Yesterday we took the bullet train from Beijing to Xi’an. It was about a 6 hour ride, but pretty comfortable overall. Once in Xi’an we took a walk around the city and markets, then went for dinner at a shop off the main drag of the Muslim markets.

After that we had time to walk around the markets, checking out all the weird things they were selling, including a range of puppies and kittens. We sat at a bar for a few hours.

Today we saw the terracotta warriors and had lunch at the shop of a local family who used to live on farmland where the warriors were discovered.

Tonight a few of us are heading to a cultural show which includes a dumpling buffet. Then I might go for a walk in the city after. I am starting to feel like I need a bit of alone time, but I know once the tour finishes in Shanghai I will have that in abundance.

In my last night in Xi’an, even after being out all day (Terra-cotta warriors as well as the cultural show which was overly touristic and a bit of a disappointment), I showered and then headed out to the drum and bell tower in search of, well, anything.

I wandered around for a few hours, stopping for one snack which was excellent (I found the recommendation on the Chinese app Dianping). I’ve now just got back to the room, feet sore, and finally tucking in for the night. Tomorrow, we head to Chengdu.