I haven’t been writing for a good reason! My good friend Zeolite crossed lands and seas to come visit me here in China, and just as soon as she landed in Shanghai, we headed up north to the Shaanxi Province for a long-weekend adventure. We arrived feeling a bit disoriented, staring out the window at industrial buildings jutting out of barren fields. The air was thick with smog.
Inside the city walls, everything changed completely. We stayed at a quaint converted garden house hostel with a sleepy cat and a spacious patio.
After an early night, Taurin had just about recovered from his cold, and Zeolite had started getting over her jet-lag. We took a long walk around the Muslim quarter, eating cumin crusted lamb kebobs, roujiamo (the Chinese sloppy joe), and soupy dumplings.
The terracotta warriors excavation site was impressive, but rather touristy. My favorite part of the trip was an epic two-hour bike ride on top of the city walls. The weather was perfect, and it was a really neat way to see the city.
5 Comments
Anabella
April 18, 2011 at 3:11 pmthat place looks so old world, how wonderful! and isn’t it so great when friends from a far come to visit us? i love that feeling <3
is that a sesame ball sandwich between crackers?? wow i bet the sesame balls there are amazing! and that saggy dumpling looks yummy.
i've been sick all weekend and my diet is composed mainly of wonton soup and i am still not sick of it. craving some right now.
Zeolite
April 18, 2011 at 3:25 pmI love that photo of me chopsticking up a soupy dumpling. I also really like how the Xian smog photos came out! Is it kind of insane that I haven’t even fully unpacked yet? My suitcase is kind of sitting open in my room, untouched. Lazy. Bones.
admin
April 23, 2011 at 2:07 amAnabella: I really loved how old Xi’an felt, too. It made me think more about China’s long history. And the deep-fried sesame donut ball + crackers thing was SO good. You totally deserve a big bamboo container full of soupy dumplings.
Zeolite: It’s scary how cool deadly smog can look in photos! Talk of being lazy, I’m finally organizing the photos of your Shanghai adventures…
Diana
April 30, 2011 at 7:12 amGlad to see someone’s still rocking the “For Audrey” nail polish!
Hey, it’s my birthday! | Maps and Fragments
August 27, 2011 at 12:00 am[…] island vacation in Southern Thailand, hanging out with elephants in Pai, my friend Zeolite’s visit and our trip to Xian, big meals with friends in Shanghai, a summer in Beijing, a family trip to Korea, and […]