A well deserved lie in
After a hectic day at the Panda base yesterday, we treated ourselves to a lie in. We had a train to catch to Xi’an in the afternoon, so no great rush. On the way to the train station we got some breakfast treats. Our favourite steamed buns and other goods. They’re a staple of our diet now, a nice, easy breakfast that we know we’ll like.
We’re like pros at the train stations now. We both know the drill and what’s required of us. So we swim through the train entrance and bathe in the simplicity of the system. We embarked on the train to Xi’an in the afternoon and settled in. I use train journeys to relax, write in my journal and reflect on the journey so far. It’s good to have a bit of down time, I look forward to train journeys in fact. Check out how our first train ride in China went, it was anything but smooth!
An Apple Map mishap
After around 4 and a half hours on the train, we arrived in Xi’an. We left the train station and got out to street level. It was starting to get dark so we had to hurry and find the hostel. To make matters worse it was raining and very miserable. Following Apple Maps, we got the bus to the residential area of Xi’an. After we got off the bus, we proceeded to follow the route set out for us. However, we hit a couple of snags. After walking down a thin and precarious road, we got the feeling our place wasn’t down here.
We were getting soaked, with heavy bags, and the frustration was setting in. After 10 minutes or so, we decided to take another route of our own. So we walk around the block to the other side and enter another side street. It wasn’t much better here. The rain was still pouring and extinguishing our spirit. We walked up and down this street several times, unable to see a sign for a hostel. There were loads of apartment blocks, we explored some, but to no avail.
Google saved the day in Xi'an
Despite being banned in China, Google managed to shine through and save us. I looked on Google reviews for this place, and one person said it’s difficult and posted a photo of the entrance. From the photo we were able to discern the location and find the correct building. We didn’t know which door exactly, but we just took a pot shot and guessed correctly. Thank you Google, and thank you reviewer who showed us the way!
Once the door opened, we were greeted by a gracious middle aged lady and a strange student who was also travelling (both Chinese). Bless her, she spoke some English, though wasn’t confident, and was a very nice lady. We couldn’t believe our luck when she offered us some of tonight’s food. She gave us generous servings of noodles, vegetables and mushrooms. I’ve had my fill of noodles, but I wasn’t about to say no! She even gave us seconds, where had this lady been all this time?! The meal was so delicious too, and we even got bananas and sweets afterwards.
We stayed at the Xi’an Hometown Hostel. It was very homely, the hosts were lovely and it was a nice and surprising stay. The beds were a tad hard and it’s quite difficult to find (at least in the dark when it’s raining). Check it out here.
Invaluable info
The hostel was more of a homestay. This lady owned it with her husband. After our food, we conversed for a time with the lady and the student. We told them of our plans to go to the Terracotta Army tomorrow. They were kind enough to offer us some sound advice as experts in the area of Xi’an. She let us know the best time to go, the bus to catch and which bus to catch, and even where to eat/get breakfast from in the morning. I couldn’t believe how helpful and catering she was to us. It made the trouble of finding the place worth it.
The lady recommended us to get an early start…very early. Due to this fact we decided to get an early night. But for one reason or another, that never happened. We struck up conversation with a few of the other travellers who had returned from their day of sightseeing. This, in addition to us planning our routine for tomorrow, is mainly what kept us up. After all was said and done, we finally got to sleep on our hard bunk beds.
Tip!
When travelling one of the best things you can do is talk to other people. This is made easy when staying in hostels and dorms. Just be friendly and start a conversation. This not only leads to some weird and wonderful tales that people have, but you could also learn some invaluable info, like we did. Every person we met had a different story which were always interesting. They usually have some advice for places they’ve been or the surrounding area. So stop being shy and go talk!
