Xi'an adventures!

The first stop on our vacation was Xi’an. We got on the bus on Friday. This is where we learned the first lesson that would haunt us the rest of our travels: All sleeper busses are not created equal. Our sleeper to and from Beijing was very clean, comfortable, and just an all around good experience. This sleeper was not. It was cramped, smelly, and there were Asians sleeping in the aisles. There was a little girl who ended up with Cierra almost the entire ride!

The bus ride was supposed to be 21 hours... it ended up being 23 and a half! This is where we learned the second lesson that would haunt us the rest of our travels: EVERYONE travels on National Day in China! The roads, busses, restaurants, tourist sites... EVERYTHING is packed! Here in China practically everyone gets the first week in October off. It’s madness.

We arrived in Xi’an on Saturday sore, hungry, tired, and smelly. We finally got to our hostel. We only cleaned up. We didn’t have time to sleep because we had a very limited amount of time there. I hurried and used one of the shared computers so I could let my family know I was safe. I got the best news that put me in a great mood for the rest of the day: USU had slaughtered BYU in football!!! YES!!!!!!!! Go Aggies! :) Cierra, Samantha, and I did a little celebratory dance. :) With my newly heightened mood I set out to see the sights. That day we saw the sights around the main part of Xi’an including the Drum and Bell towers and the local night market.

Our second day in Xi’an was one of the craziest days of my life. Literally. We opted not to do a tour of the Terra Cotta warriors because we felt like we had paid too much for our tour on the Great Wall. Maybe it would have been better to do a tour... We got up early to get to the bus that would take us to the Warriors. It was PACKED!! Note: National Day is not the time to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors! What makes it worse is that China can’t seem to master the concept of standing in line. At first we were in a semi orderly line and then suddenly and for no apparent reason the line just turned into an insane mosh pit of chaos and terror. It was a mad dash to get to the front.

This is me with Anna and Kayla trying to make our way through the crowd!

After quite the struggle we FINALLY got on the bus! It took us nearly an hour, but we all got through and ended up on the same bus! The hour long bus ride ended up being a little over 2 hours because of traffic. But after a few rounds of the alphabet game (yes, you can play it in China!) and other various things to entertain us we were finally there! We got in line to buy our tickets. This line wasn’t TOO bad… until we got to the front and found out that it was the wrong one!! So we had to go stand in another one. Dang it! But that line gave half price to students, so it was ok! Now we were really in!

Seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors was INCREDIBLE! I was amazed, in awe, enthralled, and all other synonyms! It’s quite the sight to see! There are thousands of them and each one is different!

The Terra Cotta Warriors were discovered in 1974 by accident. They are still uncovering more and rebuilding and restoring them. We watched people at work! Leah Wood, I think I found the perfect job for you!

We spent a lot of time in there and exploring all the other exhibits. It was honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Even though it was a fight to get there it was totally worth it! We left and headed toward the bus stop to get home. Remember the chaotic mosh pit from the morning? Times that by 10 and that will give you an idea of what was awaiting us! I honestly don’t have words to express the situation we were in! After over an hour of holding onto each other and trying to hold our own in the massive crowd we got to a bus. I took a video of what we had emerged from. I tried to upload it, but it’s too long to send... that’s how insane it was!

We got on the bus. It was completely over crowded, so only a few of our group got seats. Kayla, Samantha and I snagged the stairs, so it was kind of like we had seats. We rode like that for a while and then the bus pulled over. They made all of us get off… apparently you can’t get gas with passengers on the bus. While we were waiting there a bunch of other people snuck in line. When they said we could get back on the bus everyone ran toward the bus so they could get their seats back and not get ousted by the people who snuck in line. In the madness Kayla and Lauren had the most epic fall I’ve ever seen!!! It delayed us and we didn’t end up getting our spots back… but it was hilarious! Kayla, Cierra, and I ended up just sitting in the middle of the aisle surrounded by many Asians.

This is our makeshift bandage for Kayla’s leg! This poor girl is the most injury prone person I’ve ever met!

The bus ride ended up being over 3 hours!! It was so hot, crowded, and uncomfortable! We hadn’t eaten dinner, so we were all starving. We were all rummaging through our bags to find any snacks we might have. Between all of us we found a few cookies, some dried pineapple, and some chip crumbs! Pathetic, I know! This older lady sitting by Kayla saw that and she shared her dinner with Cierra, Kayla, and me! I have no idea what I ate, but it was the sweetest gesture! During that bus ride we went off roading, hit a car, and I think my butt melted to the ground. Ha! Apparently the delay was caused by construction. Good planning, China! Way to have construction on the road to one of the most famous places in the world during the heaviest traveling time of the year! Getting off that bus was the most glorious feeling in the world!

This was our infamous bus ride!

Even though it was crazy the experience was worth it! We accomplished what we traveled to Xi’an for! The next day was a traveling day to Guilin. We decided to splurge and get breakfast at our hostel. It was the first real breakfast I’ve had in ages and it was DELICIOUS. We wanted a good breakfast before getting on our sleeper bus all day. This sleeper bus had to have been designed by someone in the 70’s! It had brown leather beds and orange and yellow blankets. Sweet. Cierra, Samantha, and I ended up in this little cove made for three people in the back.

Yep. We were surrounded by Asians!

The ride wasn’t too bad! It just was a lot of sleeping, eating, and talking. It was another 23 hour bus ride. Waiting for us were more great experiences in Guilin! Stay tuned to hear about those! Love you all!

On a side note, the 4th was one of my very best friends in the world’s birthday! I was sad I couldn’t be there, but now it’s on the wall of our hostel in Xi’an forever! Love you, S!