Xi'an

Ah the fabled city Xi'an.

It's one of those quashed dreams.. again over-romanticised by our own ignorance. I imagined that Xi'an being the starting point of the ancient Silk Road to be a little bit more old and dusty than Beijing, teeming with tea-traders, artisans' workshops and silk weavers. But again it is another thoroughly industrialised and modern city.

The Muslim Quarter (during the day(top) and at night (bottom))

Cycling on the city wall was fun, we had a few races and I beat Usman 4 times. He complained he got a bad bike and we swapped bikes - he still lost.

But thankfully, there are still remnants of the Silk Road that survived the onslaught of China's intensity to be modern, sleek and international. We liked Xi'an. It's very touristy but there are still few places where you can find genuine experiences. Being a capital for 13 dynasties, it boasts grand architectural relics especially from the Ming dynasty and Tang dynasty.

The Big Goose Pagoda is beautiful and exemplifies the clear geometry of Tang dynasty architecture.

In a teahouse, where we got a room with a TV, computer with internet access, and a mahjong set!

Usman sipping a cup of Huang Shan tea (cheapest in the menu) enjoying the good life...

Usman devised a game that we could play with the mahjong set which he lost. Notice the pitiful number of mahjong pieces he had and compare it to mine! Try again Usman.

There is also Muslim Quarter right in the heart of the city centre, which is slightly geared towards tourists (bus loads of them) but manages to preserve its character nevertheless. Food here was great and atmosphere lively. At night it feels like a Marrakech with its al fresco restaurants. Souvenir shops dominate but seem to be a little ignored. As you move away from the main shopping street, the Quarter becomes much more genuine. The community life takes centre stage in the absence of hording tourists. Restaurants here are for the locals so it was a lot cheaper and this is where I found the best baozi (dumplings) yet. Even if you've got nothing to do, the quarter is just a great place to just linger around and meet ultra friendly locals.

Dinner in the Muslim Quarter with Henrik

From Xi'an, we went on to visit the Terracotta Army just outside town to have a look at ourselves "the great artistic achievement and a display of enormous power by the First Emperor" but only to return a bit underwhelmed. I don't really know why. Maybe it's the rampant over-tourism (visit to fake terracotta army-making factories, stops at tea house etc.) or just the huge swarms of people or maybe I feel like the real significance of this whole thing is the historical context. Although these terracotta figures itself are important cultural relic in China, they are just a manifestation of what's really on display - the absolute power of the First Emperor. The tourists' quick lazy photo-ops with statues just pissed me off. Maybe that's why Usman thinks I'm a bit geeky. Don't care, like I always say, GEEKS RULE THE WORLD.

-Ihsan

That joy on Usman's face...