We’re at the airport early for our flight to Xi’an. Our itinerary says it’s scheduled for 6:30am, but we can’t find it anywhere on the digital “Departures” board. We’re not even sure we’re at the correct terminal, but the ticket counter checks us in, and takes our luggage. We walk to the gate on our boarding pass, still pretty confused. It says now that we depart at 9:00 am. We have a lot of time to kill. Later we notice our gate has changed, so we pack up all our assorted junk and make the transition. By the time we finally board, we feel like it’s been a full day. Several other passengers experienced the same confusion we did.

It’s a two-hour flight to Xi’an, and our guide meets us at the gate. Of course, we’re two hours late. Our driver picks us up, and we begin to see the sites of Xi’an. Our first stop is the Drum Tower and Bell Tower in the center of the city. These are not as tall as the Beijing versions, but the restoration is much better. Overall, we begin to notice the city is a little cleaner, and calmer than Beijing.

Our next stop is the Xi’an City Wall. It’s been restored the entire circumference of the city (about 17 kilometers, I think she said).   It’s wide enough to drive a truck on. It’s amazing to look at, realizing the size of the entire project, and when it was built.

Last on our list before our hotel and dinner is the “Wild Goose Pagoda”. It’s an active Buddhist temple. I’ve seen pictures before we arrived, but witnessing the actual size of the building is impressive. Xi’an was the imperial capital of China for a thousand years, before it moved to Beijing in the 1300’s, so there are many important buildings.

We get checked into our hotel (a Sheraton). It’s a new hotel, with the nicest rooms we’ve ever stayed in, anywhere. They’re huge, with so many conveniences. It’s hard to leave, and we’re worn out, but we have tickets for a dinner show. We unpack and relax an hour before heading back out.

The dinner is a “Dumpling Banquet”, with many different kinds of traditional dumplings, from the Xi’an area. There are some unusual looking dumplings, but they are really good. The show is called a “Tang Dynasty Show”. It’s based on the costumes and traditions of the Tang Dynasty. The show is well done with lots of colorful costumes, sets, and beautiful, as well as athletic, dancing.

The drive home afterwards is gorgeous. The City Wall is lit the entire length. As impressive as it was during the day, it’s even more impressive at night.