Right after getting off the sleeper train this morning (now today) we have been to the traditional bell and drum tower.., a market (bought only a limited amount of crap - so proud) and then to supermarket... exploring and to get some dinner.

Right now it is 11pm and I am sitting in a random internet cafe to catch up with my blog with another friend and about 80 other Chinese randoms - on the 4th floor of this centre through a games room... being smoked out by the 75 who are chain smoking around me... if thats not devotion for me telling you about my travels I dont know what is!!

Up to now i have been pretty adverturous with food (we all have) ..eating dumplings and things off the streets trying the random cusine...munching on peking duck (that wasnt such a chore)...etc HOWEVER tonight we tried mutton soup with noodles and bread - a delicousy for this area... OH MY GOD we all felt sick and left half... it smelt like a farm the 3 pieces of fatty meat were swimming in oil and the mouldy bread croutons werent worth the 1.40 I paid...I guess you so get what you pay for sometimes and depending on my stomach tonight/ tomorrow I may be less adverturous lol!!

Ah I also bough bracelet similar to the one I got as a work far well as its breaking (which actually made me quite sad - thanks Lou and Mitzi...see i love it so much that i have a replacement and am now keeping the one you gave me in a bag - sad i may otherwise loose it):( ahhh but other than that I am shattered and seeing the Terracotta warriors tomorrow (another 8am start.... 6am if i want to get up and see the local people doing their thai chi - but im so tired an extra hout in bed might win)! lol.

People are still spitting their hearts out here - gross!! Still not getting used to it,,, and I really like this city - its quite cheap and has the old with the new (felt like Beijing was old and Shanghi was new) and this has more of a balance! found out china is more expensive since the olympics and interestingly they dont really do spring rolls here- its a western thing and was a festival "spring" treat:)

Anyway will update soon...enjoy my blog-age

Right day 2 in Xi'an - TERRICOTTA WARRIORS WOW!! Now who can say they did two of the 7 wonders of the world in a week... oh wait a minute I can :) (the great wall was the other oe if you didnt guess)!! Now the warriors what a wow factor - 3 pits of thousand year old buried soldiers -amazing! They had a tea house on site so we also got a chance to sample the local teas... Jasmin tea: they put a large flower bud in hot water and it literally flowers in front of your very eyes (amazing) and puff theres your tea... I would bring some home but its a bit pricey... watching the tea ceramony was enjoyable too though!

Unfortunatley though todays weather has been worse than yesterdays and its been pissing it down all day (ooow yeah the mac / "kagool" thing has been fashioned - im so cool)... oh my gosh i swear all these outfits i am wearing i would never been seen dead at home wearing... but of luck the rest of the group say the same which makes me feel better!!! After more random time exploring the city (so many random things to see) we went to this gorgeous dumpling resturant and had the best meal since Beijing - YUMMY (specilaised in dumplings).... and believe it or not they dont really eat a lot of rice here either (im a bit gutted about) as with these gormeau meals they just pile on loads of meat dishes - good if your on the atkins.... however i have discovered a readlly nice dish: potatoes covered in honey toffee (i.e. fish n chips style chips coated in sweet s***.....absolutely lush!! onw to remember).

Btw thanks Robin stander at work for telling me to clean the dishes before eating out of them - the stuff ive wiped off...well its saved me some ffod posioning episodes and I now know what you mean so thanks for that :)

I'm off to Chengui tomorrow to see some Pandas and get on an early morning flight (yay no trians!) so will update soon.... enjoy