China -- Evening in Xian

After the Terra Cotta Warriors, we visit the old city wall. It is getting dark. The wall is lit with small lights and spots as well as old street lamps and red lanterns. It is beautiful. We park in a large square area that is between the double walls. It is a space built to trap invaders who make it over the moat and through the first barrier thinking that there is only one wall. Of course there is another shopping opportunity at the top of the wall.

Our hotel for the night is a Shangra La (Golden Flower). It is a wonderful oasis in the smog and dust of the city. I’m going to be spoiled by it. The water is still not drinkable from the faucet but the shower feels good. We hurry to get dressed for a dinner and show at the Tang Dynasty Theater Restaurant.

Dinner is a sampling of dishes. The best is the honey crusted shrimp and “dim sum” dessert which appears to be a Chinese version of petit fours. We have a taste of white rice wine that looks like soapy water but tastes like very sweet sake. The show is colorful and the music interesting featuring Mr. Gao Ming who plays an instrument called the Pai Xiao. It resembles the piped instrument played by Pan in Greek mythology. He plays a piece that truly sounds like a flock of birds in a forest.

I almost fall asleep during the last act. It has been a full day. Tomorrow we need to be up at 6:30. We return to a very warm hotel room and adjust the temperature hoping it will cool off soon. The sheets feel wonderful, smooth and fresh. I drift off quickly.



Other China posts:
The Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square
The Great Wall
The Summer Palace
Wuhan to Beijing
Chinese Farmhouse
Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges and Lesser Gorges
Fengdu—The Ghost City
Cruising the Yangtze
Chonging—The Yangtze River
The Big Goose Pagoda
Beijing to Xian
Timid Tourist in China-Travel Day
China-The Trip of a Lifetime