Pictures from my day as Xi'an Tourist

Sunday I spent as a tourist!

Settle in and read on...


















The above photo is my "tour guide" for the day, Shelen (the office manager), with the Bell Tower at the end of the street behind her. The Bell Tower is at the intersection of West Street (the street in the picture), North Street, East Street, and South Street, at the city's center, and inside the wall that goes completely around the center of Xi'an.
















This is me (of course), but I'm standing in front of the Drum Tower, not the Bell Tower. It's a very short walk from the Bell Tower along West Street.

Much of the walking around the very center of the city, where the streets intersect around the Bell Tower, is done in underground tunnels. There is also a ton of shopping in this district, although as it turned out we didn't get to do any shopping.

Very shortly after these two pictures were taken, Shelen and I had lunch, which consisted mostly of traditional (and some more "modern" versions) dumplings, for which Xi'an is famous. These were amazing and almost all were quite delicious. We had some with pork, with peanuts, with walnuts, with chicken, and with duck in them. I certainly had a feast! As a plus, I'm feeling rather comfortable now with my chopstick skills! (Let's put it this way...I reverted to the fork I was given, as an afterthought, just once, and I definitely did NOT starve.)














The above picture shows East Street from the Bell Tower in the Xi'an City Center. Lots of trees line this stretch. The buses at the bottom right are in front of a big new shopping mall on the corner of East and South Streets.















The above picture is West Street from the Bell Tower. The Drum Tower is slightly left of the center, in the distance, of this photo. The area at the right is full of restaurants.














The above picture is South Street from the Bell Tower. Note the McDonald's sign at left-center. Left of the McDonald's is a huge new shopping mall.
















The above picture is North Street from the Bell Tower.
















This is me (of course) standing in front of a large bell at the Bell Tower. West Street is just behind me. The Drum Tower is in the background, just right of the bell support. Note the bell striker at the left of the bell. Some fellow was sitting there selling folks the opportunity to strike the bell with it.
















This is inside the Bell Tower. Note all the bells hanging from the frames. A bit later, we watched a show put on by people dressed in traditional clothes and headdresses, playing the bells and some other instruments like a flute and some kind of keyboard-based strings instrument. There was also a traditional dancer for a part of it. Very nice!

Also note the painted lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Also note the ceiling. See the next photo for more of the ceiling.
















Above the bells inside the Bell Tower. The ceiling was painted and was quite pretty. Side note: Shelen, born and raised in Xi'an, visited the inside of the Bell Tower for her first time today, when she went with me!

















These are all drums, on one side of the Drum Tower. Each drum represented something, like weather, prosperity, or long life, or the like.
















Like the Bell Tower, the ceiling in the Drum Tower is also painited. These tiles are pictures of doves.















This is me (of course) standing in front of a huge drum at the Drum Tower. It was marked as being the biggest drum in the world.

Inside the Drum Tower, on the first level, were displays of antique drums of all kinds. The second level was loaded with antique Chinese furniture.
















Shelen waving, on top of the wall around the City Center, close to the South Gate. Shortly thereafter, at the small pagoda in the background, we rented a tandem bicycle. We rode the bicycle around the entire wall, on top of it. The ride was pleasant and the weather was only slightly warm. No rain, either, although it was overcast for the duration. The top of the wall is paved with blocks, however, there are many holes to avoid (not that easy on a tandem bicycle!) due to some of the blocks losing their top layers. The ride took us a little over an hour to go the roughly 14km around it.
















This is a shot taken of the rooftops of the homes just inside the wall at the South Gate where we rented the tandem bicycle. Note the line of green taxis coming down the road.















This is a view of the wall, just north (outside of) of the north side of the wall.

















This is the Xi'an train station, across from the North Gate. The two Chinese words at the top are the two parts of the name Xi'an.
















The formal guards at the South Gate. Shelen (left) talked the guards into allowing her to take a picture of me (of course) standing with them.























This is me (of course) standing with one of the formal guards, the result of Shelen talking them into it. Which one of us would YOU rather have handy in a fight?

That ended my full day as a tourist and my first full day in China. From the gate, we took a taxi back to the Sheraton.

Mere words can't adequately convey my gratitude to Shelen for being my ever-patient and very watchful tour guide (and body-guard!) and for showing me around the City Center and seeing to it that I got to try the famous Xi'an dumplings. If all the people at the office are even half as nice and kind and generous as she is, we will have a fantastic group there!


















BONUS PHOTO: Coke, Diet Coke ("Coke Light"), and Sprite cans.

That's it from Xi'an for Sunday, 23 July!!! Tomorrow is Day One at the office for me.