Ahhhhh, the Chinese :-)

We're in the weirdest town at the moment--Xi'an. All the old people are walking backwards (we think for some crazy form of exercise: see below) and the city plays commercials on t.v. about throwing trash in bins rather than on the street, but you can't find a bin within miles of downtown, or when you do find one it's on the opposite side of a giagantic boulevard with traffic racing by--filled with cars without lights on! We can't believe we haven't seen anyone get hit!

Another wonderfully crazy thing about the Chinese: they adore playing badmiton! Morning, evening, in the alleys, on the sidewalks, young or old, it doesn't matter. Out come the rackets and shuttle cocks (that's for David :-) Exercise in all forms is a national obession, be it working out on the quirky equipment set up along riverbanks and park paths, or dancing to waltz music projected over megaphones in any area resembling a plaza or open square. Women of all ages do 'flag' dances at all hours--6 am, 6pm, or what seems to be any other free time--in which each one holds a red flag the size of a handkerchief and they proceed to 'line dance' in programs often better than those on Star Search (eat your heart out Ed MacMahon!) What is most beautiful about these bizarre forms of exercise is how SOCIAL they are. The Chinese know how to enjoy each other, talking, laughing, and playing right up through old age.

We were told that Xi'an was really an armpit of a town--nothing much to see besides going for 'the Warriors.' This couldn't be further from the truth! Pati's friend Nonie, made us promise to rent bicycles and ride around the entirity of Xi'an's old city walls, one of the only cities left in China with it's original city walls intact (Billy C. even made it there as Prez to see it!) And Ann's friend, Cory, recommended seeing the fantastic Islamic Mosque done in Asiatic style, surrounded by one of the oldest and richest Muslim quarters in China. So, without further ado, we maneuvered bikes through the narrow alleys and lanes of Old Xi'an, keeping one eye tightly on the city wall over our left shoulders, and soaking in beautiful Xi'an life with the other. We stopped at various markets along the way on our constant quest for salted crackers (seems the Chinese are not only obsessed with exercise, but with sugary biscuits, as well) and eventually landed ourselves inside the walls of the Mosque where the corners of each wooden building rose upward like Chinese pagodas. It was strangely lovely to see in comparison to the the mosques of the Arab world. We had left the din of the bustling streets behind to enter JUST in time for call to prayer, in which men of all ages were scurrying to finish up ablutions in time to make it to the central prayer building. They smiled so invitingly with their eyes, encouraging us to observe, and they were tickled to have us take their pictures with our digital camera. Imagine Confucian-looking gentlemen with half-moon eyes and scraggly beards wearing brilliantly white cloth fezes, making their way through sculpted, fragrant gardens in talkative bunches before leaving their shoes behind at the doors to take their places, prostrate to the WEST, not east. Really special.

This marvelous experience was capped off with the most amaaaaaazzzzziiing bowl of thick, homemade noodle soup never to be found again in China (Ann was on a quest the rest of the time, searching in vain.) We also stopped by a Chinese dressmaker's shop, just to browse, and Ann, of course, got hooked on the traditional bright red printed silk. However, it was 8pm by this time, and we were scheduled to leave on a train the next morning, so a tailored suit seemed out of the question...or so we thought! 'You like this one? You just tell us and we have our tailor come down from upstairs! You leave tomorrow?...What time? No problem! Suit ready by 12 o'clock. For sure! You want 11 o'clock? O.K. 11 o'clock!' And the next day, they even did a fitting an alterations!

Needless to say, we LOVED Xi'an, every bit as worthy of attention as the Warriors, which should not be missed! One's mind is transported in time to a place of such richness that the power and glory is palpable in the very air! And there is little to distinguish between museum and archeological site as both coexist side by side. As a history buff, I was tingling with a energy that stretched out from a 1000 years past! I LOVE CHINA!!!!