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An old Hui man caught my eye. He was standing in front of his tricycle beneath the entrance of the drum tower selling a kind of local cake called "Linglonggao." I bought one and ate it, only to find out its looks is more appealing than its taste.   

One food universally offered on this snack street was Xinjiang-style kebabs. Many restaurants put their kebab grill outside, partly to escape the heat, partly to draw customers. As soon as I was in this atmosphere, I felt like eating like a horse. And I did. I ate tons of kebabs that night. The kebabs were no big deal. They were just like those sold in Beijing, but the way of they sell kebabs here is much different and got me. The meat on each skewer here is generally smaller than their Beijing counterpart. Instead of selling kebabs one by one, the Hui boy here holds a large bunch of kebabs, hundreds maybe, and asks you "How large a portion do you want from this bunch, sir?" The best way to answer him is to say in a forthright way: "Hey, boy, give me one quarter of your share!" And when you are finished, they will come over and count the number of skewers to calculate how much you should pay for the bill. In other words, the style of ordering food instead of the style of the food is the highlight of eating in Xi'an. Now you can get northwestern food anywhere in the country but you can only order food in such an "impressive" way in Xi'an. 

Of course, there are other choices. Like the renowned Paomo (fried cake soaked in mutton soup), Guantangbao (juicy stuffed bun). But my advice is to eat them during winter, because they are all much too heavy for a hot summer night!

Travel Essentials

Hotels

The city has hotels of various kinds to cater to travelers needs. They can be found easily within the old city. As for the hotel we lodged in, it looks more like a small inn, a standard room with double beds and a private toilet and bathroom cost 100 yuan per day. There is also a youth hostel near the southern end of the old city, though I heard that the cost is a little higher and you probably will have to share your room with strangers. 

City Transportation

At any rate, I have to say Xi'an's transportation control is much better than that in Beijing. The number of private cars in the old quarter is strictly controlled to make transportation easier. The city's main force of transportation, I mean, in the old quarter, is composed of public buses and cabs. The cost of taking taxi is also much lower than that of in Beijing. For 6 yuan you can almost take a cab to anywhere in the old quarter and a large part of greater Xi’an city itself.

Travel Service

To my surprise and delight, Xi'an's travel services are well organized and closely related to volunteer work. Food, souvenirs, and service fees are all marked with clearly readable prices; there should be no confusion over prices when buying things. Volunteer work is another good thing to mention. On our way to the Terra Cotta Army Museum, some university grads or tourism school apprentices offered to be our guide, for free. This should really make you feel good; not only for the free price tag, but also to know that the travel services are so well-organized travel in Xi'an.

(CRIENGLISH.com)

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