4ever Discovering
A City of History: Exploring Xi’an
The Highlights of Venturing Around Xi’an for a Day
When Emily and I booked our flight to Xi’an, we really only had one main place to visit on our agenda: the Terracotta Warriors. Being a historical city, and an important part of China’s past, we wanted to see the famous landsite for ourselves. We knew that would be a day trip in itself, so we decided to venture around the city for our second day. Before I go on, it is important to know how Xi’an is set up. Most of the tourist spots are located inside the ‘Old City’. This part is actually surrounded by the Ancient City Wall, so you can either go inside or outside of it. Our hostel was located inside the City Wall; we were very close to the entrance gate if you decided to go on the wall. Although we spent most of our time in the Old City, Emily and I ventured outside of the wall to see some other tourist spots as well.
We started our day by renting bikes and cruising around the Ancient Wall. Overall, it was about 14 km, and not the smoothest bike ride you will ever encounter. Because it is so old, there were a lot of holes and uneven bricks layed (you can imagine how badly our bosoms hurt after this ride). You need to pay to get up on the wall, and then pay to rent the bikes for 3 hours. Because we didn’t want to walk, but still wanted to see the entirety of the wall, Emily and I rented the bikes and began the trek. It was a really great time to visit, as there were lots of decorations for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Along the top of the wall, there was a huge light-up decor. We saw everything from a ‘Frozen’ theme, to an ‘Arabian Night’, and to a large rooster of course. Being the Year of the Rooster, everything was based around this animal. Emily and I weaved through the decorations and continued our ride along the wall (with many pit stops for pictures).
The views from the Ancient City Wall were nothing short of extraordinary. It felt really cool to be looking down into the old part of the city; but also looking outside at all of the green landscape. It reminded me a lot of when I walked along the town wall in Dubrovnik, Croatia. When you look in, you see such a cramped city, where everything is bustling. Then you start to think about how the city only used to be that size, until it became more developed and expanded. I also wonder why these walls were built in the first place. They were definitely trying to keep something out (or keep something in). Either way, it is a big part of their history. Renting the bikes to ride along the wall was a great way to see everything. There were even different spots that had signs for tourists to read a little more about the history of the Old City. Along with the Chinese New Year decorations, the wall also had a red lantern on every lamppost. I felt like I was watching the movie Mulan. It also reminded me of the Great Wall (although significantly smaller). Riding along the Xi’an Wall was practice for our trip to Beijing in a few days! Another day, another wall.
After our long bike ride (it took us about 1.5 hours to finish the 14 km), we dragged our sore butts to the Muslim Quarter. Our hostel recommended this spot as a great area to get some good bargains and food. Because it was inside the City Wall, it was only about a 15 minute walk from our hostel. Along the way, Emily and I found a DAIRY QUEEN. Dreams really do come true! We both thought we deserved some blizzards after a long bike ride, so grabbed some ice cream for our walk. We also passed the Bell Tower in the centre of one of the roundabouts, and the Drum Tower square right near the Muslim Quarter. We had a little trouble finding the real Muslim Quarter at first; however, quickly realized where we were after seeing the bustling street and smelling the delicious food stands. Emily and I walked in the quarter and grabbed some snacks before dinner. We tried freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, and a pork sandwich that kind of tasted like Porketta pork. It was a weird flashback feeling (I miss Porketta!). We got some great deals on fake Burberry scarves, and were asked to have our pictures taken many times (what else is new in China?). I think the most surprising part about the Muslim Quarter was seeing all of the meat sitting out. Some food stands even had the whole leg hanging, as the workers were shaving off the meat for sandwiches. It wasn’t very appetizing to see, but makes you realize how diverse cultures can really be.
After our lunch, Emily and I ventured outside the City Wall to find the Small and Large Wild Goose Pagodas. According to TripAdvisor (and the hostel), these are two famous things to see if you are in Xi’an. We were advised to take the bus; however, on the map it didn’t look like a far walk from the hostel. We decided to take the Fitbit-approved route, and walk to the park where the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was. It took longer than expected, and we took some sketchy back roads to finally find our destination. Along the way, we happened to see a child pooping on the sidewalk (I don’t want to talk about it), confirming some of the ‘unclean’ theories we had about China before we came. Once we finally made it to the park (scarred from the feces, of course), we had to show our passports to get free entry into the area. In order to climb the pagoda itself, you had to pay extra money, so Emily and I decided to just see it from afar. This pagoda was definitely old; it looked like it was made out of dry mud and would fall over any day. Maybe it was a good thing we didn’t climb up it.
After walking around the Small Wild Goose Pagoda park, Emily and I decided to take the subway to the large one. We had to really see what the difference was. I don’t know why the hostel didn’t recommend it, but the subway is always so much easier to take than buses. I find it is way more reliable, and not as easy to get lost on (you always know which stop to get off at). When we found the Large Wild Goose Pagoda, it was very clear why it is called ‘large’. It was significantly bigger than the other one, and even had its own gated park surrounding it. Leading up to the entrance of the park, there was numerous fountains where you could take some cool pictures pretending to hold the pagoda. Unfortunately for us, we got there a little too late, and the entrance was closed to go inside the park. We saved some more money by not going in, and decided to call it a day and go back to the hostel. We earned a well-deserved beer and pizza for our crazy day. I managed to get over 30,000 steps touring around Xi’an; my Fitbit loves when I travel (my feet on the other hand, not as much).
It was really nice to be able to tour Xi’an for the day. Emily and I weren’t really expecting to have that much time in the city, so we were pleasantly surprised when we saw everything we wanted to. It’s always a bonus to be able to see more than you hoped to! Xi’an is filled with history; even the architecture looks like it has a story to tell. I feel like a walking tour would have been best to do here, so we could learn about the city (not just the Terracotta Warriors). We also heard this was going to be the hotspot to be on Chinese New Year’s Eve! Supposedly there was going to be fireworks off of the Ancient City Wall. I’m sure with all of the festive decorations, that would have been quite the sight to see!