Day 1 Muslim Quarter, Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Get picked up at 17:00 from your hotel lobby (provided you are staying at downtown area), your first destination is the food paradise Muslim Quarter. Located in the city center of Xi'an, the Muslim Quarter is the not only historical and cultural part that survived through long history, but also the most colorful area with full of street foods and restaurants. Various of noises of those hawking vendors and buzzing scooters together with the hustling and bustling of visitors will make you feel that you are in a real China. A bite of some street food and bargaining with some street vendors will be a real relief after visiting a long day trip!



There are so many food you simply can’t miss, just to name a few:




1. Shredded Pita Bread Cooked in Lamb Soup



If there is one food could represent Xi'an, it'd be without doubt Yangrou Paomo -- an aromatic, tasty and spicy bowl of shredded flat-bread soaked in mutton broth. As a local specialty which is widely eaten in Xi’an area, locals always say, “If you have never tried Pao Mo, you can never say that you’ve been to Xi’an.” Eating Pao Mo is an uniquely fun and relaxing exercise and experience. Here is the right way to do it. At the beginning you'll be served with two pieces of unleavened flat pita bread or "mo" in Chinese in a bowl. Then it’s your job to break the bread into pieces with sizes from peanuts to soybeans according to your own preference. It’s a time-consuming process but locals believe that the Paomo made by themselves will taste much better. More importantly, it offers opportunity for people to communicate while siting together and tearing those hard bread. Then you should return bowl with those shredded bread pieces and your “mo” will be cooked in mutton soup which has been stewed for the whole day until the bits are fully soaked in soup and its rich flavor. The stew will be cooked with mung bean vermicelli and topped with slices of lamb or beef of your choice, and pickled sweet garlic served at the same time with chili sauce added in will keep a perfect balance of the dish.












2. Soup Dumpling



While talking about soup dumplings, the one in Shanghai will come to mind for most of people. However, locals in Xi’an would like to tell you that their lamb or beef dumplings are much better. Traditionally most of soup dumplings are filled with pork or a mixture of pork and vegetables and will be eaten together with sweet vinegar, but soup dumpling in Xi’an are made of paper-thin wrappers with beef or lamb and minced vegetables and mixed with various kind of spices. This mixture gives the dumpling a special texture and it tastes not as greasy as the pork one. Take the soup out and drink it then swallow the whole dumpling into mouth will be a quite enjoyable thing for locals.












3. Biang Biang Noodle



Those most famous and popular foods in Xi’an are mostly wheat-based since it’s a city in northern China which is drier and colder comparing with the south. Such climate and geographical location render Xi’an to be home of various kind of noodles and dumplings! There are more than 60 different noodles in the area and most of them are fresh hand-made ones. With divers styles, special textures and various flavors, Xi’an noodles have been eaten widely as daily savories and have been adored by people from all over the world! Among all these noodles, Biang Biang Noodle is one of the most popular. It’s regarded as one of the "eight strange wonders of Xi’an area”. Locals always call it as “ wrest best noodle” or the “ seat belt noodle” due to it’s are thickness and length. The name perfectly describes the characters of the noodle, as long and wide as seat belt. It is broad and hand-made and every time when the noodle is being made, it touches and slaps the table and makes sound like “Biang Biang”, hence the name. Trying this special fresh hand-made noodle and eating row garlic at the same time will be a pure joy for people and will make you come to the conclusion that China is the hometown of noodles.












4. Xi’an Burger






Rou jia mo is one of a very popular snacks in Xi’an area. It literally means “bread with meat stuffed in it”. With a history about one thousand years, it is widely consumed by locals in Xi’an area.The meat put inside is most commonly pork belly, stewed for few hours in the soup with lots spices and seasonings which will eventually make the meat quite flavorful. The hours-stewed meat and fat will be minced and chopped and then stuffed in those fresh-made plain taste bread together with small amount soup and chili sources will present people a perfect combination. It is a remarkable equivalent to the Western hamburger and meat sandwiches.















5.Lamb or Beef BBQ






In one word, try BBQ on street side at night with gentle breeze and cold beer will be a sheer heaven for most people in hot summer. Replete with food, you will head for the next destination, Big Wild Goose Pagoda.















This pagoda is situated in Daci'en Temple which was religious center of Chang'an in the Grand Tang Dynasty. It used to be the tallest building in the city and only those most capable candidates who could pass the imperial examination were allowed to walk up from inside to the top to show their special honor given by the imperial court and their soaring future. It is such a popular destination today because parents from all over the country would like to come then pray in front of the Buddha in the hope that their kids could be top students in schools. The surrounding area of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is also the most beautiful part of the city with lots of buildings built in ancient style. A visit of his place and a stroll in the area will immerse you with Buddhist culture and to see the combination of antiquity and modernity of the city.



Your trip ends here and you will be accompanied back to hotel.