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I love steamed buns and was always on the lookout for vendors that looked hygienic. The place I found in Xian looked great and they had four different kinds, each with a different filling.

China 1998 - Part Three: Xian & Beijing

Dougburnett
2003-11-22 16:39:38

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not what I was really seeing.

On the way back to the hotel I stopped and bought a couple of steamed buns to eat. As I was strolling along I saw a blind guy playing a little string instrument. I stopped to listen - he was quite good and I was enjoying his singing. Just then some guy wearing a red armband came up and started talking to him. The upshot was that the musician had to pack up and move along. After that I wondered about the guy with the red armband - I figured he was the block "captain" or something. It was clear that he had enough authority to make the musician move along.

At the hotel I checked out and asked about a taxi to the airport. For some reason all the taxis that frequented the square in front of the hotel had disappeared and I didn't care to ride all the way out in one of the tiny ones that ply the streets. As I was talking to the desk clerk, a woman came up to me and said she had already reserved a taxi and asked if I want to share.

The woman, Rochelle, was from Portland, Oregon, and currently working in Bangkok. We swapped travel stories as we rode out. After checking in, we sat talking some more. About the time we were suppose to board there came a message, first in Chinese and then in garbled English, that the flight was delayed for maintenance. About an hour later the plane was ready to go. This was the one and only flight delay I had.

SHOPPING: I found lots of food stores that had fixed prices - they seemed the best places to buy my snacks and beverages. These places were easy to identify as they looked like small supermarkets. Other than that I had to deal with the street vendors who often tried to overcharge me: the closer I was to a tourist site the greater the chance. After a few days I got to know the correct prices and would walk away from places that were trying to gouge me.

There were also lots of stores that had ...