Entry No. 3 by Josh

The Terracotta Warriors were really cool, there are three pits overall, the biggest one containing 6000 lifesize warriors, some horseback and they all have completely unique faces. We got a discount with our student cards anyway so we saved quite a bit. That night we went back and drank at the hostel which is really good socially, took part in a pub quiz and Clare's team came last. The next day we tried to get to a Zoo but on our way got distracted by the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which had some amazing water features which the Chinese love, then we went to Tang Paradise which is like a huge park with restaurants, shows and activities all surrounding a huge lake. It was really good but we can't put pictures up yet, when we get a chance we will put a few up. That night, I think because it was a Saturday they put on a huge fireworks display in the park and also have the World's largest visual water show where they project lasers through a huge water display so the screen is like its made of water. After a dodgy Tuk-tuk journey back to the centre of the city near where we were staying we walked back. Then we realised Clare had her purse pickpocketed out of her bag on the way home, apparently the area is renowned for it. Bloody hassle sorting out all the card replacements and stuff which we still haven't got. She lost about 100 quid (that she ironically withdrew that morning) but it could have been worse, she still has her passport and stuff. Thieving bastards!
We checked out the bar street in town and stopped for a drink then got some food and sorted out our transport  to Hong Kong. Unfortunately it was a bit of a mess and there isn't a direct train to Hong Kong so we would have had to get a train to Gunagzhou about 3 hours north of Hong Kong or fly there. But instead we decided it would be a lot cheaper to fly to Shenzhen and get a coach to Hong Kong so it cost us about 80 quid each (about 20 pounds more than a train journey but about 24 hours quicker and nicer). We had one more day before the flight by which time we were a bit bored of Xi'an and had done pretty much all there was to do. So doing a bit of research we found that we couldn't get to the Panda rescue centre because they need a certain amount of people to go which we didn't have so we thought we would go to a Zoo we found online which was about 20/30 minutes outside of the City Walls. We managed to get cheap buses to get there but as soon as we got off the bus it didn't seem right. It turns out that the zoo had been shut down at some point and now it is just left as a derelict park. The ticket offices and animal homes are still there its just that there are no animals and very few people. However it was actually quite nice and interesting to still see the whole structure of the zoo. They have left the maps up and the rides that obviously would have made up the kids section so we got some quite good photos. The small aquarium in the zoo was still open so we went there for 10 yuan each (1 pound). It had quite a good variety of fish and stuff but the conditions were terrible. The giant Turtles had no water or any rocks or anything, just sitting on tiled flooring of a small plastic container. All the animals seemed to look depressed. There were leaks all over the floor and it wasn't hard to see why we were the only ones there. On the way out of the old zoo we saw a man with a stall with loads of clay moulds, which for 10 yuan you can paint and take home. So we spent about an hour and a half painting clay models in the sun. I did a baby that was apparently supposed to be a cat and Clare did two bears in stupid clothes. I don't think the worker was that impressed with them. Anyway they were too big to take around with us so we just left them there. That night we found a good street restaurant and ordered a few dishes to share. Was really good and quite cheap and for the first time in my life I enjoyed Aubergine. It was deep-fried and in a sweet and sour sauce, it tasted amazing. Back at the hostel I challenged the Chef 'Tiger' to a game of pool, who had already beaten me once every day we had been there. It says on the wall that if you beat him you get a free breakfast and if you lose you have to buy him a beer. He has worked there for 5 years and only lost to two guests ever, who havetheir photos on a mini wall of fame. So he beat me the first time so I didn't get the breakfast, but he wanted to play me again and I beat him three times in a row after that and agreed that I could have my name put on the wall. So I am now proudly the first English person to have beaten Tiger and now have my name and photo on the wall in the Han Tang Inn Hostel. My winning streak didn't finish there though and that night there was a chopstick competition where on a timer you had to pick up things like stones and marbles. There were 8 teams of two and my partner was a bit of a cretin but we got to the final and the last four people had to play by themselves now and somehow I won the prize of a set of mini-Teracotta Warriors.
We got the early flight which left Xi'an at 8.15 and arrived in Shenzhen at 10.45 and then got a coach to Hong Kong, which was a bit of a pain in the arse with customs but eventually got to Hong Kong central at about 2pm. It seems much nicer than China in terms of Cleanliness, the people seems nicer but everything is quite expensive here. In a way its just like London but cleaner and with an Asian twist. We found our hostel which is in the dodgiest building we have seen. It is surrounded by black men and Indian men selling you talioring services and watches and they can all 'promise you cheap accomodation'. Our room is on the 3rd floor and its a private room which is nice but its about as big as a bathroom in a normal hotel. It barely fits a bed in it and the bed itself is more like a single than a double. But it will do and its one of the cheapest in an expensive City. We found a street full of bars and restaurants in the evening called Wan Chai which was nice where we went to 'Hong Kong's Great British Pub' and a Mexican bar that had nearly 200 different types of Tequilas, the biggest selection in Asia. We are using the Underground system to get around which is brilliant, cheap and easy to use. Today we are just going to explore a bit, need to get something to eat and probably need to stop using the free interent in this coffee shop, we have well passed the 15 minute limit and everyone is staring at us so time to go.