It was nice to have a lie in today just relaxing in the room and hostel bar area until checkout at noon. We treated ourselves to lattes and a full English, very nice. We left the luggage in storage and took a taxi to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. We had been told it was the best building to see in Xian so we decided it was worth a look although to be honest we are both a bit museum and templed out. As we arrived we realised that actually the main attraction to the place was not necessarily the pagoda itself, it was more the huge expanse of water fountains that were leading to the pagoda, that were performing in time with music.
It really was quite impressive and we stood and watched for a long time. Every now and then the high fountains would catch in the wind and you would get sprayed but it just added to the fun. There were tonnes of people surrounding the fountains as being the weekend the world and his wife was there. We walked up to the pagoda and decided not to go in and climb it but instead to enjoy the gardens surrounding it. As we came to a smaller pagoda housing a golden Buddha, we purchased some incense sticks and red candles. We set them alight with the help of an old dude that was determined on walking us through the process.
We then found a small outside drinks stall in amongst the gardens and sat for a while to take a load off. There were several wooden cards hung on a wall where people had written their prayers. We then walked back taking a peek at all the tat stalls lining the walkway. I got a postcard and a few souvenirs. We then decided it was time to try and get a taxi back to the hostel. It’s quite easy as we just ask the hostel to write various destinations in Chinese on a scrap of paper and pass it to the driver, he either accepts or just drives off! We were doing our best to flag one down when a small tuk tuk pulled up. First we thought, no thanks, but then we thought well why not it looks like fun!
We hopped in and he zoomed off with one hand permanently on the horn we zipped through the traffic not stopping for anyone or anything! At one point we came to a roundabout and the traffic looked too bad so he just went the other way, I.e. directly into the on coming traffic! I just shut my eyes, and we are here to tell the tale so it all turned out fine! In fact we only stopped once and that was for him to light a cigarette! Arriving back at the hostel ahead of time, we had a quick drink and played with the tiny dog some more. At 3.15pm we decided to take another tuk tuk to the train station. This time we had to squeeze us and all our luggage into the tiny seats. He was slightly less of a mad driver but he got us to the station in good time.
We made our way though the entrance and found our train number. We waited in the waiting room which was packed. At one point there literally was no floor space left as everyone was sitting or standing on top of each other. Jon did a quick snack run then we made our way to carriage 10 after a snap shot of our final train from Xian to Shanghai! We were actually given two bottom bunks but I much prefer the top bunk so I asked a lady to swap with me, about 10 minutes later we finally understood each other and she looked quite relieved not to have to climb up.
We started moving and before long we realised that the through doors between the cabins were locked open so the smoking areas completely blended into our cabin, nasty. Also, the washroom was next to our cabin so we had all the smells and men hawking up and spitting into the sinks ALL NIGHT! We managed to stomach a pot noodle each then tried to sleep but the back support on Jon’s bunk was loose and was rattling with the motion of the train. As this was just below me the wall next to me was also rattling. It kept us awake pretty much the whole night, it was enough to drive you mad! I seem to remember punching and kicking the wall at least 3 times in my dreamlike state of tiredness and frustration.
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