I walk to the South Gate: (in Xian
everything is about the South Gate, all the bars and best restaurants
are here, you have to go there to get tickets to the Walls, and it
takes about 30 minutes so is not worth the time spent on the metro as
by then you do about the same amount of walking.) I decide to walk
the city walls which can be done in a big circuit of about 10 miles.
They are completely intact having been partially restored.
Once I'm on I begin to get a sense of
the scale of this Lantern festival and how it will look, by looking
at the sculptures. I make a mental note to come back in the evening.
View of modern Xian from the city walls
You can hire a bike to go on the Wall,
many people do this because they are very wide. The walls are
enormous. Some couples have tandem bikes which don't tend to be worth
the effort. I can't help laughing inside as many men are pedalling
slowly and painfully along with lazy Chinese wives who simply sit on
the back seat letting them do all the work! You're better off with 2
bikes.
There is some sort of writing carved into the stone: maybe a mason's stone or just graffiti.
This is the western gate. There are four, North East South and West. By now I've been on the wall about 45 minutes.
Cityscape of old and new.
Prayer wheels and drums at the West Gate.
This is the car park just outside the Wall where you catch the bus for the Terracotta Warriors.
Lama temple at the North East corner.
As I approach the South Gate toward
the end of the walk I begin to question the wisdom of not hiring a
bike as after 3 hours my muscles are starting to protest. The lantern
festival extends for what seems like miles from the South Gate. I
start to get fed up and long for a rest.
Finally I come off the wall and have a
long-anticipated cold beer. This is a 2 litre glass: I know it's a
bit of a liberty but I feel I've earned it. The weather is warm
enough to sit outside!
The Lantern festival is an unmissable
spectacle. It seems to be famous throughout China. It is organised
into different cultures, I can see Russian, Chinese, Hindu, Greek mythological and other images on the wall.
In the evening afterwards I visit the bars and
have a game of pool with a few expats, an Aussie, a Brummie and a
Geordie: a fun night!
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