When we arrive in Xi’an Elmar isn’t feeling very well, he has a fever and the usual stomach problems.I know it’s not right, but seeing all these Western fastfood restaurants… we can’t help ourselves after eating that Stan food for two months!
And since we are here, we might as well visit the Terracotta Army just outside Xi’an. With a local bus we ride towards the huge complex where we get rid of quite a bit of money to be able to enter. But, the sight is quite spectacular and they are still discovering more! Incredible how they ever made this!
Once Elmar is feeling better we cycle out of Xi’an, straight West to the Himalayas and the former Tibetan provinces. We want to visit the largest Tibetan Monestary outside Tibet in Xiahe. The ride follows many passes and slowly those typical Tibetan flat roofed white block houses appear.
In this part of China they are apparently not used to foreigners! Every night the Chinese police comes knocking on our door, very loud and very impolite. If we don’t open the door within seconds, they start screeming. We don’t understand a word they are saying and I just talk Dutch to them, it’s no use. They are very unfriendly. I don’t even bother to get dressed…
Sometimes they follow us during the day.. strange people these Chinese!
The ride is pretty nice and we are enjoying ourselves. A last 69 kilometers and we have reached Xiahe.