More Scamola

Xi'an, China

Our three-day stint in Xi'an is almost complete.

It was an interesting time in the ancient capitol of China. Although the city seemed cursed with much of the same pollution, heat, humidity, and general impoliteness of the population, it was a better experience than Beijing. Xi'an is a lot smaller, and feels more like a cultural experience than the bland commercial center that was Beijing.
We did a lot of the tourist thing. The city itself was surrounded by an ancient wall that had been rebuilt many times, and had quite a few historical sites within walking distance of each other. While Mike was recovering from some paomo-induced bathroom time, I also had the chance to take a (not totally scamola free) tour to the east of Xi'an, where I saw some museums, and learned a bit more about the older Chinese dynasties. This included a gander at the Terra-cotta Army, which was amazing.

We said goodbye to Vicki and Lilli today. Vicki is staying in Xi'an for the summer, while Lilli is chugging back to Beijing. There was a bit of scuffle last night (filmed, natch) that was fueled by the coming separation. And beer. It was also fueled by beer.
Those two were a mixed blessing. For the most part, they were fun to hang out with, and gave the OC a much-needed shot of femininity. However, sometimes I got the feeling that they were just scamming some foreigners for free meals and a trip to Xi'an. I'm still trying to figure out what their deal was. I'll have plenty of time to think about tonight, since we are leaving by hot-ass train to go further south and west into mainland China.

Next stop, Chengdu.