And then the rain came in Xi'an

And so, much of the same happened the next day in Pingyao - we explore the other half of the ciy, went up walking round the city wall and little and then boarded another overnight train to Xi'an - think it was about 11 hours this time and once again we had opted for the very top bunks - nobody bothers you when your up there and its the cheapest.

We arrive - 6.30am and its raining :( boo!!! luckily, me and gem had decided to treat ourselves in Pingyao and booked what we thought was a nice hotel to stay in. Don't think we fitted in with their image though and the staff couldnt of been anymore unhelpful. We're sent to the back of the hotel, and althougth its nice to have our own hotel room we decide hostels are the way forward. We will be checking out tomorrow.

Not going to worry about it too much for now though and head on out to find the Army of Terracotta Warriors. We know we can get there using the ordinary public bus - much cheaper and quicker than any tour, which we have been told will stop at every jade outlet on the way there and back trying to get you to buy something.

We find the bus, we think??? and yep, arrive about an hour later. Still raining, so everything is still grey and miserable - can make out the outline of mountains in the background so you know its going to be gorgeous in the sunshine - but oh well, wasnt meant to be.

Inside is amazing - not sure our pictures to it justice but we tried :) Is crazy to think that all this was just uncovered by accident!! Spend the next few hours just walking round before heading on back.

Back at the hotel, we are looking for some help to book our next train tickets, find a phone that works and use the internet and no one seems interested. Getting seriously disheartened, we ask if reception can at least write down what we will need to ask at the train station. She does and we head on over - only to be told, no tickets avaiable the next day or the next day and probably no day if we keep on asking - rubbish!! The Chinese man is lying to us!! and we cant argue in Chinese.

Head off in search of a hostel that had been recommended to us and then we find him. Mr Jim Beam!!! seriously, this is the guys name, he runs the hostel we've been looking for and says he can help us. Cautious but grateful, the man (even if he is ridiculously happy all the time) sets out to help us. This guy even gets a mention in the lonely planet!! Imagine a young chinese dude who is about 5ft 3", in a suit a little too big, with glasses, bouncing around trying to help all the guests/sell them everything he can!!

We check in the next day and he has sorted us out with all our tickets!! brilliant!! we're back on track expect we've know got one sick gem. A day of rest is needed and bed for gem (well, eventually after she has followed me round, looking a bit green, for the whole morning:)

I have the joy of now hanging out on my own and looking for some friends - i would like to point out i didnt jsut leave sickface...no she did a grand job of being nurse maid for the day - thanks ayms:).........and did all that i was suppose to do i think.

Feeling a bit better in the eve - gem follows me downstairs - the green-ness has fade. Tis not long before we get chatting to two dudes from Mexico and one from the US - louis, edgar and a peps lookalike. all is good, louis gets his guitar, jim beam gets snap happy with the camera and three other guys from the hostel join the party - tom from birmingham, ryan from the US and mikel from the netherlands.

They announce they're going out dancing and we cant refuse - we wanna go dancing too!!! Head to some club called 1+1 and the conversation at the bar goes something like this;

- can i have a bottle of beer and a bottle of water (for sickface) please!!
- one bottle of beer = 25yuan
- ok, and one bottle of water
- thats 300 yuan!!
- what, for water???
- you want one bottle of wodka??
- no, water.
- wodka!!
- no water. (repeat about 5 times)

the dude calls over his sister to help out.

- i would like one bottle of beer one bottle of water. can you tell him behind the bar please?
- you want one beer and one wodka??
- NO!!! oh my goodnesss!!

much pointing at glasses, bottles later - we are talking the same language and we get the bottle of beer and the bottle of water.

the chinese dude hands me my change and asks - do you speak chinese????? is he having a laugh!!

and so the night continues in some comedy fashion. bottles of spirits are on every tablle and each group out has there own table - all very random, waitresses come round and mix the spirits into some sort of cocktail and we guess they all just pay at the end. we find a table, there is a few chinese rouund it and they dont seem to mind us being there. I dont know how to describe the next couple of hours - very weird!! but all good. mcuh dancing to some sort of house music every so often mixed in with 'eye of the tiger' or a gorillaz tune or some sort of spanish influenced track or a remake of a backstreet boys tune?????

We need to leave tomorrow - its 2am - so taxi home and bed!!! trying not to disturb the old, hairy, chines man who is sharing our room and we believe has everything he owns under his bed!!