Xi'an has been absolutely amazing, and I can hardly begin to describe in this little box. But I will start with today, and wait til I get back to write about the rest -- I wouldn't want to waste the day, with this working internet, and my returning ability to compose reasonable English sentences.
I spoke a lot of mandarin yesterday, along with a little cantonese when need arose, in real conversation -- not mere directions or food ordering or purchasing -- and it was thoroughly wonderful and mentally exhausting. So, today, I didn't speak much at all. If you asked me to sum up my last day in Xi'an, in a minimum number of words, if you asked me "What did you do on your last day there?", I think I would respond:
"I walked."
I doubt my sandals will last much longer than just this trip -- but they were more comfortable (by leaps and bounds) than any of the more expensive varieties, so I can live with the short lifespan if it means I don't break myself. =) But seriously, I think I walk about 5-6 hours a day, so maybe three times what I would on a normal day, nevermind such activities as hiking the Great Wall. So, if my shoes last only for the duration, it won't be that much shorter than my standard shoe lifespan. Did I ever mention that I wear out shoes in crazy short time? :P
Anyway, I awoke early, and headed out for breakfast buns (one red bean paste, one mushroom) just a block or two away. Forgot my watch, but thankfully, not as dependent on it as I once was. Weaned, am I. So, don't quite know when I finally reached the city wall, about the middle of the East side, and headed up for a walk. Xi'an is one of the few cities where the city wall, around the old city, was still mostly intact, and has since been restored, so you can now walk or bike an ancient wall around a once ancient city, about 20m off the ground. In the 35C + humidity heat. The breeze was nice, thankfully. But, despite the weather making me feel like I could stick to furniture VERY easily, it's a lot of fun. I walked the wall, backwards, apparently, since EVERYONE I saw was walking or biking in the opposite direction, including the mini golf-cart style electric cars for tours and the like. The first person I ran into at about Heping Lu gate entrance, who told me it was 9:10am. Don't know how long I'd been walking, but I just kept going. Meandering along. I love walking. I think biking would have been fun too, but I'm not quite totally comfortable with biking yet, having been out bike-riding all of once (thank you Kaili! teacher extraordinaire), so my feet still serve as my preferred mode of transit (love of public transit inclusive, even).
Anyway, as you walk along, there are periodic signs near each major gate that say things like "Nan Men" (South Gate) 1050m, telling you the distance to the two gates on either side of you. These distances ranged from about 1000 m to 2600m or so. Oh, did I not mention that the old city walls form a rectangle of about 3 km by 6km? So, about 14 km around the perimeter. And I walked it. Okay, not entirely true. I walked all the way to the North Gate (about 3/4 of the way), when I decided to leave the wall to walk in the city. Mostly because the popsicle of fun I wanted to buy cost 5 yuan on the wall. And when I left it, the first corner store / stall sold a better one for 0.50 yuan. That's worse than beach prices, even, and there are fewer stairs here, though the price of admission to the wall constitutes incentive enough, I suppose. I even ran into Garrett before leaving the wall, as he was biking along, and was shocked that I'd walked nearly the whole beast. What? I said I liked walking. I could walk nearly forever, and often do, even at home, to clear my head, or just because. =) In the end, though, I wasn't quite stubborn enough to walk the whole perimeter, though, in distance, including the walking in city, I did probably much more than 14K. Unsurprising, really.
Went back to the Muslim quarter's infamous snack street for lunch, for another rou jia mo (meat in a hard bread biscuit thing -- fabulous, and cheap), and tried something sweet as well -- I think it was some dough made of rice flour (like those sticky rice balls mmm.), with a filling that looked like dates from a distance, but when I asked, the only part of her explanation I understood was "black sesame" -- gotta increase my food vocabulary in chinese, I know. I asked only if it was sweet before buying a small portion, to which she added more sesame, black sesame paste, some sweet plant material (unidentifiable), and a big scoop of honey. WAaaaaaaay too sweet, but interesting to try. Totally couldn't finish it, but was carrying it around for a bit... Then when this old woman came up asking for money, I gave the rest to her. I figured at least it wouldn't be going to waste. Plus, it made me feel a little better overall (more on this near the end of the trip -- still mulling, as I am wont to do).
Bought a donkey, which I didn't really want to carry all the rest of the way, but really wanted to have. No, no, not that kind... This one. Wandered a lot, saw a lot of interesting food, found overpriced souvenirs to not buy, and generally really enjoyed myself. Xi'an's been really good for new food -- both interesting to taste local dishes, as well as for the way things are served. Lots of takeout, like noodles, made fresh and mixed up in stalls on the street, are mixed in a bowl lined with a plastic bag, along with sauce and seasoning. Then they just pull up the plastic bag, tie it up, and hand it to you. So, you're likely to see lots of people in the neighbourhood with bags of loose, cooked food, a meal in a bag, hanging off their handlebars. It's hilarious, and awesome, considering that takeout, back home, tends to get packed then bagged. Anyway... I've more to say about food, as I've tried more interesting things here than anywhere previous, but I think it will wait til another day. Just thought I'd give you a taste of it... aHAHAHAHAH. That was an excellent quibble. Not a pun. =)
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