Xi'an Dos and Don'ts

Pensez à profiter de la vieille ville et pas seulement aller voir les soldats d'argile. Essayez de trouver un petit voyage organisé d'une journée dont le point phare reste toujours ces fameux soldats et qui vous permettra aussi de voir quelques petits sites comme un musée de médecine traditionnelle ou les premiers bains impériaux (ces petits sites ne sont que peu coûteux comparés au prix du principal soit des soldats ; en plus vous aurez le trajet en bus, les visites guidées que vous n'êtes pas obligé de suivre, et le repas de midi dans un restaurant qui restera bien chinois )

Visit the south of Xián city and see the art's market, here you can pick up Chinese paintings and other Chinese artwork.

The Canaan International Hotel key card included the following traveler tips: "1. Terra-cotta warrior museum -- It makes Xian famous. 2. Hair salon with prostitutes in it -- They will rip you off." My two boys thought this was great advice for the average Xian tourist.

A remarkable city historically .... a major point on the Silk Road in China and the starting point westwards ... just being there makes you feel you are on the Silk Road adventure ...of course, Xi'an is now otherwise small and dusty and, from a tourist viewpoint, synonymous with the Terracotta Army - a bewildering archaelogical find... hundreds of human-sized terracotta warriors discovered accidentally by a local man who, incidentally, is still there (at least was there when I went in 1998) and is a bit of an institution himself ... he is a simple person, you can click a photo with him, look at him, and talk to him if you know Chinese ... Xi'an is on the train route from Beijing to the South and a changing point for heading west to Urumchi or Lhasa, southeast to Hunan or Canton, or southwest to Szechwan or Yunnan ... the train ride itself is fascinating in this region, co-passengers chat away over swig after swig of vodka or mug after mug of green tea, and bite after bite of assorted foods brought with them or bought along the way... food and drink are often shared and, depending on the folks in your compartment, you may discover unique slices of Chinese life ... from folks headed on long tough journeys to Central Asia, to genteel Chengdu elders, to Cantonese couples or singles...

It's a small town, only 7 million ha ha ha (oh I'm lame). You definitely want to have a clear idea of where you are going, or know how to speak mandarin. Without help, I would have been lost for sure.