Flight to Xi'An and First Day in Xi'An

Our first day in Xi'an started with a flight and ended with an important purchase!



We took Hainan Airlines flight 7137 from Beijing to Xi'an on a 737.	The flight is a pretty long one, but we could follow along!
	We were surprised with an in-flight meal (even though we'd had an early breakfast at 5 am). The meal consisted of a beverage (I chose pineapple juice), a cucumber-and-sliced-cheese three-layer sandwich, a packaged preserved vegetable (just like Greer had!), rice congee, and the most delicious dried apple chips.
Our first stop in Xi'an was to the Wild Goose Pagoda. We'd been up since 4:30 am, so it was a blur for me.

Next, we had lunch at the Orient Hotel . . .	. . . and spent some time at the Shaanxi Museum. Our favorite exhibit was on the Terra Cotta Warriors.
	We stayed at the Aurum International Hotel in Room 1606. While the hotel lobby was extremely smoky, the room was not. The hotel has a great location. We were able to walk all around central Xi'an!

We had some time between checking in to the hotel and dinner, so we went out walking. Central Xi'an is so fun to walk around! We found a Starbucks (complete with black tea frappucino!) and the bell tower.
Our most surprising find while out walking was an underground Walmart! We came back after dinner and bought an electric fan.

Our dinner that night was another buffet at another hotel.	The hostesses at the front were in costume. (I guess there are restaurant jobs in all countries where you have to wear unusual uniforms.)