I got into Xi'an yesterday morning by overnight train (13 hours long).  When I got here it was cold, wet, and raining.  There were tons of people fighting for few taxis and I had no idea how to get to my hotel.  I was hating Xi'an already.  Actually I am just getting tired of big, crowded cities (even San Diego is too big for me at times).  Luckily I found a taxi and got to my hotel eventually and I wasn't too wet.  Although I found out later she overcharged me by 5 times the normal price, but it was only $7 (should have been $1.50) so no big deal.  My motel is okay, but it has a really nice shower and I can see the City Wall from my bedroom window.  Xi'an used to be the capital of China, or this province, and so it had a section of the Great Wall built around the original city to protect themselves from invasion.  Over time the city has expanded, but the City Wall is still in the center of the city and has been incorporated into everyday life.  They have created openings to allow traffic through the wall and the train station is right across from one of the four main entrances to the City Wall.



Since It was raining and I was super tired from the train ride (I didn't sleep at all because I was coughing the whole time since I am still a little sick) I decided to take it easy and rest at the hotel.  Plus I didn't want to get sicker.  So after cleaning up and using the internet for awhile I went to go eat dinner at the hotel restaurant.  I was handed a menu with pictures and pointed at some noodle dish that looked good, but for some reason I couldn't get that dish so the waitress pointed at something else.  Since there was a language barrier and neither of us understood each other I just agreed to whatever she wanted to bring me.  It ended up being a plate with steamed rice, a fried egg, and Kung-Powish Chicken.  It was delicious.  In fact I am going back tonight to get it again and this time I will get a picture for you.  After dinner I went back to my room and watched a movie on my laptop and then it was off to bed for an early start tomorrow.  Tomorrow I was going to see the Terracotta Warriors and then I leave the next day for Chengdu.