Xi’an Brewery

Recently I discovered that there was a Xi’an Brewery. If you’ve read my Shanghai post, you’ll know that when I went to Shanghai, my friends and I made Shanghai Brewery our second home. So it was a delight to find out that there was a Xi’an brewery as well.

We went to check it out and it did not disappoint. Although their menu is much smaller than Shanghai Brewery and don’t have as many options, what they do have is quite tasty.

I tried the spicy chicken wings and I had the California burger, which included avocados, caramelized onions, pickles, cheese, and I asked the waiter to add bacon on mine and substitute my regular fries for sweet potato fries; it only came up to an extra 10rmb and it was so worth it.

The menu includes a few burger options, including sliders, one vegetarian sandwich, a chicken salad that looks amazing, pizza, and a few other options. It’s a little pricey for China because it’s western food but a bang for your buck. And if you’re a lady and go between 8pm-10pm you can get a free cocktail, which is a nice added bonus.

Although I won’t be making this place my second home in Xi’an (sorry but it’s too expensive for me to be eating there all the time) I definitely enjoyed it and will go back a few times.

Xiangzimen Youth Hostel (Xi’an)

Xiangzimen Youth hostel, located right in the center of the city, is the perfect place to stay when in Xi’an that won’t break your pockets. It’s also my first choice when recommending hostels to people.

I like to call it the quiet hostel because right around the corner is Shuyuan hostel and bar (Parkqin), everyone in Xi’an is familiar with it. It’s the party hostel, I don’t recommend it as a place to stay because it can get loud. What you can do however, is stay right around the corner at a quiet hostel where you can get a good nights sleep, play some pool with friends and head over to Parkqin if you want to party.

At only 45-50rmb for a bed, you get nice clean accommodations, in a relatively big space. For about 150rmb, you can even get a private room with a bed big enough to share with about 3 people. I’ve stayed there quite a few times in 2017 and I can safely say that I haven’t been in a room I didn’t like.  The bathrooms are fairly clean and the shower pressure is better than the one I have at home.

You can go downstairs in the morning and get some breakfast. The options include American breakfast, French breakfast and Chinese breakfast. It’s not a five star gourmet meal but it gets the job done.

Then there’s the added bonus that it’s in the perfect location. It’s right near the Xi’an wall and the center of the city. It’s near a metro station if you want to get away from the area. The Bell Tower is one stop away by subway or you can just walk there and take in the sites.

So if you’re looking for a place to stay, before sure to check this one out. It’s one of my favorites!

The Staircase to Hell is Ascending

First thing I should probably let you know is that I did not enjoy this but that’s okay. I’m not a mountain climber, this was my first time ever doing something as challenging as this. I’m not even an outdoorsy person or a person who likes exercise. So I found it hard and not a very pleasant experience but do not let my opinion deter you from climbing this mountain yourself, especially if it is your thing.

My friends and I wanted to climb Mt. huashan, but decided against it because of the expenses. I found Cuihua mountain as an alternative and I’m glad I did. Not only was it less treacherous, especially for a first time climber, it also only costed 35 yuan to get in and that’s because we had a student discount. We weren’t even students.  It took a few hours to climb up the mountain and I started this relatively happy but by the end of it I was regretting every decision that lead me to climbing a mountain. However, I did it, I made it to the top and I was not happy about it. I was out of breath, drenched in sweat and so angry that I couldn’t even enjoy the view.

I wish I could say in hindsight I’m glad I did it but it really was a painful experience and one i’m not to keen on ever doing again. However, I did get a bunch of cool pictures from it, so there’s that.

The beautiful waterfall at the beginning of the mountain.

One of the views from near the top, when I was still ok with my decision to climb a mountain.

Going through the ice cave, that was literally a cave with blocks of ice cubes in it.

The staircase to hell, yes it’s ascending.

VIEW FROM THE TOP