Xi'an
I've been pouring over my guidebook regarding Xi'an. I've created a rough itinerary and we'll see how I stick to it - knowing things will change drastically once I arrive and start speaking with other travelers in the hostel I'll be staying in.
According to the Lonely Planet, the climate of Shaanxi Province made for excellent preservation of all of the buried treasures of past dynasties, civilizations, etc. in the region. Hence the huge amount of visitable sites all around Xi'an - a city that supposedly doesn't have much going on in and of itself. I don't know about that as there is a large Muslim quarter within the walls of the old city and this quarter will be my back yard as I've chosen a hostel that is situated right inside the old city walls, at the South gate.
I'll arrive in Xi'an on Sunday morning at 5am and will probably spend Sunday and Monday exploring the old city. Then, Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent visiting the tombs of Qin Shi Huang and Han Jing as well as the lesser-known imperial tombs. The tomb of Qin Shi Huang is guarded by the famous Terracotta warriors. I might be making this up but I'm almost positive a group of the warriors visited the Birmingham Museum when I was in high school. From what I've been reading about the tomb and about Shi Huang himself, this should be quite an experience.
On Thursday, I'll leave Xi'an and travel three hours to Hua Shan (Flower(?) Mountain). The guidebook describes Hua Shan in the first paragraph as, "one of China's sacred Taoist mountain areas. The tough climb to the top rewards one with stunning views, particularly of the sunrise." I'll spend Thursday looking around Hua Shan village and preparing for an all-day climbing of the mountain on Friday. The guidebook, as well as friends who've been to Hua Shan, suggests leaving Hua Shan village between midnight and 1:30am so that you reach the East peak right at sunrise. Then, the rest of the day is filled with, "sublime scenery that will leave the most memories, both physically and psychologically." Naturally, I'm really excited about this part of the visit to Shaanxi Province.
Tomorrow is my last day of class. We have an exam, then a "certificate ceremony" and then my class will go to Big Bamboo for lunch. Mon and I will go to the hair dresser's one last time for the dry-wash and the massages and then I go to hand over my apartment key and get my room deposit back. I'll lug all of my belongings to Mon's apartment and watch her get ready for her big night. We'll have dinner with everyone at Yuan-Yuan (and I'll say a tearful goodbye, I'm sure) and then we'll dance the night away at this club Mon found in Plaza 66 (the building where my Mandarin House campus is located), ending the evening at the century diner where we'll have breakfast before I get on the train to Xi'an.
I'm exhausted already! But so, so, SO happy!
