First Class to Funky Style

Well, the train to Xi'an was packed. I ended up on the only train for the next five days that still had tickets available, and even then, I had to pay extra and ended up in the soft sleeper (the train's most comfortable lodging. Very different from my first and even second train rides. This time, people were quiet, I slept well, and in the end I ended up getting some good practice with my Mandarin (Hanyu) listening skills. This is the area in which I need the most help. Thus, whenever I get the chance, I try to understand the conversations around me. Usually, I can get the gist, minus any real details (the long and complicated words I don't know).

I met an English couple on the train, who I talked with for a while toward the end of the journey. We parted ways as soon as the train hit the platform, and I made my way to the exit where I hoped my ride was going to meet me. The result was a stressful five minutes of waiting, after which a guy who works at the hostel arrived and gave me a lift on his moped.

Now, for those of you that don't know: the bike is a much rarer thing in China these days than it used to have been. Now, it is the motorized bike, moped, and motorcycle that have taken its place. Anyhow, we arrived in my kind of neighborhood; the kind of neighborhood where you see vendors on the side of the road, and convenience stores in every possible location imaginable. This is where you get to see the life that a vast number of chinese have come to know in recent years. Giant cities that spring up out of nowhere are filled with places like this. For a less adventurous traveller, I would stay steer clear, but I can feel fairly safe here.

Continuing on that thought: my hostel is a very interesting place. Smack-dab in the middle of a run-down block on the outskirts of Xi'an. The owners are a brother and sister (the sister is of course the one that can speak english the best), and their mother and grandmother. They even serve good food here too! My room is on the third floor, minus the air conditioning, though it doesn't get too hot. Right now I am sharing the two rooms with one other person, a girl from up north somewhere I think (paying the equivalent of less than three dollars a night). Anyhow, my first day in the city will be today, so I'm excited! Supposedly Xi'an has China's best history museum, not to mention some great pagodas.