| We slept last night on an overnight train from Lanzhou to
Xi'an, a 12 hour journey. On this tour we ride "soft-sleeper" trains
that provide air-conditioning, sofa-bed type mattresses, and bunk
beds on each side of the berth. These trains are deluxe by
international standards. A one way ticket covering approximately 1000
km costs $60. We visited Xi'an on our last trip - it is still our
favorite Chinese city because it blends both the old and new China so
well. Xi'an is a modern city with many kinds of goods and stores,
including a Kentucky Fried Chicken. A Ming dynasty (13th century)
wall, 30 feet high and crowned by towers and battlements, surrounds
the inner city. Nearby is the Terracotta army, an array of lifesized
clay warriors (each unique) built in the Qin dynasty over 2,000 years
ago. Unfortunately we can't stay long since we need to fly
immediately to Beijing and catch another flight to Mongolia early
tomorrow. The Beijing flight is uneventful and we end our night with
a Beijing duck dinner. Delicious. We discover two people can easily
eat an entire duck if it's cooked well. |
