Day 11
Xian is a walled city. It is a complete city wall that stretches around the city for 13 kilometres. Every year there is a marathon with competitors from all over the world. We walked a little way around the city wall stopping to watch the people in the park. Men sitting in a circle on very low stools playing cards or mah-jong. Ladies taking fan dancing classes. Lots of Tai Chi classes here and then. Rows and rows of table tennis tables with people playing on most of them. No wonder they are so good at it. Also rows of pool tables lining the street too. Taking your caged bird out into the fresh air is a national pastime. It’s always the men with the birds. They arrive at the park on bicycles with one or two birdcages balanced on the handlebars. The cages are covered with a cloth cover The cover is removed and the cages are hung in the trees and sometimes the men are teaching the birds to sing using a whistle.
Each morning the streets are lined with people carrying the tools of their trade. There are men with bamboo and straw brooms, ladies in white coats and cleaning equipment, men with handmade barrows, men with paint rollers on long handles, an assortment of trades. They are all waiting for someone to stop and offer them some work.
The traffic is thick. Policeman stand on a candy striped box in the middle of the road blowing a whistle trying to make some sense out of the chaos. Cars go down the road the wrong way and push their way in front of our bus. No-one follows the lane markings. We asked our local guide why have lane markings and she said so the police know who’s in the wrong when the accident happens. The roads are full of people on carts, bicycles and mopeds carrying many passengers and enormous loads. It's all great fun to watch.
Xian is a walled city. It is a complete city wall that stretches around the city for 13 kilometres. Every year there is a marathon with competitors from all over the world. We walked a little way around the city wall stopping to watch the people in the park. Men sitting in a circle on very low stools playing cards or mah-jong. Ladies taking fan dancing classes. Lots of Tai Chi classes here and then. Rows and rows of table tennis tables with people playing on most of them. No wonder they are so good at it. Also rows of pool tables lining the street too. Taking your caged bird out into the fresh air is a national pastime. It’s always the men with the birds. They arrive at the park on bicycles with one or two birdcages balanced on the handlebars. The cages are covered with a cloth cover The cover is removed and the cages are hung in the trees and sometimes the men are teaching the birds to sing using a whistle.
Each morning the streets are lined with people carrying the tools of their trade. There are men with bamboo and straw brooms, ladies in white coats and cleaning equipment, men with handmade barrows, men with paint rollers on long handles, an assortment of trades. They are all waiting for someone to stop and offer them some work.
The traffic is thick. Policeman stand on a candy striped box in the middle of the road blowing a whistle trying to make some sense out of the chaos. Cars go down the road the wrong way and push their way in front of our bus. No-one follows the lane markings. We asked our local guide why have lane markings and she said so the police know who’s in the wrong when the accident happens. The roads are full of people on carts, bicycles and mopeds carrying many passengers and enormous loads. It's all great fun to watch.
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