!

Our last day in Xi’an we went to Big Goose Pagoda. This pagoda dates back to 648AD, but it has been added on to and renovated several times since then. It was built in memory of the emperor’s mother. There were lots of fun statues in the entrance that we of course had to reenact. Afterwards, we made our way to the bell tower where we actually got to see a short performance….AND I got to ring the bell!!! (I had to pay to ring the bell, but I rang the bell) Then it was back to the Muslim Quarters to see the mosque. Since we are not Muslim, we were only allowed in the courtyard- only Muslims may enter the prayer hall. The mosque was a beautiful mix of Chinese and Muslim architecture.

We ended our weekend with another cup of ho-cho (hot cocoa) at our hostel’s restaurant. It was great to see another part of China, especially one so full of history and culture!

Kristen wrote a great blog about our trip that I enjoyed reading and thought I would share it with all of you, w/ permission from Kristen!

Last Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), six weary teachers in need of a break from the chaos of the classroom got on a plane in search of an adventure that would distract them from the reality of being far away from their families during the holiday season. Their destination was Xi'an a centuries old city that was founded before Rome and was the capital city of at least three major Chinese dynasties during its glory days. Their ultimate prize was a glimpse at the eighth Wonder of the World ?the infamous Teracotta Warriors, which were recently unearthed in a huge archeological find in 1974.

Many things sought to discourage the travelers ?cold, rainy and even snowy weather, tension among team members that erupted in a vicious game of SUGAR?leaving one teammate wounded, broken bike chains, and the disappointment that occured when a seemingly enchanting Panda Tour turned out to be little more than a trip to the zoo.

However, nothing would stop these wide-eyed travelers from seeing and experiencing the ancient city of Xi'an to the fullest. The travelers?ingenuity (drying their feet with hairdryers) and wise use of resources (the Hostel amazing hot chocolate and dried kiwi from the Muslim quarter) helped them through the hard times.

As a result of their perseverance and determination, the travelers not only saw the Teracotta Warriors. They also saw pandas (as well as red pandas, the golden takin, and the blue peafowl), toured the Big Goose Pagoda and the Great Mosque, and experienced a taste of ancient Chinese culture (which apparently includes Auld Lang Syne) by watching a dazzling performance at the bell tower.

One day, the Father even smiled on the travelers and stopped the rain for a few hours. They took advantage of this blessing by going on a 13.5 km (8ish miles) bike ride on top of the only remaining city wall in China.

Were the travelers any less weary at the end of their adventure than they were before they left on this adventure? of course not!! In fact, they were probably more weary since they did not return home until 10:15 pm (only 8 ?hours before they had to leave again to catch the bus to school) on Sun. night. But rest was not objective of the trip now was it?