For our train to Xi'an we chose to go hard sleeper, much to the dismay of the hostel owner! When we boarded we found that it was an open carriage with triple bunks again. We had heard some pretty bad things about Chinese trains so we were pleasantly surprised with what we had got. The train was spotless and the beds nice and clean.

Because of the lack of space on the trains during national holiday we all got allocated top bunks, although it was quite high and cramped we were lucky to all be on beds next to each other which was nice.

The journey was a fairly short one at only 15 hours, so after a nights sleep and a quiet morning we arrived in at Xi'an. As always we were thrown out into a new city ready for the confusion of getting to our hostel. After a little wander some Americans found us and directed us to the right bus. It turns out we had arrived at a different station to what we expected so our directions were useless. After a bus and a taxi we arrived at the hostel, which was really lovely.

Our first night was spent with a few drinks and a relax around the ping pong table. The hostel has a roof terrace to sit out on and enjoy the smog lit skies!

We woke up the next morning early ready for our day at the terracotta warriors. Unfortunately the weather turned a little british on us so waterproofs were at the ready and turned out to be very necessary. On the plus side though, this is the first rain we have seen in the 5 weeks we've been gone!

The warriors themselves were amazing to see. We had heard some negative things so weren't expecting much, but we very surprised when we saw them. The sheer quantity of them, all lined up was a real sight. And knowing that each one had been put back together by hand made them even more amazing.

It became a very educational day with us finding out lots of the history behind them. 8,000 warriors have been found so far, with not one looking the same. They were made by slaves and after it was constructed the workers were buried alive within the tombs and left to die. The whole army had been made by the first Qin emperor to guard his tomb. Out of the 8,000 found, only one warrior was complete which we got to see.

After we had seen the warriors we were able to go and see the tomb of the emperor. However by point the tour guide and most of the others people weren't so keen. However we all decided that we were soaked already so might as well go and see it. Well, you've never seen a tour guide rush to see it as much as ours. She obviously isn't as used to the rain as much as us so she made us practically run there and back. Just to make matters worse for her we asked her to take a picture of us, we thought the poor girl might break down by the end. The tomb itself was just a hill with some trees on it, so you can see why she wasn't so keen, but it did make us all laugh.

After we got back to the coach we headed for some lunch then went back to the hostel to dry off. However due to the weather there was no power, so sadly no showers. But it was a romantic experience for all in candle lit rooms!

That night we went to a Tang Dynasty Show. This show displayed different dances and music that would have happened during the Tang Dynasty. The dancing was amazing, the girls wore the the dresses that have floor length sleeves which they twirl around. Doesn't sound too good but it was the most beautiful thing to watch. For those who have seen House of Flying Daggers it's the dress she wears when she's hitting the drums. Ben described it best: fricking sweet.

After the show we headed back for a few drinks at the hostel. The next morning we had a lie in and prepared for our next train to Chengdu. Sadly we have parted ways with Bill and Suzanne here as they are both off to different cities. Xi'an has been such a quick stop but the Terracotta Warriors were even more amazing than we expected which has made it so worth while. We are all really excited to relax in Chengdu and visit the pandas, will update you all again soon!