Xian -

Brief summary
- In Xian hardly anyone speaks English
- Harriet has not been sold any oil paintings for a couple of days
- Laura would make a fantastic talk show guest
- No babies were given to us to cuddle

Overnight Train
After an amazing few days in Beijing we were sad to be leaving but also extremely excited to be heading to our next and final stop in China - Xian. After making our way to our train through what must have been the hottest station we have ever experienced we managed to get settled into our 'luxury' cabin on the overnight train. After buying some noodles from the on board cart we made ourselves at home and settled in for the night and most importantly... updated our blog!

Day 1 - Terracotta Army
After an early morning wake up call from the drinks cart we finished packing our bags and got off the train at Xian and wasted no time in starting the next chapter of our adventure. After dropping our bags off at the station bag storage facility we jumped straight on the bus which would take us to one of our most highly anticipated parts of our trip..... The Terracotta Army!

After purchasing our tickets and fighting through the crowds we made it to the the three pits in which the Terracotta Army soldiers were found.The Terracotta Army was incredible with each one of the soldiers being uniquely made with their own uniforms, stature and facial expressions. Every soldier of the 1000 so far uncovered soldiers has had to have some restoration with an estimated 5000 more still buried under the earth waiting to be uncovered.

After our truly breathtaking experience viewing and reading about the Terracotta Army we headed back to Xian to check into our hotel and catch up on some sleep we missed out on from the previous night. After a refreshing nap, shower and use of the hotel's washing machine (Audrey will be impressed!!) we were ready to head out and explore the latest city on our trip. First port of call was the Muslim quarter market which is infamous in Xian for its street food, trinkets and fantastic evening atmosphere. After exploring and getting lost on numerous occasions we headed back for some well deserved sleep.

Day 2 - the day we became more famous than ever before!

After a good nights sleep in our upgraded room we were ready to see what other cultural delights Xian had to offer or more importantly still see whether we had our celebrity status. After a short ride on the subway we arrived at the big goose pagoda, outside of which is a brilliant fountain show which plays throughout the day. Following the display we decided to head inside the pagoda. We purchased our tickets and headed inside to see the stunning grounds and temple. As soon as we stepped foot through security we were ambushed by a small Chinese man who I can only compare to MR C from summer heights High (if you have ever watched it you will know what I mean). He explained he was an English teacher at a local school and had brought his class to see whether they could meet any English speaking tourists and practice their skills. After struggling to find anyone in China that could speak a word of English it was really nice to have a chat with the children from the school even if the conversation was limited to a few sentences and a request for a picture. The small video that I managed to capture of the encounter will leave you in no doubt that Laura would make a fantastic talk show guest.

After spending time with our fans we explored the pagoda and its grounds before heading to the Muslim quater once again to sample some of the local food and take a ride on one of the local means of transportation (a motorbike with a cabin on the back) which I would describe as a shabby Pope mobile. After a quick detour so that our driver could avoid the police we wandered our way through the streets of Xian highly disappointed that we were leaving the next morning.

Upon reflection although we were extremely looking forward to the attractions of China such as the Great Wall and Terracotta Army we were extremely surprised about how much we enjoyed the challenge of exploring a culture that is so different from our own and also overcoming such a significant language barrier.

Next stop Kuala Lumpur!