Xian (shee-ahn) was the capital of China and end of the Silk Road so this city plays an important role in Chinese history. The ancient town still has it's wall intact, including several gates plus a drum tower and bell tower. In olden times, the bell tower was important for letting people know the time of day, and the drum tower served as a way to communicate messages to the people - warning of attacks, and announcing ceremonies.
Because it was the end of the Silk Road trade route, there is a history of Muslim people living here and the Muslim Quarter today is very colorful and attractive to tourists. It lies very close to the Drum tower and the Mosque. It wasn't too far from our hotel so after an afternoon nap and acupuncture treatment (for $15 a girl came to my room and stuck needles in my back and then put the suction cups on my feet, legs and shoulders).
The bell tower was beautifully lit up and street vendors were selling an assortment of dried fruits, nuts and mysterious delicacies. Walnuts in their shells were roasting, and a variety of other foods were being cooked over big pots right on the streets. The atmostphere was lively but we were a little leary of eating the food. We did try some dried persimmons, and bought some apricot kernels which are supposed to be incredibly good antioxidants and cost a fortune in health food stores at home.
Xian is supposed to be famous for it's dumplings so in the morning I asked at the hotel for a recommendation on a nearby place we could try some. We were directed just down the road for 5 minutes walking and we'd see a wooden building with green characters on it. Ariela & I walked for exactly 5 minutes and there it was. There were no signs, and no menu in ENglish. The place was large and decorated with animal skins on the wall - brown bears, among others. Each table had a beautiful brass teapot on it. The waiter was very friendly and tried hard to figure out what we wanted. We ended up wandering around looking at what other people were eating and pointed to some dumplings, pancakes, and a chicken-peanut dish. Then I pointed to the teapot and he brought me a very long menu of teas, all in Chinese. The only thing I could remember in Chinese was "Where is the tea?" So he takes me up two flights of stairs to yet another room, and on the wall were several cannisters of tea. A waitress took several down and opened them so I could smell them. DELICIOUS! I chose a Jasmine green tea that cost $5 for a pot. A plate of vegetable dumplings (about 24 total) cost $1.50, so you can see that this was excellent tea.
The food was really delicious and so plentiful that we motioned we'd like to take some home. They brought plastic bags for us to put them in. I wanted to buy one of the brass teapots but they just thought I was completely nuts and said "No, sorry."
It was a nice way to end our stay in Xian. I was sorry to leave so quickly as this city could be interesting to explore. But due to flight schedules, we couldn't manage another day.
Again, the hotel arranged a cab to the airport for about $10. The airport was another big, modern and very efficient place. We landed in Chengdu, got our luggage, and found a representative from our next hostel waiting at the exit with a sign for us.
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