Traditional Drummers in China

Here is a video I recently uploaded to YouTube, showing a small clip from a wonderful drum performance I saw at the Drum tower in Xi'an in 2013. These performances are made several times daily for tourists and are included in the price of the entry ticket to the tower. It was a wonderful performance, very impressive indeed. The clip below captures quite well the skill of the performance.

Flight to Chengdu

Xian: Not My Cup of Green Tea

As a traveller it as much about the experience of another culture as it is about the sights and views, and I always try to enjoy immersing myself in a new place. However, I'm afraid there is little good I can say about my experience of Xi'an.

I arrived by sleeper train around 8am, bleary-eyed and looking forward to checking into a hotel for a few nights of luxurious solitude. I had arranged a driver to pick me up from the station. But when I got off the train and emerged into the crowds of beggars, touts and everyday Chinese travellers in Xi'an, he was nowhere to be seen. As it turns out, his company had told him I was arriving on a later train, and it is only because my train was delayed, and through the kindness of my sleeper train  bunk-mate, that I was able to survive this experience relatively unscathed. When I got to my hotel, I was absolutely exhausted and in a pretty foul mood, so I went up to my room for a nap. I awoke refreshed a few hours later and went to explore the city. My hotel was located right next to the famous Bell Tower, with the Drum Tower just down the road. So, I explored the area a little and found a bustling street market where I was able to get some street food to fill my stomach - fried quails eggs on a stick and some  very spicy, but tasty, tofu. Although there was lots  of meat available as well, I didn't much fancy it, and figured I was being smart to avoid it and the potential food poisoning it promised.

Overnight Train to the Terracotta Army