First Coke in China!

First Coke in China! Pull tab, at that!

Our connecting flight was delayed by 4 hours. Just as many of the China independent traveler guide books describe, we experience our first 'only in china' (OinC) moment (240+ minutes is more like it). The flight's delayed--not one single departure monitor in the airport tells us it's delayed. Not even after the time passes when it was supposed to take off! The groundcrew at the gate doesn't even bother to tell us it's delayed. We just wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. We get this great tour of Beijing's domestic air terminal in the process. ;)

We head to the Da Naw Mi Aw restaurant in the airport assuming we will pay exorbitant prices simply for the convenience. We are flabbergasted when we see the menu. We order an entree of BBQ Pork, a large bowl of sweet corn soup with chicken (read egg drop soup--chicken in a slightly different form), 2 bowls of sticky rice, a large bottle (640ml) of Yanjing Beer (Beijing's local brew), 1 Coke and 2 Sprites for a grand total of ¥ 90--or about $11.25!!! There was so much food the four of us couldn't finish it all. Not bad for our first meal in China!

Eventually, we learn that at the time our flight was due to depart Beijing for Xi'an that the plane hasn't even departed Xi'an for Beijing, yet. We must wait an additional 1-1/2 hours! OinC! Somehow an irate Chinese man is able to excise this info about the delay from one of the groundcrew. None of the rest of the 200+ passengers on this flight is able to get this information. Friends in high places, I suppose.

Eventually, the plane arrives and we head for Xi'an. The flight is fine--a little bumpy, but considering the gale force winds and lack of visibility from the seasonal Yellow Dust storms which conveniently hit the day we travel to China--we're thankful that all goes well. Triple bonus!

We arrive in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China later than expected. Could it have been the raging Yellow Dust storm that was blowing through China at the time??? We meet our guide, Susanna (her western name as is typical for many Asians who frequently interact with Westerners), and are quickly whisked off to a dumpling restaurant for dinner and show. We're now playing 'catch up' on our whirlwind tour of Xi'an. We're thankful that we added an additional 'free' day to our trek in Xi'an. Most tours only schedule 24 hours in Xi'an--with one half of that day as a travel day to and fro. Even with the delay, we get a full 2 days to explore Xi'an.