Xi'an, China

Friday and Saturday, 20 and 21 October 2006

It's a miracle the pilot managed to land in Xi'an. The airport, like the rest of the city, is cloaked in thick smog and the ground first came into view about 15 seconds before touchdown. On the basis of this performance, the dare-devil pilots of China Eastern Airlines would laugh in the face of the fog at Cork International Airport. The pollution seems to be a real problem though as, even at ground level, it's difficult to see more than 100 yards in front of you.

Xi'an's stand-out tourist attraction is the 2000 year-old tomb of Qin emperor Shi Huang, which is guarded by the Terracotta Warriors. About 8000 life-sized warriors and horses have been unearthed at the site. On our way there we get talking to a friendly local, Lee, who explains that the smog is a year-round phenomenon and is down to peasants burning vast amounts of wood and other fuels. (According to the guidebook, Xi'an is one of the most industrialised cities in China so the peasants might not be the only ones to blame.) Lee also offers to give us a quick lesson in Mandarin. The first phrase we learn and the one he emphasises to be the most important one in the language is not "hello" or "what way is it to the train station?" but "how much does it cost?" ("Duoshoo qien?"). As haggling over the price of things seems to be a national pastime, this might prove to be a useful phrase!

A massive tourist village has grown around the site of the Terracotta Warriors. There are stalls selling the usual souvenirs, including a few billion replica Terracotta Warriors and an odd-looking fruit (we think pomegranate) which we sample as we are trying hard to reach our target of five portions of fruit and veg a month. The site itself was discovered in 1974 and conspiracy theorists say that it is all part of a grand swindle, that the Terracotta Warriors were mass produced, kicked about the place a bit to give them an ancient look and then buried in the ground. Some are so well preserved that this is believable but we prefer to think that they are the real thing. The hundreds of warriors aligned in battle formation around the tomb are eery to look at and must have scared the bejaysus out of a few tomb-raiders down the centuries.

Suffering from Abrakebabra-withdrawal symptoms we search out the Muslim quarter in Xi'an to find kebab. The search is long but we find a place that serves a mean kebab. The chaos of this part of the city is the side of Xi'an we like the most as it feels a bit more authentic than the tourist spots that have been given the Bunratty-makeover.

For more photos of Xi'an click here.