Trip to Xian for the National Day holiday...
01.10.2013 - 04.10.2013
28 °C
So the journey began with a taxi to the train station; a taxi that should have cost about 10-15 yuan (£1-1.50) but because it was the National Day holiday and because we're white, we were told it would cost 30 yuan!
We informed the taxi driver that was too expensive and we would pay 15 - He said 20 and although it was still extortianate, we had no choice.
We arrived at the train station here in Xinxiang to see a massive queue, so adopting the Chinese way and relinquishing our British upbringing, we basically went to the front of the queue!
Rude, I know, but when Rome and when you're running late, screw the Romans and side with the Chinese!
There were no seats on the train, and although we were a little hungover, we were only on there for an hour or so until we got to Zhengzhou to get our connecting train to Xian.
After having a decadent McD's for lunch, we wondered around outside the train station for about 2 hours then went back in side to get the train to Xian.
Ricky and I had seats at opposite ends of the train, so with our headphones at the ready, we climbed aboard and settled in for the journey.
The fast trains in China are pretty much the best trains I have ever been on - big comfy seats that recline, foot rests, free food/nibbles and drinks and a small Chinese boy telling you a story about a tiger and a monkey in near enough perfect English.....
Ok so that last one as only on this particular journey, but you get the idea!
We arrived in Xian and tried to follow the instructions of how to get to our hostel.....
We tried to find bus 251.....
After an hour and refusing some rathe pushy taxi drivers, we started walking away from the station and said bolshy taxi drivers in search of this mystical bus, only to conclude that we were in fact walking further away from civilisation and into what looked like the remains of the world in 'I am Legend'....
So, refusing to return to the pushy taxi drivers, we flagged down a different one and were on our way.... ahh Aries!
Trying to follow the instructions for Your Tour International Youth Hostel's location proved harder than anticipated, but given our astrological stubborness, we trekked onwards and with some help from the universe, we managed to find our hostel!
After some worrying minutes waiting for Ricky's passport to materialise, we were all checked-in!
It was a nice enough hostel with the added experience of getting to make your own bed (really is like a home away from home!)
My locker box was broken, but with a simple request to swap boxes, the woman a reception happily obliged.
If you wanted 5* luxury accommodation, this is not the place for you - it's clean enough but the beds have less cushioning than a yoga mat and the decor in the bathroom and shower rooms leave a lot to be desired.
As reasonably accomplished travellers and being accustomed to Chinese ways,, it didn't really phase us, but others may be less accommodating for this hostel's abvious drawbacks.
The staff are friendly and helpful, but for 50 yuan a night (£5) you can't expect too much for your money.
Although the street itself is quiet during the day, at night that is not always the case and for some reason, peoples' conversation volume attempts to break the sound barrier....
Provided you can block out the noise mentally or with ear plugs, the sleep you get is enough to see you through the following day.
The food, although exorbitant (in price not amount) for a hostel, is actually quite tasty and filling - seriously not good price-wise though!
The hostel is quaint and small but there's hardly any atmosphere in the common area downstairs.
If you just want a bed to sleep in, this place is fine for ou, but if you want the opportunity to meet other foreigners or a livelier place, then Jano's Hostel is proably more for you.
The staff at Jano's are equally as lovely but with the adjacent Belgium Beer Bar and local street markets, it's location and clientelle easily exceeds Your Tour's...
Having dumped our stuff and made our beds, we ventured out in search of food...
3 hours later, we'd walked most of Xian inside the wall!
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of places to eat but we were feeling particularly fussy and indecisive!
We ended up at the Drum Tower and ventured into the Muslim Quarter..
My, my, that was busy!
2 lanes of human traffic had formed to avoid causing a blockage, which, although organised, left a whole side of the street unvisitable!
Fantastic smells and foods and a bustling atmosphere, the walk was interesting enough and with a little light bartering, some trinkets and niknaks were purchased successfully.
Our broken and tired bodies begged for slumber so we clambered into a tin box on wheels, told the driver where we wanted to go, and with some directions on our part, he eventually got us back to the hostel where we fell (carefully) onto our wooden boards for the night!
The next day we studied some maps and plotted the root to the Small Goose Pagoda (an apparent 'must-see' in Xian).
We walked from the South Gate of the wall (near our hostel) and headed south until we got to the Pagoda.
I imagine the Big Goose Pagoda is more impressive but the grounds surrounding the Small Goose Pagoda was quite beautiful and a sense of calm washed over me.
A relaxed walked around and a few pictures with Chinese people (at their request rather than ours!) and we began the walk back to the hostel.
A quick nap and a shower then we went to meet our friend for dinner and drinks but once again my body wanted sleep so I left Ricky to dance the night away whilst I headed back to my pillow and board!
The next day, despite Ricky's hangover, we decided to cycle around the wall again (like we did last year!)
Only this time, for some reason, we did it in less time and actually cycled all the way round - Obviously a bit fitter than last year!
Still hurt the next morning though! ha!
So Ricky and I had concluded that on this visit to Xian, we would go to see the Terracotta Warriors... what we hadn't accounted for was that everyone else had the same idea.
We arrived at the train station to get the bus to the Warriors only to be greeted by thousands of people trying to do the same thing!
6 different taxi companies approached us, advising of their prices to get us to the Warriors and back, all of which were above and beyond what we were willing to pay to get there and after an hour with barely any progress made in the queue situation, we decided to call it a day and concluded we'd go to the Warriors next time we were in Xian....!
Posted by Lady Mantle 22:23 Archived in China Tagged travel adventure china xian hostel cheap cycling travelling sleepy foreigners night_market city_wall sore_bum budget_travelling small_goose_pagoda your_tour_international_youth_h janos_hostel_xian national_day Comments (1)
