So much to report since my last entry. I'll try to back track to recall all the events. 

Chengdu: The visit to the panda reserve was excellent. For three hours, we toured the sanctuary and watched baby pandas and toddlers feed, romp and misbehave, just like young children do. They are roly poly and cuddly and it was tough not to jump over the fence and scoop them up. Even the grown-ups seem docile and friendly. There are 8 pandas at the reserve, which is considered to be a world class breeding facility for this endangered species. 

The tour lasted all morning and we arrived back at Sim's at lunchtime. Len and Steve and the kids stayed at the hostel playing pool and ping pong for the afternoon while Lisa, Julia and I explored one of the city's historic districts, where locals were spending their Sunday afternoon enjoying tea and market shopping. Julia bought a purse and Gina bought some awful candy. With a train to Xi'an scheduled for 6 pm we met everyone back at Sim's and ran out for a bite to eat before catching a cab to the station. The "bite" turned out to be another memorable dining experience as we scanned through a menu of things that looked frightening to us spoiled Westerners. No matter how dressed up it is, we can't bring ourselves to do dog meat, pig's feet, goat's heart or sea cucumber (even though it likely originated in Newfoundland)...and even though we analysed the photo, we couldn't hazard a guess at what was in the dish called "grandmother's elbows." Our waiter, in his minimal English, said it was made from the freshest animals. Not very reassuring. In the end, we ate ribs (from what animal, we don't know) and lots and lots of rice. 

The train to Xi'an was overnight and we managed to sleep a little despite the cramped quarters and less than ideal conditions (not very clean). The highlight was an hour before we arrived in Xi-an, when Len struck up a sing-along with a 5-year old boy in the next compartment. Our crew and the train crew joined in and Len had the whole train car belting out Old MacDonald had a Farm. 

At the train station, we took a van to our hotel, another beautiful hostel right by the south gate of the city. Xi'an felt very different, more cosmopolitan, with a clear blend of the old and the new. Lots of "mall" shopping and old architecture. We spent some time browsing around and the whole crew got a lesson in Chinese tea service in a tea shop. We were served four different types of tea around a short tea table in the middle of the shop. 

Xi'an is the only city in China that still has its original city wall completely in place. The wall, a huge structure with a cobblestone road on top, encircles the entire city. We rented bikes and rode the 13 km around. Lots of fun for everyone. Supper that night: Chinese dumplings. We each managed to eat a few but they're only the size of a walnut. Nobody's getting fat, that's for sure. 

The hostel in Xi'an was nice but didn't live up to Sim's. It was large, with nice courtyards but very smoky and the rooms were cramped and airless. 

The next morning (yesterday) was the main reason for coming to of this part of China: the Terra Cotta warriors. It was an hour long bus ride from Xi'an to the site of the warriors. Located in an area that's still mostly farmland, the warriors were discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well. He turned up a clay head and that led to a massive archeological dig that, to date, had revealed 6000 soldiers. Most are still underground since the minute they come into contact with air, the tremendous colouring on them oxidizes and disappears. They're waiting for new technology before unearthing the rest. In any case, seeing the ranks and displays of these bigger-than-life size figures was quite something. 

Later that day we took a flight from Xi'an to Guilan, got a bus into the city (a village of 500,000) and then hiked with our packs on for about a km to the Garden Flowers Hostel. We were a site - 10 North Americans of all shapes and sizes hoofing their way through the busy streets of Guilan. We stuck out like sore thumbs. The hostel was a welcome haven at the end of the trek; we dove into pizzas and sandwiches before tucking into bed for the night.

Through these travels, we've learned a few things about traveling in China that we all agree on:

1. The food is nearly impossible for us to get used to. From the pink sausage meat things in the North to the Szechuan oil and hot peppers in Chengdu, there are several food smells and sights that will be hard to shake about China. And then there's all the varieties of "meat". We've realized that we're incredibly spoiled in the West, eating only the breasts and t-bones while the rest of the world takes care of the rest. They use absolutely everything here (the kids were fascinated when one platter of chicken arrived with all parts, including the head, deep-fried and elegantly arranged on the plate) while we pick the best and throw away the rest. 

2. The bathrooms stink, as in gag, barf, oh-my-god-i-can't-do-this stink. Squats mean there is pee everywhere. And you can't put toilet paper in the toilet so it goes in the garbage can, which then generates yet more stink. It's another smell that will take a long time to shake. 

3. The Chinese could sell ice to an Eskimo, or at least they'd try hard. It never ends, this hard-core selling and bartering. 

4. They are also so very kind - from the ladies in Tiananmen Square who guided us through the historic streets to the people on the street corners always willing to give direction, we have yet to meet an angry or nasty Chinese person. And they accommodate us in our language, which we so appreciate. 

5. The driving is sick....but I've already covered that one. 

And so we left Guilan this morning first thing and took a four-hour ferry down the Li River to Yanshuo, which is where we are now, surrounded by the most incredible mountains you've ever seen. I will write more about this part of our travels tomorrow. 

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