The markets of Xi'an are much nicer than those in Beijin! In Beijing, the constant, relentless tugging and shouts of "Hey lady! Lady! You want to look here!" can be tiring and overwhelming. The pressue of "What your price?" when you havn't even asked for their price and their attempts of persuasion "Look at my stuff! Very nice, Very cheap!" has the opposite effect. Far from making me want to buy, I want to run! That said, I would always recommend anyone with a low self-esteem to visit the Silk Market in Beijing, where about 200 different people will tell you (and the person behind you, and the person behing them) that you are BEAUTIFUL, SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL! I am sure if you stayed long enough it'd strat to sink in, though you may go crazy in the meantime!

Anyway, these markets are more relaxed, so we end up shopping a bit (bought a cool watercolour painting of some pandas - despite the fact that JOhnny is evidently a pandahater - and one of those pretty paper cuts) The culture street was gorgeous, gentle tunes from the small x'an flutes dancing down the rows of old wooden houses by the big stone city wall. Everywhere we go women with baskets of pomegranites approach us, men with kites of flying faces advertise their goods in the air, and mothers with their babies dodge the wild traffic. There are so many babies in China, btw! i don't think I've ever seen so many. they all cling to their mums with their smooth little brown baby bums hanging out because, for a reason we havnt worked out yet, baby clothes seem to come with a split down the backside...