Last day in Xi'an Retrospective

We are going to miss this place. It has been a  wonderful cultural
experience of food, sights and fellowship.

I started the day by sharing an "English Breakfast" with Sue V.: Two
poached eggs, toast, jam, bacon, and a grilled tomato. Add to that a
cappuccino and you have just described the western food I was craving
and was able to have!

Next, the group found our way to the Muslem Quarter and shopped, as
well as ate the food I described in an earlier email. We had the
afternoon to ourselves and then walked the half-mile to the city's
North wall. There, we rented bikes and biked the entire 8-mile wall
around the city. It separates the old and the new that is Xi'an. We
started biking around 5 PM, just as everyone else in Xi'an was eating,
so we pretty much had the wall to ourselves. We turned in our bikes
just as the sun was setting, the smog turning the sunset into a lovely
orange-yellowish glow. In the heart of the wall, where the troops
would get into formation before combat, a troop of a different kind
entertained us with war drums.

After the drum show ended, we braved traffic and walked back to the
Bell Tower in the center of town. Some of us went back to the Hostel,
but Nick, Lishan, Alex (a Chinese National who is from Xi'an), Aleaha
and I went on a "food adventure" to eat as much as we could in the
Muslim Quarter, known for its diverse and unique foods. I had
glutenous rice on a stick with strawberry jam, dried and fried
persimmons and then Chinese bbq. SO GOOD! (As Lishan would say.)

We got home around 10:30 PM. The rest of the group were up and
talking. We settled plans for today and then went to bed. Probably our
last night of sleep on actual "soft" Chinese beds.

Today we went to a Christian Meeting with other ExPats in the area.
There were about 40 of us stuffed (comfortably) in a living room
rented by a couple from England. Other nationalities: Australian,
Nigerian, Scottish, Indian, and Texan. It was a wonderful worship and
message. Reminded me of a Quaker... At the end we experienced Messy
Church: Find some people you don't know, chat with them, then pray.
They claim it is a British Original.

Next, English Corner and American food at the Village Cafe. We served
Alex pizza and hamburgers... his first real Western food.

We are waiting a few hours at the Hostel, just chilling, till we catch
our night train to Beijing.