Woke up insanely early to catch a bus to the airport. The shuttle was only a quick walk from my new hostel, so I'm especially glad I moved. Having made peace with Xi'an, I was sorry to be leaving. Initially a place I wanted to leave right away, I now regard it as a place I could potentially revisit. I'm glad to be leaving on good terms.
If you should find yourself heading to Xi'an, heed these imperatives to ensure a pleasant stay:
1) DO NOT, under any circumstance, stay in a hotel near the train or bus stations. Find a place between the Bell Tower and South Gate, and limit your time around the stations to catching transportation in and out of the city. Period.
2) At the Terracotta Army museum, view Pits 2 and 3 before you even think about looking at Pit 1. Tour guide optional.
3) Go to Hans, and let him work his magic.
I caught a flight to Nanning, China, from where I would cross into Vietnam the following day. On the approach to Nanning I noticed the landscape was a colorful patchwork of fields with clusters of stone and brick farmhouses. The drive to the city from the airport was along a wide, modern highway with landscaped flower beds on either side, bright yellows and reds like I remember seeing in Saigon last spring. In fact, this is more remniscent of HCM than Beijing or Xi'an. The weather is warmer, the dialect sounds more like Vietnamese (like cats fighting, and not the whispy, citrusy sounds of Mandarin), and there's a more laid back feel to everything. I haven't seen any other westerners since I've been here, and I get a lot more stares than I'm used to. I don't, however, get accosted to buy something every time I pass a store front. To be honest, I kindof miss the attention.
After finding a decent place to say - a private bathroom!!! - I purchased my train ticket for the following morning and wandered around the city. The city itself didn't quite live up to the expectations I had on arrival. There are more parks, flowers, and landscaping than up north, but otherwise it's an unremarkable city. If it wasn't a staging post for crossing to Vietnam, I couldn't see any real reason for coming here. Maybe that's why mine is the only white face in the crowd.
My hotel room also has a TV, which I haven't had anywhere else. Chinese TV is the worst.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment