Sunday – First Day in Xi’an

We arrived in Xi’an fairly exhausted from the long train ride, but we wanted to check out the city so we headed out for lunch. First thought: We miss Beijing. Xi’an is a huge crowded city, and the part where we are staying is near a shopping district, and apparently people never ever run out of items they need to buy. Walking down the street was like swimming against a current of intense shoppers and merchants bent on selling you fake Gucci glasses. The air is thick with pollution here, way worse than Beijing, and the temperature is about 10 degrees hotter. As you can tell, its my favorite spot so far. To top it off, the room Dawn and I are staying in has a constantly changing foul odor that can only be masked by burning so much incense that my eyes start to water. I’m sure I will find some redeeming qualities of the city, but for now, I’m looking forward to Shanghai.