Getting to Xi’an was an absolute breeze. It might have been the shortest 2 hour plane ride I’ve ever taken-Danika and I listened to some music and then we were there. Crazy. The 20kg (~45lbs) checked bag weight limit really messed a bunch of people up, as most everyone went crazy buying junk at the Pearl and Silk markets in Beijing. Fortunately, it’s not too expensive if you go over, but it is a hassle. One girl had her lighters thrown away, one guy who’s addicted to hand sanitizer had to throw it out, and another girl freaked out because she (edit: thought she) lost her debit card. I, fortunately, was completely drama free, and was very comfortable on the flight. They even served dinner on the 2 hour flight. They’re very nice.
We had lunch with all of our professors (laoshi in Chinese) at a nice restaurant before we left. I really love the food here, and pretty much anywhere you eat, the food is served family style on a lazy susan. Of course, all this means is that the gluttons (yours truly) get to stuff themselves silly at every meal. If it weren’t for such big dinners, I’d probably lose a ton of weight here from all the walking I’ve been doing.
The place we’re staying here in Xi’an, at Shaanxi Normal University (Xi Da for short) are very similar to our international student dorm at Bei Da, except it’s disgusting. Bei Da wasn’t nice, but it was clean-this place is shoddy and dirty. It’s ok though, because we’re only here for 3 days, and the Carolina Hotel we’re staying at in Shanghai pulls a glorious 4 stars. We’re one the 8th floor though, which makes for some really nice views.
And… last night was absolutely ridiculous. It took us a while to get going, but once we did we got rolling quickly. We went back over to Pyro Pizza in Wudaokou-their happy hour is form 10pm to 12am. 5rmb (~$.80) tequila shots and 20rmb (~$3) pitchers got us where we needed to be mentally. At midnight, we left Pyro-most people went back to the Lion King KTV for karaoke; Summer, Chavon and I went straight to Vic’s again, back at the Worker’s Stadium in Sanlitun. Unfortunately, we had to pay the 50rmb cover this time, but we stayed there from midnight until 4am, so I guess it was worth it. Craig, Chelsea, Danika and Yeong met us there around 2am, and we danced the night away. After about an hour of being there, I needed a break, so I went across the street to the urban mall area. Knowing me, I found my way onto a roof or two, and spent about a half an hour taking pictures from above. I love roofs. And I didn’t have to hop any fences to break in here (though I did squeeze through some bars in order to climb the second ladder). No incidents here though. The night ended great, and we got back to campus around 5am, as the sun was rising. Champions. We got to sleep until 10:30 the next morning anyways, so it all turned out fine.
