The Adventures of Aaron...Our Last Night in Xi'an

Success is fleeting

So our last full day in Xi’an was a rainy one. For most of the day we hung out in the hotel, played with JT, played cards and just relaxed. Then it was dinner time and this is where the day got interesting. The crew wanted pizza and so Dad and I were volunteered to brave the taxi world again and go to Pizza Hut. Our quest started badly as we failed to explain to several cab drivers where we wanted to go (if only our darn doctrine allowed for omens we could have quit). After starting again and using the concierge to explain what we were trying to do, we finally were in the back of a cab.

Success is fleeting. We started out in a completely different direction from the last time we went and on top of that I had noticed the gas light was on in the cab. At home the gas light is a warning, here it seemed to me to be more of a taunt that you have waited too long and will soon be walking because you can’t possibly go more than 1 mile in the traffic.However, we pressed on. We drove through back alleys, we drove on the wrong side of the road, we did u-turns and we went back and forth under the city wall at least 3 times. This went on for a good 20 minutes and yet the gas did not run out. Our cab driver finally indicated we were at our destination but we could see no Pizza Hut and did not recognize the neighborhood. I asked – “Pizza Hut?” and he mumble something back and made hand gestures and I responded “Pizza Hut?.  Something was communicated because we started off again, more u-turns and back alleys – at one point I feared he was just looking for some guy’s hut. About 10 minutes later he again stopped and this time he pointed. In my best Mandrin I said “Pizza Hut?” and he nodded. Having no other words in my arsenal, I surrendered, paid him and Dad and I were on the street.

It was a nice part of town and probably could have used a Pizza Hut. We walked up the street hoping for a landmark or something that looked familiar from our last time but it was in vain. However, the American fast food industry came through for us as we spotted a KFC. Pizza was out, Chicken was on the menu. Ordering went fairly smoothly and before we knew it we had our chicken and all we had to do was find a cab.

Success is fleeting. Standing at the Taxi sign we hailed a cab, it stopped, we showed him the hotel card and he shook his head and took off. Ok, no problem. The next cab stopped, looked at the card, shook his head and took off. At this point a man on a scooter stopped and he spoke a little English and explained that the cabs were too busy and weren’t going to take us. He suggested that we take the bus. I told him no, I did not want to take the bus. He didn’t seem to understand why I didn’t want to try and guess which of the 50,000 buses driving around the city to get on. No we were going to get a taxi – I told Dad, double the fare amount. No dice. Next cab same thing.

Now another man on a scooter pulled up. The first man, finally understanding we were not going to the bus, then said they would take us on the scooters for 15 yuan apiece ($2.50 each). Dad and I looked at each other, the sort of look you see in the movies where they say “See you on the other side….”, and decided this was our only option. We divided the food between us, I took the chicken and he took the potatoes so if one of us didn’t make it at least there would be some dinner. Then we were off.

It seems a 5’ Chinese guy driving a 6’3” white guy on the back of scooter, who is holding chicken and has a goofy smile on his face is not a common scene in Xi’an and the locals were amused. We darted in and out of traffic, we honked at buses and cars, we went the wrong way into oncoming traffic and we squeezed between buses and cars where I could have touched both easily with just my elbows. However, in 10 minutes I was back at the hotel, dismounting the scooter and had enough dignity left that I resisted the urge to kiss the ground.

Success is fleeting. Where was Dad? He was behind us when we started but now I could not see him. Visions of my father lost in Xi’an, wandering the streets trying to trade mashed potatoes for a ride to the hotel flashed through my mind. Finally, he pulled up with the same goofy smile (must be hereditary). We had made it.