Night train to Last Bit

Usually we say ‘next bit’ we’ve just realized now we have to say ‘last bit’.

Before train though, day in Xian. Visited the Shangxi museum which was lots of archaeological artifacts and very interesting. Added a lot of context to the warriors yesterday which was good. We are very dynastied out now though and we still get a bit lost in the Tang, Han, Qing, Ming, there is one other, I can’t remember…..my history head is bursting…..1911 cultural revolution, got rid of emperors, didn’t realize China had a democracy for a while there, or that the Emperors were around so relatively recently…….

Then off for a cycle ride along the top of the great wall of Xian – not so great as ‘The Great Wall’ but this one went around Xian old town in a square. We had a tandem. Called it Timothy. Then Martyn called it lots of other names, chain came off 6 times and I put it back on again, chain then broke so we had to walk. Picked up another tandem at the next stop, seats so low that when I pedaled at the back my knees hit Martyns bum! Oh and depressingly I think the suspension (?) is weighted for little Chinese people as we looked like we had two flat tires. This was even more depressing given that we had fallen in love with the weighing scales some sick person decided to leave in our hotel bathroom – they gave very nice numbers!

After cycle ride some of group had to go to bank so we got bus to Bell Tower and Drum Tower and found a market to wander around. Spent another group members (Anthony) money and Martyn bought ANOTHER pair of sunglasses having broken the last pair straight in half!

Late lunch / early dinner = hotpot. Nothing like hotpot at home. This was a personal saucepan full of water with a little burner underneath. Interestingly the burner was full of white crystals not liquid.  Anyway, boil water in personal saucepan and then add very thinly sliced beef / lamb and veggies, or an egg, tofu or noodles. Dip cooked food in your own personally constructed bowl of dip (from a selection on a buffet table) of soy, BBQ, sesame, coriander, garlic, chilli and lots of others. Leave to cool and then eat. Very nice.

And then train……to ‘last bit’