As I write this, I’m on the high-speed train from Xi’an to Beijing. What is most striking about this trip is not only the speed (up to at least 309 km/h, that I’ve noticed), but that there are tons of buildings with no lights on. There are very few lights outside as I go by. It’s surreal (and creepy) to see tall apartment buildings at dusk with no lights on.

Anyway, after seeing the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, I went to check in to my hostel, which was voted the best hostel in China (Hantang Inn), and it was quite nice. They had a lot of communal space with ping pong, pool, tables, sofas, etc and a coffee bar in the lobby.  My room was basic but very clean and had towels and toilet paper etc. So I was happy to leave my backpack there and see more of the city.  If you are looking for a cheap place to stay and need no frills, check it out.

I decided to try to visit 3 things that were pretty close to the hostel, and headed out to the closest, the Bell Tower.  There was a combined entrance fee to the Drum Tower, so I bought the combo and headed in. There is a corridor under the road so you can get there safely. On the way over, a little girl squatted on the floor in the underground passage and peed on the clean and shiny floor and her parents were cleaning it up. No one was acting like that was anything abnormal.

The Bell tower had some nice artwork, and I got my requisite picture taken, and headed over to the drum tower. Outside I found another good picture spot and asked someone to take my picture there, and another woman just came over and joined me and got her picture taken with me (shown above). We all smiled and I continued on my way.

When I was nearly there, a full-grown woman squatted and peed on the ground right in front of the Drum Tower.  Now, THIS struck me as weird since there are public bathrooms everywhere in China. To westerners, they may not be the nicest, as they are nearly all squat toilets, and clearly she could use those, just chose to do her business in a very public location. So I have no explanation for that.

I walked past the peeing woman and headed into the drum tower. I lucked out and had arrived right before there was going to be a drum show, so after circling the building and seeing what could be seen inside, I got a seat and waited.

There was a fair crowd by the time it started and they did a couple songs and then it was over, but it was quite good even if brief. They used assorted instruments, and just one drum, mostly bells and stringed instruments.