China Day 14, 19th May 2019, Xi'an

Met the kids in our room this morning at 9 as they were checking out and leaving their bags in our room till their departure at 6.25 pm by Bullet train back to Beijing. We ate breakfast in the  hotel restaurant this morning just for ease and then it was a short walk to WaLouKou subway station to the Large Wild Goose Pagoda, which is outside of the city wall. Got off at Dayanta staion and walked the short distance to the Pagoda. This is an excellent Pagoda and accompanying gardens. The Pagoda itself is 64m tall and unlike the one outside Datong is a brick building built in 652AD during the Tang Dynasty. Jane not feeling so good this morning ((upset stomach) so happy to sit while the kids and myself walked around and climbed to the very top for fantastic views of the city. The gardens surrounding the Pagoda and its accompanying buildings were quite beautiful in themselves and well worth the time. Like the rest of China we have visited so far, the roses are spectacular, and the variety of colours planted, immense.

From the Pagoda we then grabbed a Didi to the Bell Tower situated in the centre of the walled city and had a good look around this and the exhibition of bronze mirrors on display. These were from China and Japan and the accompanying text was very insistent on the fact that China was far more advanced in the production of these mirrors and lead poor old little Japan into the future.  😉

After this we then walked back to the hotel for a little recuperation and to leave the kids to themselves for a couple of hours. Didn’t quite figure on the distance back to the hotel though and rather than getting back with time for a rest we only arrived 15 minutes before Alec and Helen. Got stuck in a park for nearly 20 minutes at one stage which was supposed to be a shortcut through but ended up being walled off for repairs or something and couldn’t get out without returning to the entrance. It was quite warm as well so not the best for Jane. Once the kids left the hotel just after 4.30 pm for the train back to Beijing we went upstairs for a good rest.

Once we arose we decided to try and see the water and light display that we missed the previous evening, so onto the subway to north Pagoda square where we arrived with plenty of time. Decided to cop out tonight due to the stomach situation and elected for a simple pepperoni pizza and a beer at Pizza Hut. We then watched the light show which was OK, but not a patch on the one we saw at Datong, guessing a little bit of one up-man-ship going on between the cities here. By now after a long couple of days it was back to the hotel for a good 9.30 pm retirement to bed, with a cleansing ale beforehand just to calm the nerves of course.