I and three other teachers arrived in Xi'an for one last night together before departing to our separate placements in Shaanxi Province. I visited Xi'an in May 2005 and remember thinking it was a rather drab city. I saw a different side of Xi'an this time!
The ride from Xi'an Airport to our hostel was quite like how I imagine a stroll through Hell must be... knuckle-grinding terror! Our driver was absolutely rabid at the wheel... he could not tolerate to stop or slow down for even a moment's time. In a state of constant acceleration, we raced through the jammed streets of rush hour traffic. "Oh, but how do you accelerate amidst rush hour traffic?" you ask. Well now that is precisely what was so terrifying about the ride! As soon as he saw the red glow of brake lights, he would speed up to pass the braking car--nevermind what might be in front of that car to have made it stop. On three seperate occassions, we very nearly killed pedestrians crossing the street. One incident--oh it felt like a scene from a movie. There were two pedestrians crossing the road a couple meters apart... there was barely, just BARELY enough room for a small car to fit between them. Well our driver insisted on making his large van fit and so--true to form--he sped up and carefully determined his positioning. One of the other teachers released a shriek gasp that froze my blood instantly... "that pedestrian is a gonner," I was sure. Time froze as I waited for the thud of her body against high-velocity steel. The woman lunged forward in a fit of panic that very definitely saved her life as well as the contents of her shopping bag... even if they were now strewn across the road. Our guide broke the pounding silence that followed with an awkward laugh that seemed to say, "hey! wasn't that funny?!" Pretty soon we were all laughing too. Even our driver laughed, but I could tell he was far more interested in finding the next tight spot to squeeze through. One near-death incident down... two to go....
The hostel that we stayed at in Xi'an was amazing with a capital A... heck... capitalize all the letters, it was AMAZING! It was built to look like a Daoist or Buddhist sanctuary, much like the kind you see in the Asian films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It was so enchanting. I made the decision NOT to take pictures because there was no way I could capture the feeling of walking in that building and sleeping in those rooms. On top of that, this hostel was close to everything that is Xi'an.... minutes from the City Wall, the Bell Tower, the shopping district, XiangziMen temple, the Muslim Quarters, the Forest of Stone Steles, great restaurants... this hostel is a must visit if you are ever in Xi'an. XiangZiMen Youth Hostel... look it up! (I don't think you have to be young to stay there)
I could have lost myself in the hostel for the night, but there was word of dinner and my instincts were humming that the evening was only going to get better.
The ride from Xi'an Airport to our hostel was quite like how I imagine a stroll through Hell must be... knuckle-grinding terror! Our driver was absolutely rabid at the wheel... he could not tolerate to stop or slow down for even a moment's time. In a state of constant acceleration, we raced through the jammed streets of rush hour traffic. "Oh, but how do you accelerate amidst rush hour traffic?" you ask. Well now that is precisely what was so terrifying about the ride! As soon as he saw the red glow of brake lights, he would speed up to pass the braking car--nevermind what might be in front of that car to have made it stop. On three seperate occassions, we very nearly killed pedestrians crossing the street. One incident--oh it felt like a scene from a movie. There were two pedestrians crossing the road a couple meters apart... there was barely, just BARELY enough room for a small car to fit between them. Well our driver insisted on making his large van fit and so--true to form--he sped up and carefully determined his positioning. One of the other teachers released a shriek gasp that froze my blood instantly... "that pedestrian is a gonner," I was sure. Time froze as I waited for the thud of her body against high-velocity steel. The woman lunged forward in a fit of panic that very definitely saved her life as well as the contents of her shopping bag... even if they were now strewn across the road. Our guide broke the pounding silence that followed with an awkward laugh that seemed to say, "hey! wasn't that funny?!" Pretty soon we were all laughing too. Even our driver laughed, but I could tell he was far more interested in finding the next tight spot to squeeze through. One near-death incident down... two to go....
The hostel that we stayed at in Xi'an was amazing with a capital A... heck... capitalize all the letters, it was AMAZING! It was built to look like a Daoist or Buddhist sanctuary, much like the kind you see in the Asian films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It was so enchanting. I made the decision NOT to take pictures because there was no way I could capture the feeling of walking in that building and sleeping in those rooms. On top of that, this hostel was close to everything that is Xi'an.... minutes from the City Wall, the Bell Tower, the shopping district, XiangziMen temple, the Muslim Quarters, the Forest of Stone Steles, great restaurants... this hostel is a must visit if you are ever in Xi'an. XiangZiMen Youth Hostel... look it up! (I don't think you have to be young to stay there)
I could have lost myself in the hostel for the night, but there was word of dinner and my instincts were humming that the evening was only going to get better.
The Xi'an host, Frank, treated us to a feast of feasts. There was something to please every last taste bud. I am not flattering the occasion when I say this was one of the best meals I have ever eaten in my entire life. And delicious food was only part of the entertainment. The atmosphere was so lively! Chinese people shouting and playing drinking games at a nearby table elevated the level of excitement in the room to the max. I am not a drinker; I hate the taste of alcohol. But in this moment, I felt compelled to drink to good times. I "干杯ed" two shots of baijiu and sipped at beer after many good "cheers!" The night was magic... I felt so close to the other teachers after a week together... so excited for my new assignment... so happy to be in the pleasant climate of Shaanxi... so happy to be in Xi'an... intoxicated by the good food and perhaps the liquor... the world was in perfect order.
I tucked myself in to sleep for the night in a mood ripe for pleasant dreaming...
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