[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
April 28 - X'ian
Xi'an is a historic city -- the first capitol of China, in fact -- but after you see the Qin warriors, everything else rathers pales by comparison. What the city does have, though, is the most intact city wall in China ... perhaps in the world. I suspect that it has been extensively rebuilt but the old defensive walls in most European cities have been torn down to create a ring road, in Xi'an the wall is solid, formidable and impressively lit at night.
We thought the wall was worth a look so we paid our $6 fee and climbed up into the South Tower. The upper levels of the tower have been converted into gift shops to prey on the tourists (surprise!). The shops are stocked with quality goods ... at quality prices! We poked around, but passed on the "very special prices" that were offered "just for us. We knew what the shopkeepers were doing ... and they knew that we knew ... so it was all good for a laugh on both sides.
There are pedicabs that operate on the wall and after Miao bargained their prices down, we decided to do the tourist thing and went off for a short spin. The day was becoming very hot and humid so it didn't take long before we called it quits and went off in search of a frosty beverage.
Miao wanted to show us the White Pagoda, a city landmark, but apparently it is best seen at night, so she got a recommendation for a good restaurant in the area with the idea that we would check out the pagoda after dinner. And quite a dinner it was ... hot pot with an attitude! The photos don't begin to tell the tale.
Around Beautiful Downtown Xi'an
© 2008 Restaurant Doctor