Well, hotmail's decided that its servers are too busy today, so gmail is my reliable fall-back. Thought it'd be terribly slow out here, like google.com once was, but... I suppose at least it's working.
We've hit Xi'an, after a 17 hour train ride, and I absolutely love this hostel, so far. It's very quaint, all 'round, tucked away in a little nook next to the old city walls, with awesome people, free internet in the afternoons, a free dumpling night on fridays, kittens, birds, open courtyards, lovely showers, a big energetic dog, LOTS of helpful info on other hostels in China, helpful tours and maps posted all about, a blue guitar, and a surprisingly high percentage of foreigners who speak mandarin. Very cool. It has character. It's beautiful. I will take photos before I leave. But, I highly recommend it if you drop by Xi'an, ever. The Shu Yuan HI hostel. I know; you all think HI is the devil and all, but this place is super wonderful. Did I also mention that our 5th night here is free?
Anyway, after 2 and a half days in coal country (will post about the AMAZINGNESS that was Datong later, perhaps), I did my laundry today while Garrett napped off the beginnings of illness. The wash water, usually a dirty sandy shade, even in Beijing, was a deep deep grey. Unsurprising, considering the heaping piles of coal everywhere, the mines, the roads, the stations, the power plants pumping out clouds of smoke as high as you can see. It was... like nothing I'd ever seen. And yet, amidst all that, such beautiful things.... 1600 year old buddhist carvings more than 25m high... A monastery built on the side of a sheer cliff in one of the most gorgeous rocky valleys I've seen. Other treats a plenty. But more on that later, I suppose.
I think I'd rather go play some blue guitar now, or wander about the city. Give someone else a hit o' internet. =) Loving every bit of this so far. Hope you're all doing well on the other side of the earth.
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