Xi'an Travel Blogs

I had heard all about the trains in China from friends who had travelled there. It seems like one of those experiences that everyone needs to have in China. So I decided to take an overnight train from Xi'an to Beijing instead of flying there. In addition to getting the experience, I also wanted to…

Xi'an is a destination we need visit again.   We were with a tour and it was wonderful and informative but it was difficult to see things and we would have liked to visit longer every where we went....   The city wall is very famous for being intact.  You can actuall…

It was a rather hectic day again as I had planned to move on to Lanzhou and Dunhuang. Plain checking for train schedules, mapping a rough idea of Lanzhou city and getting hostel made me poured in another few hours of focus in Hantang Inn bar. Based on my regular Xi'an train schedule guide (in Chine…

Hey Guys, Sorry its been awhile since I last wrote. Been doing really great lately on this side of the pond. Still not tired of the food and my volunteer work continues to be great. I learn more and more chinese every day and its amazing how willing these people are to teach you chinese. I have ab…

Woke up in my sleeper cabin this morning feeling less than refreshed. During the night my three room mates were snoring inharmoniously, plus there was a loud rattle next to me, plus the loud train sounds and horn blowing... not a good night. The train has one toilet per car (it's pretty gross, but …

       After checking out of our hostel and dropping out bags off at the luggage storate area near the reception, Jason and I walked to the South Gate of the Xi'an city walls, which was conveniently located near our hostel. We paid 40 RMB each and received a ticket tha…

To day,after the visit of the most impressive(for me) highlight of our Chinese trip,the Mausoleum of the First Emperor(see next entry),we are going to see the Shaanxi History Museum.On the way,we had a"technical" stop and I was surprised by young Chinese selling local wines(The Chinese are making w…

I can't believe I'm moving on to Xi'an now ... my Beijing 'experience' was to short :(   ... but I am looking froward to Xi'an, China.  I know when I get there I'll have little time to contact my friend, Gary, who I met 3 years ago in Economics at Laurentian University (Sudbury, Onta…

I spent three weeks in March of 2007 traveling through China. Recently, a friend planning a trip there asked if I had any advice, so I drafted these tips for him.

People i met here, who contributed to and improved my trip: Juliana (Russia) We arrived in Xi'an on Wednesday night and after a longish walk, eventually found the 7 Sages Hostel. We got an early night in preparation for a big day ahead of us. We awoke early on Thursday and caught the bus to see th…

Mini suite de patati et patata.It's a money thing:Le contraste de niveau de vie entre les gens est frappant. Certains vivent dans une opulence évidente, d'autre dans une classe moyenne, d'autre dans une pauvreté triste. On a vu des gens qui vivait dans pas plus grand que mon garde-robe. 2 lits…

Two days in Xi’An.  For those such as I heading West to East through China, probably the first “gotta gotta gotta get to that city!” destination on the itinerary.  This of course by virtue of it being home to the not-so-long-ago discovered but world renowned Terracotta Warriors.&nbs…

This is the second part of my China tour: Xi'an City!   This city was the ancient capital of Imperial China. It is known as one of the most important cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China because it has been the capital of 13 dynasties, i…

15 Nov. 2008 Taking our night train from Beijing to Xi'an. 422rmb per person, soft sleeper with 4 beds in a small compartment. The journey is quite comfort, with small TV on each bed. The train starts punctually at 8:16pm, reaching Xi'an train staion 7:17 next morning. 16 Nov. 2008 Upon reaching…

History says that the first emperor of China, emperor Qin, was so obsessed with immortality that he searched for the ultimate drug to make him immortal. Mercury at that time was so rare that all his doctors thought this was the wonder drug they have all been seeking for. So slowly, Emperor Qin woul…