Xi'an wasn't playing, after I had met Kai there was no stopping that nonstop Saturday situation that was unfolding in China's Shaanxi! Two Goose Pagodas for the price of one? Oh, I do think! A museum? Yes! Those '凉皮/Liang Pi' cold noodles were no joke! Spicy they most certainly were! That super Saturday served many different categories, we embraced each and every mood!
Meeting Kai once again felt correct, he had finished dealing with his parents before we met at Xi'an's own '小雁塔'Small Wild Goose Pagoda'. I was confused because I thought that our intended 'Pagoda' was going to be a lot bigger? Before I reel off the history behind that darling pagoda, let me just say that we had to do some undercover operation to get me into the park! The entrance was pandemonium, people had ventured out to this historical attraction in their droves, it was great to see them get back their sightseeing grind back on! Apparently the next time a foreigner could enter was after my Chinese National friend had his time slot at, we were not feeling that rule! Like magic we were able to double push the turnstile without the guards noticing, Xi'an saw us acting different but we didn't rouse any suspicions. I was just like 'go, go, go!' Through and amongst the local tourists sealed our fate, we had made it through! Where was that 'Babi Gurl' Padoga? I was not ready for that scenic serving of history and culture! Get it, X!
Built in the 6th Century during the Tang Dynasty, the park surrounding the smaller one of the Goose Pagodas definitely served a pleasant vibe! Standing at 43 metres, that pint-size tower possessed something less frantic, we would get that reference point later on that evening! Leaving those cold hard facts alone for a moment, I for one loved the calm nature of that Pagoda Park. The day so far was still young, clocking my fourth point of interest felt correct! It was a great chance for myself and Kai to chat about life, we had just met in person during the small hours of that morning. 'Journey To The West?' Of course, I knew about that 'Silk Road' inspired story, Kai was impressed that I knew my stuff. Our time at the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was short but oh so sweet, it was time for us to move onto the next phase of our full packed Saturday out! Before we left that park area, you already know that we clocked those ancient trees that reminded me of the 'Major Oak' in Nottingham! 'Chang'an' meant something else? Do tell me!
From out of nowhere we had spotted Shaanxi's own History Museum, being one of those 'Provincial' houses of information and art allowed us to enter for free! I wasn't about to argue with that unexpected prospect! No, are you mad? I'm not! Before we headed into the museum to see what was good, a little boy tried to take a photo of me because I looked different. I treated this situation differently because I usually don't like photos when someone has asked on the street, being a small child I motioned to the parent to see if the child wanted to take a photo together with me? I remembered that I always foster kindness with my own young learners, encouraging them to not be afraid of any person that looks different to them. The parent of the boy agreed to take the photo, I had actually asked the child in Chinese whether he wanted to take a photo with me? He said 'yes!' It was such a cute moment, confirming that children aren't ignorant or prejudice because adults are the ones to blame for that corruption! What a good kid!
One striking museum installation taught me that 'Xi'an' had been called something else before that recognisable city name was given to it! '长安/Chang'an' had been the ancient name for 'Xi'an', my outbound flight had been with an airline named 'Air Chang'an' and for that reason I forgot about the poor service. The intricate model of that former settlement outlined that the city wall had been a mainstay even before the mighty 'Silk Road' had changed Xi'an's prowess as a major trading post! The exhibits were all in Chinese but it was great for me to pay attention to the detailed map that showcased the epic expanse of the 'Silk Road', spanning from China in the east to Turkey in the west! Kai had said that some people in Xi'an belong to different racial groups within the Chinese nationality because of the movements that have been made along the 'Silk Road' to China from the Ottoman Empire as as far as Western Europe! Yes, we did see some blue and white coloured 'Fine Bone China!' Yes, it looked very traditional, indeed! I was hungry!
Now, I wanted to eat some '羊肉泡馍/Pita Bread in Mutton Soup' but Kai assured me that having '凉皮/Liang Pi' on such a hot day would be a winning choice. We chose a trusted chain restaurant that supposedly served up the best 'cold noodles' in town! That wasn't a question because those fiery yet cold noodles packed a whole lot of flavour! I ordered the standard variation of cold noodles, knowing that the chill from the dish would aide the scorching hot weather that was occurring! Opting for a side serving of pumpkin porridge had to be the one for me, I wanted to find something on the menu that would act as an antidote to those super spicy cold noodles. I chose to drink a cold kiwi juice because you already know that those noodles blew my head off with their spicy kick! I actually loved my super spicy serving of Xi'an cold noodles, I wasn't mad that it wasn't 'Yang Rou Pao Mao!' Moving on once again, we headed over to Kai's place because he wanted to freshen up, a taxi would do! No, we weren't short of conversation!
That break in the day allowed me to see where he was currently living, his studio apartment was about to be upgraded for his own styled three bedroom space! After Kai had things situated, we headed downstairs to have a cup of coffee. His community served a super cheap cup of 'joe', those prices made my current cup feel rather expensive! We took a seat so we could enjoy our drinks and cakes, it offered us the perfect opportunity for us to talk about life. We spoke about everything and it really cemented that we got each others point entirely, it turned out to be a rather thought-provoking chat! Kai's unapologetic nature aligned with mine, sure most views towards the LGBT community in China differ from other countries but the spirit of the people continues to shine brighter than our multi-coloured rainbow! Kai had told his parents that they probably shouldn't expect grand-kids from him, I applauded his authenticity! After putting the world to rights over our coffee and cake, we headed for the nearest metro station. Pagoda two?
Xi'an's '大雁塔/Giant Wild Goose Pagoda' had definitely attracted the masses because that public square was positively rammed! From every single direction people could be seen, Kai couldn't get over how many people were present on just a normal Saturday evening! I wasn't fazed by those crowds because after three long years they were just out and about without a care in the world, sure! Genuinely, I felt humbled to be with a local Xi'an person during that moment because no directional mistakes would be made and it was amazing to spend that moment with Kai! I grabbed two cans of beer because I was feeling thirsty, I had big plans for the night ahead because I was exhausted the night before. As dusk fell upon the larger one of Xi'an's two impressive Pagodas, it was amazing to see the larger one give off a warm golden glow as the sun disappeared on us! Would the maddening crowd die down? Absolutely not, people continued to join us as we progressed closer to a nearby shopping mecca! Those cans sure had hit the spot, X!
The walk from our metro station exit fared to be quite atmospheric, the lights and lanterns in the trees above sure looked lovely! It was like organised chaos but it worked for us as we walked towards our bird's eye view of the 'Giant Wild Goose Pagoda'. We found a shopping centre, using our common sense we were able to find the roof with access to a showstopping view over that commercial square, the tower looked amazing without any reservations placed on that moment! The whole madness of the situation was only going to follow us as we had called a taxi to a nearby bar, Kai continued to question the sheer chaos that was being served to us as our taxi stood in that never-ending traffic! Our day from Padoga to Pagoda had been amazing, we had packed a lot into those few hours spent together as friends, it had been a great day for sure! As the night made an appearance I was sure that our 'Super Saturday' had been worth it! Xi'an had done an amazing job, I felt lucky to have had a second chance since that first visit in 2015! 谢谢!
Pagoda Xi Better Don't!
Desperately Seeking Adventure
