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Location: Xi'an
Starting off today, our overnight train from Taiyuan to Xi’an arrived at 7:00 and we went to our new hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, the group headed to ti Xi’an City Wall for bike riding. It was nine miles total, and ten students decided to pair off and ride tandem style. At first, it was unstable and hard to get the hang of but eventually, it started to become second nature, and the group had way more fun than we expected. Although we were given a meeting time and were allowed to split up in groups, we all unintentionally stopped at the same drink cafe to wait for others and splurge on smoothies and tea. Then we went to lunch at the Xi’an Opera House for an extensive buffet and unlimited soft drinks. From there, we went to a museum to see traditional artwork from the different dynasties of ancient China and closed off the museum tour with a calligraphy class that taught us about the changes in calligraphy over time. Our next stop was Muslim Street, which is full of quirky street food and vendors. Some members decided to buy fried squid, and we all learned how to bargain, especially Micka and Grace who got a duffel bag from 1,300 yuan to 250 yuan. Personally, I bought a “REAL” Burberry scarf which was originally 65 yuan for 30 (be proud, Mom). Closing off our day, we got to chill out at the hotel and left for dinner when we felt hungry enough for food.