A Journey to Well Known Places

Many in the states associate KFC with the delicious blend of deep fried herbs, spices, and breaded fatty chicken, fluffy biscuits, and small portions of passable mased potatos in styrofoam containters. Not me, not anymore. For me KFC is a a clean quiet oasis with lots of seating, climate control, free water, sanitized bathrooms and most importantly..cheap coffee. In China, and especially here in Xian, coffee is synonymous with wealth and luxury. The same places that advertise coffee also offer steaks, glossy menus, and expensive ice cream drinks. It is WAY overpriced. The going average is around 25 for a decent blend. To put that into perspective I paid 7 for a big bowl of beef noodle soup yesterday and 27 for a pork and mixed vegetable stir fry with a side of rice and two beers. KFC coffee is 4.5. This morning though, I got up a little late made my way to the bus stop a bit hungry and tired. I thought coffee sounds good…and some breakfast. Then, as though the capitalist fates anticipated my desire, I spied the golden arches conveniently located next to my stop. It is to be I consoled myself and went in for a mcmuffin and a hot cup of pick me up. Well, someone at corporate; probably from the east coast, determined that anything after 10am is too late for breakfast. Facist swines; that is discriminatory against the unemployed and lightly ambitious. Whatever. I ate my hamburger and large fries and drank my coffee, but I didn’t have to accept the premise that gave me lunch before 11. I will not be back….except for another large coffee. Oh, by the way Ronald, the Colonel has proper sit down toilets…are you listening Ronald? Are you?

The bus to the Terracotta warriors was less than half full and took about an hour to get there. It was 7 for the ticket. When I arrived I filed off and walked towards the entrance. I was advised by someone in Beijing that it was worth it to spring for a guide. I considered it and as such gave pause when the official tour touts offered their services. 100 for an hour and a half. I was not immediately swayed. Then I spied the only other white face on the bus and asked him if he wanted to go halvsies on it. He was French, Parisienne actually, and not terribly happy and about colaborating with an American for an English only tour guide. In the end economics won out and we went for it. The tour was very informative and the warrior art was incredible. Again, made more so by the fact that they were made 200 years before the birth of Christ. A good portion of the rooms are still unexcavated, but well worth the admission price. It took 700,000 people 35 years to make the tomb and warriors. The emporer died at 47 and two years later some uppity peasants had the nerve to revolt and destroy most of it. Seems like a theme in Chinese history (For my new Chinese friends…that is an example of American dry humor. The authorities do NOT need to be notified). A good part of what we see today has been painstakingly reconstructed from the ancient bits and pieces. I can see the ad for that job…’Like jig saw puzzles? Do you enjoy history? Then we have the job for you!’ I am uploading pictures as I type.

I am used to being a bit of an oddity. Part of me rather enjoys the attention; probably because I am a middle child. Today I got to experience the western bus seat shuffle. I had read about it before I left, but this is the first time I got the witness the phenomenon in person. The return bus was mostly empty as I chose my seat towards the back of the bus. I had both seats to myself. As the bus wound its way back to Xi’an through rush hour traffic the seats began to fill and an undeniable pattern began to form. There was a blond girl on the opposite side of me one row back, so I know it was me personally. The closer the empty seat was to a foreigner, the less attractive it was. To the point that strangers were sharing rows in the front of the bus rather than sitting in the empty rows immediately in front of the foreigners. When I finally figured out what was happening I laughed out loud; immediately confirming the correctness of the current passengers seat choices. As the seats filled I began to grin wickedly, further dissuading any would be seat companions. Finally, my seat and the one next to the blond girl were the last two open seats on the bus. I could see the dismay and discomfort in the face of the old man as he boarded the bus. Dismal options both. He chose me! I grinned at him broadly, he nodded and turned away. His body leaned as though pulled by a magnet in the aisle. I sniffed my pits to be sure I did not offend. I did not. He crossed his arms. I made it back to the hostel around 7 and took a half hour nap.

I had not begun the evening with the intent of gluttony. All the nurshment I had had all day was from McDonalds and I was famished. I wandered the streets practicing my resturaunt profiling skills. I am feeling pretty comfortable with the food situation here. The recipe is simple, walk down a main road until you find a well lit side street. Turn. Look for a place with alot of other patrons, the more packed the better; preferably with blue collar workers or students. As the unsuspecting waitress leads you to your table scan everyone elses meal. When you think she asks you want start with something easy to build her confidence. I like beer or water. They usually know the English for that and smile. Then get up and walk around the resturaunt, if she does not follow you stop and beckon her over. Everyone gets a kick out of that one. Point to the various dishes you want and smile at your dinner companions. Now ordering is a group effort and they are much better at it than me. Well, tonight I found just the place. Three quarters full with meat roasting on a spit, a police man smoking a cigarette, and four people getting very drunk….perfect. I ordered beer and waited for the fun to begin. Everyone watched as I called the waitress over and pointed at a table. These people had good taste and I wanted some of that. I was brought a bowl of noodles that could easily pass for spinach fetticini with some stir fry cubes of meat and vegetables on top. The other tables noodles did not have meat and veggies, so I figured my meat and noodle request was combined. I ate with speed and relish. Only for the sake of appearance did I slow down when I realized that I had been through my entire meal before the last patron even got their food. I paused for good measure. Enjoy it I thought, plus I was pretty full. Good thing too. Becuase just then came 35 skewers of sizzling spicy meats. Seems I had ordered the WHOLE TABLE of food. So as not to appear rude I ate. And I ate. It was quite good and I am quite full. Grand total for my big bowl of noodles, skewers upon skewers of meat, and a half liter of beer……21 yuan. Just under $3.

Xi’an is a city of 6 million. That is about three times the size of Houston or more than twice the population of the state of Kansas. Within easy walking distance of my hostel are Gucci, Fendi, Prada, and Louis Vatton stores. Except for the obvious demographic and language differences, parts of this town could be anywhere in the land of the free and home of the brave. My bed is $6.5 a night by the way. It the cleanest Chinese city I have seen so far and seems a world away from Datong. It is my second day here and I rather enjoy it. Tomorrow I AM going back for more fast food coffee. Say what you will, but well, I don’t have to justify myself to you. I am going to rent a bike and ride around on the city wall. That should be good fun. Cheers.

Snapfish pictures:
http://www2.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=93530185

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 11th, 2007 at 11:27 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.