Shanghai (at) Noon

Due to train schedules and whatnot, we were blessed with only 10 hours in Shanghai before we had to catch our next train.  We missed most of the city and have no real understanding of what it is really like, but we do know we want to go back.  The old, mixed with new architecture makes for a beautiful cityscape.  We went to the area call the Bund and from there we could see the financial Pudong area across the river.  The city was way too humid for September and after ducking in and out of the shadows for a few hours,and trying terrible seaweed ice cream, we settled on the aptly named Bund Brewery to avoid the heat.  Beers were 90RMB ($13.27) for half a liter of their own lager, ale, or hef.  All were good and they offered pint and liter sizes as well; we wanted to try all the brews with equal constitution, and stayed with the half liter.  

Terra Cotta Warriors: Come Out to Play

A placard says that real bone fragments were found at the site as well

The first step in seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors from Xi'an is to get to the railway station.  From there you can catch any one of the many 306 buses that run directly to the site when they fill up.  The voyage is 7RMB ($$1.03) and about an hour each way.  Once you get there you get to talk fairly far from the parking lot to the ticket booth, to the pits.  A fun jaunt that is included in the 90RMB ($13.27) entrance fee.  There are a ton of guides, hawkers, and shops that are also eager to get ahold of you money while you try to find the warriors.

I think the site is interesting, but I don't know how much of it is really ancient.  The army was found in 1974 by a farmer and it seems like the transition of tourist trap was a little too quick.  I won't say that the whole thing is fake, but it seems a little too convenient to find something like this without any written or oral history passed down.  Whatever, it was something to see and the craftsmanship was very good.  I overheard a guide tell someone that each statue has more than 200 parts in it, but that could be exaggerated.  There are signs saying that excavation continues and they have even put some of the better preserved pieces in glass so everyone can see how detailed they are.  Renee and I saw this on the day we were going to catch a train, so we only spent an hour at the site so we could catch the bus back in time.  I'd say and hour is all you really need unless pottery is your thing or you want to splurge for a guide that will fill you in on all the details.  

Xi'an

While kicking it in Xi'an, China, we figured a ride on the city wall was in order.  The wall has been restored and it turned out to be much larger than I had anticipated.  But, as an added bonus, there is a bike rental place on top.  After paying 40RMB ($5.90) each to get on the wall, we can rent bikes for 20RMB ($2.95) each with a refundable 200RMB deposit.  Well we wanted to save on the deposit cost and be extra cheeky, so why not get a tandem bike?  The bike worked fine, though it was a little wobbly from having a bent front end.  To go all the way around the wall it took us about 110 minutes and that was with an easy, steady pace with only a few stops for quick pictures.  The view during the day was of a normal Chinese city in my mind, but they sure know how to light up the place when the sun sets.  

That night we went out for for a dinner recommended by Lonely Planet of yangrou paomo at Lao Sun Jia.  I could it it everyday.  It is a beef soup with noodles and spices with bread crumbs thrown on top.  Super delicious as all the flavors mixed perfectly.  The restaurant was pretty hard to find and we walked past it several time, but we just worked up an appetite for the 24RMB ($3.54) per person we paid to share a bowl with beers.  

Little Sheep, let me come in

We found Little Sheep, a place on Ghost street (a popular restaurant area) that served Mongolian hot pot.  The food was very good and it helped to pacify Renee's shabu shabu craving.  We ordered the original broth that had a water based soup side and an oil based spicy side.  The meat and vegetables were ordered to go with it and we mixed them in as we saw fit.  The meal with beers and a water came out to be 60 RMB ($8.81) each and hit the spot after our long wall hike.  As the broth boiled down, the spicy side got spicier and the soup side just got more delicious.  All around a great experience and Lonely Planet did not lead us astray.