Happy birthday to me!

So the bus ride back to Wuhan was rather interesting.  It was nicer than the first bus, and I was in the very back which I was excited about at first because it appeared that instead of floor between the three beds, there was an extra mattress, so I figured more room to spread out.  No, they squeezed in extra people.  The whole bus ride I was laying against a Chinese woman who I swear tried to spoon me at several points.  But I was glad, because originally a guy had been put there but the woman traded spots with him. 

I also used an award winning bathroom- for the world's worst.  I'll post a pic when I can, but I challenge anyone to beat it.  It was cement with a six inch deep indent along the floor with four-five women suqating over it at any given time.

  Since it's concrete, everything just sits there and the smell was even grossing out the Chinese!

So as soon as I got to Wuhan I went off to the airport.  I had some noodle soup with pork, egg, and wood ear fungus for breakfast that was pretty good.  I had a three hour layover in Xi'an, so I grabbed a taxi and went to the nearby Tomb of Emperor Jingdi.  It's kinda like a miniature terra cotta warriors tomb. This emperor had buried all kinds of animals, and statues of animals and people with him.  THe best part is that they covered the excavation with glass so you walk right over everything.  In a separate area, they built a building around an excavation site of where his home was located.  They also had an additional museum of the best artifacts dug up.

 

I then headed back to the airport and stood in the longest and slowest security line known to man.  I landed in Jiayuguan which is in the Gobi Desert, in the middle of a windstorm.  You could see nothing for miles, it was pretty bleak looking which I really liked.  It was such a strange change to be in a place so isolated compared to the other overly crowded places I'd been thus far.  On the way to the hotel, a bus had broken down and all the passengers were pushing it down the road.  I was glad I took a taxi!

I stayed at this beautiful hotel right along the great wall.  In fact, I had to go through the great wall security gate just to get there.  The hotel is supposed to look like a traditional temple with bonsai trees and all kinds of artwork.

  The girl who worked there was very nice and tried really hard even though there was a language barrier.  She did get me a cab, and I had him take me to a restaurant in town.  The place I ate at was pretty fancy, and almost right away an older Chinese man came in and sat at my table with me.  He didn't speak English and eventually left, but he did share his oxtail sandwiches with me.  I ordered the steamed turtle and chicken, which I believe they made by sticking a whole turtle in a pot of water and throwing some black chicken pieces on top.  The turtle was served to me whole, shell and all!  I tried to eat it, but the waitress came over and had to cut it up for me.  I ate most of it, it was pretty good, it tasted like frog legs.  I then went back to my hotel and watched some Chinese TV.