We like Xian. There were no high hopes. After another 36 hr train trip we arrived and hated it immediately. But in the cold light of day it has grown on us.

Whether it's the random street scraps (3 witnessed today), puppies painted to look like tigers or just the random acts of hokey cokey in the street (40 odd participants witnessed today) there is something about this place that is quite random. The umbrella dance with 30 OAP's last night downtown was particularly strange.

We have of course come to see the terracotta army. I may not be able to do that as a mosquito sat on my eyelid most the night and my eye is closed over. It's late October, really, we shouldn't have to take precautions against this kind of attack.