The X-Factor

So I'm sitting in our hostel in Xining, getting ready to leave for Tibet, with Jen and I having just enjoyed some well-deserved R&R in X&X - Xi'an and Xining. First up (after a train journey so special it has been the subject of its own entry) was Xi'an - China's ancient capital and the gateway to the legendary silk road. It's fair to say that the city's real glory days have long passed but the history of the place still shines in places like the fascinating Muslim Quarter, the Drum and Bell Towers (now surrounded by traffic islands and shopping centres, just as they must have been in ancient times...) the Old City walls lit up at night, and the fantastically named Big Goose Pagoda, complete with daily fountain show.

Of course, the big drawcard of Xi'an is the world-famous Army of Terracotta Warriors which lies just outside the city. The importance of this site from an archaeological and historical perspective can't be overstated, while as an achievement for its time it was nothing short of extraordinary. That being said, seeing the warriors themselves reconstructed and arranged in formation from a distance inside several huge metal sheds is - dare I say it - ever-so-slightly underwhelming. Though the practicalities of security and preservation of course make it impossible, you do get the feeling that they would be more impressive if able to be seen in the open air and up close.

After Xi'an, another overnight train - which this time was a Hard Sleeper at least - brought us here to Xining, which is to be our jumping-off point for Tibet. At 2,275m above sea level the city is higher than the highest point in either Australia or Britain, though is still considerably less than half the altitude we will eventually reach in Tibet. Despite having more than two million people, Xining has the feel of a provincial city and so has been a nice, relaxing place to do absolutely nothing for a few days.

The highlight of Xining has undoubtedly been Jen's birthday - we were hoping to have been in Tibet for the occasion but the timings didn't quite work out so instead I took her to Xining's famous "28th floor Rotary Western Restaurant" - which means that it's a restaurant of the revolving kind. And the menu was unquestionably one of the most brilliant things I've ever seen - pure Chinglish at its finest.

So tonight we board the train to take the world's highest railway (yes, officially) to Lhasa in Tibet, and hopefully an adventure to remember. Stay tuned, dear readers, to see if the reality lives up to the expectation...

BT10_Xian 11-14 Aug 2010

BT11_Xining 15-20 Aug 2010