Mon 14th 33°c sunshine and cloud. We were joined by Jeremy on the visit to the Terracotta Army. So we were all up early and out the door. We needed Bus (5) 306 according to an online blog. The fare was ¥7 (£1), it was more of a local bus, so there were 12 stops before the Terracotta Army. We were to get the same bus home - about 1 hour ride. The bus station is next to the train station which is a 2km walk (not far). The queue for the bus was extensive full ...

Sun 13th What a sleep! At last. On the hostel's blurb it says it has "The comfiest beds in China." They do indeed! The air conditioning may not have worked, but with the softer matresses and pillows and the fact there were 3 of us in the dorm (less snoring!) a good sleep was had. It did wonders for the congestion and headache that still clung to me from Beijing. Coffee then breakfast in the park. A nice start to the day watching people play with their children....

Sat 12th May When you exit a train station in China you are directed eithier up or down a stairway, along a passage and out into your city/destination. You do not pass anywhere near the waiting areas. Other than on the platform you don't mix with anyone else boarding another train. So once out of the station you cannot go back in without a ticket. So waiting inside Xi'an's (population over 8.7 million) train station was not an option. Luckily for us it was warm ...

Friday 11th May Off to Xi'an today. We slept on and off through the night no dramas this time. My cold was easing up but I was still congested and coughing. Taking aspirin helped clear my head for a while a least. Downstairs in the bar we ordered breakfast for the last time. During which time Frank tried to buy a bottle of water - we found out that 1 bottle of water was cheaper from reception than the bar as a back and forth went on between Frank and the barman...

Wednesday 9th May Sick all day in bed. I was very rough again with coughing, sneezing etc and now  a congested head. Frank chilled out a little more in the room too. The double room has no external windows but it is a large room for a hostel's scale. The bed was king size, fairly soft (in comparison with the Wheat hostel in Qingdao) with bedside units either side, Frank got an extra pillow. We were still on the corridor to the roof top area but it wasn't as clo...