Xi'an

It seems that though sometimes I am able to access Blogger while in China through a proxy site, not all of my posts register. The entry I made a few days ago doesn't seem to be showing. I will continue to try to update my blog with text when possible, but even accessing Blogger is not always possible.

I'm getting a bit tired of traveling now, and am eager to return home. Since I've been in Xi'an, I've debated whether or not to continue with my planned itinerary down the Yangzi River towards Hong Kong, or go straight to Shanghai and effectively cut my loop in half. I'm getting less and less tolerant of the pollution and the lack of etiquette here in China (eg people smoking on the train), as well as adverse lodging conditions in some of the hostels.

I decided to go on ahead with my original plan to go to Chongqing, the Yangzi River, and then towards Hong Kong/Macau. I am stuck in Xi'an one more day, as they didn't have beds for the night train to Chongqing tonight, and I didn't feel like sitting for 13 hours. Yesterday I saw the Terracotta Warriors and this morning I went to the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi. After three months on the road, each new historic site is seeming less and less impressive. My spirits are up, though, as rather than being homesick, I feel that I have gotten everything I sought out of this trip, and am now ready to return to the States fully charged to get on with the next phase of my life. I will leave for Chongqing tomorrow night. From Chongqing, I will take a half day hydrofoil to Yichang. I'm taking the express option, rather than a multiple day cruise as many travellers choose, as I'm trying to move faster now.

I've been reading Ghandi's autobiography, but found myself putting it aside, so I bought a copy of "Go Tell It On the Mountain" by James Baldwin, a book I've considered reading before, at a foreign language bookstore here. Then I found a copy of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" on my bed yesterday. Hopefully, these should help with the long train/boat rides. It's funny how I am longing for things that remind me of America. My first day in Xi'an, I got lunch at McDonald's, and then bought a tall vanilla latte from Starbucks, as I was so glad to see something familiar. It's ironic that traveling in Asia has given me a new appreciation for what we have in America, among the many new thoughts and shifts in perspectives that I have aquired along this journey. But this is a longer topic, so I will write more about it later. :)