The hostel we'd found online was a nice cosy place just by the South gate of the Xian city walls. There were many Western tourists and the staff all spoke good English, it felt very much like a rest after the trials of the past few days. Sadly, however, Taiyuan would keep rearing its ugly head in the form of dodgy stomachs that both Dave and I were suffering from for over a week afterwards. Indeed, my first toilet experience in Xian ended in the sacrifice of a pair of boxer shorts and a long shower immediately after, I'll leave the rest to your imaginations!

It was mainly a day of sorting things out, putting our laundry in, booking our onward travel and tours and just relaxing in the hostel. The one highlight was a cracking meal in a restaurant followed by a surreal visit to an almost empty bar where a spectacular looking girl got up and sang along to a few country and western hits seemingly just for us. We slipped out and back to the hostel after she'd finished for a good sleep to prepare for a day at the terracotta warriors.