Today we took a high-speed train early in the morning from Beijing to Shanghai.  Once we arrived, we took a visit to the bell tower.  The bell tower is the center of Xi’an and has been standing for 700 years.  The city prides itself on the tower and is showcased at night by being lit up.

We ate dinner right around the corner at a fancy restaurant where previous presidents have eaten in the past.  There were at least 16 different dumplings served and each had its own unique flavor.  Some of the flavors included walnut, fish, pork, and many different vegetables.  These were the best dumpling that I’ve had in China so far.  They came out in rounds; there was a giant stack of metal platters on top of each other and the waitress brought them out one at a time.  It was hard to pace myself on the early rounds and ended up extremely full by the end, but it was worth every bite.

Next, we hit the Muslim Streets.  There were a ton of local shops selling all different kinds of food.  It was almost like a mini Las Vegas because it is open 24/7 and there are always people out walking around.  The traffic was congested with people, bikes, mopeds, and even cars.  Driving on those streets seemed extremely difficult because of a lack of traffic lights and signs.  Out of all the places that we have visited, the Muslim Streets was the most densely crowded.  It was an amazing experience to walk through and see the action for myself.