July 16, 2014

BEIJING TO XIAN

On the 16^th we departed Beijing for Xian. Before leaving we visited the Temple of Heaven. The architecture and history is impressive, but the highlight of the morning was interacting with the local people that recreate in the Temple of Heaven Park. Park admission is free to many and each morning there are thousands of people scattered throughout the grounds group dancing, playing hacky sack, badminton, or other exercises. The group purchased a couple of the birdies and we played hacky sack along with the local experts. Many laughs later…we actually entered the central area of the park to view the temple sights.

Next we arrived at the Beijing rail station for a bullet train ride to Xian. The size of the train station was impressive. Many Chinese prefer to the travel by train as it is less expensive than flying and more comfortable. The crowds at the station were intense and it was cute to see Xixi and Jing pulling their wheeled luggage and fighting to stand their ground. Our group formed a “V” formation and cut our way through the crowds. Due to time constraints and a little laziness on our part, the girls had their first McDonald’s food of the trip.

The bullet train reached a cruising speed of 300km per hour….nearly 185 MPH.   The train just glided over the tracks. It made me so jealous that we don’t have these in the states. The last time that Dawn and I traveled to Xian it would have been at least a 12 hour train ride from Beijing to Xian….now it’s 4.5 hours by bullet train. We all had fun just hanging out as a group or enjoying the down time to rest.

For the next few nights we are staying in a different hotel than the rest of the group. Xian has a population of nearly 8 million, but the original old city, bell and drum towers and the city wall are still intact. The city wall runs for about 8 miles around the old city. The group is staying in a newer part of the city, but we elected to stay in the Bell Tower Hotel…which is right in the middle of the old city and within walking distance to the Muslim Market, wall and other sites. Dawn and I had stayed here before we had children and really enjoyed the proximity to all the cool sites. Xian is the ending point of the Silk Road and the Muslim quarter here makes you feel like you've traveled back in time. After getting to know the group, we feel a little regret at not sharing the same hotel with them, but are excited to walk the streets of the old city during our down time.

Today we’ll visit parts of the old city, rent bicycles and ride around the city on top of the old wall and learn more about Xian and its history. We’ll also head to a local school to visit with the students. More updates to come..