Xi'an, Apr.27-May 3, 2006
A look on this modern city with a long and amazing history
11.05.2006 31 °C
火车候车室里的情景剧
比较机场候机厅来说,火车的候车室更拥挤,但人们更享受等待的漫长时间,即使没有手提、mp3。这里连空气也充满了各种“味道”。
形形色色的人物将偌大的候车室填得满满的。我按着纵排的位置依次搜索,摆着各种姿势的人们满脸惬意,谁管它外面热得连知了也受不了。终于发现了几个漏网的塑料椅。
我扔下背包坐定。没有广告插播,主角们继续演出。
斜对面的座位上,一个瘦小的妈妈怀抱一个幼小的孩子。孩子舒服地躺在她的臂弯中,双眼闭着。一个瘦瘦的小女孩背对着他们站立,身体不停向着各个方向晃动。妈妈腾出一只手来给女孩整理裙子。小女孩穿的裙子虽然看起来旧旧的,但很漂亮。
妈妈忽然抬起手来向女孩的脸扇过去,“吧”的一声,压低声音斥责女孩,很凶的样子。我看到女孩露出惊恐的神情,她也不明白到底做错了什么。女孩倒退几步,可妈妈还是一把就将她扯回到自己的面前,就像孙悟空怎么也跳不出如来佛的手掌一样。
女孩撇着嘴,眼睛眨啊眨的,但没有泪珠。她惶恐地望着近在咫尺的妈妈。
妈妈保持严肃的神情继续整理女孩的裙子。终于等到妈妈把手收回放到幼小孩子的身上轻抚,女孩索性爬到妈妈身边的椅子上,蹬下鞋子,站起身来,高兴地又蹦又跳,几分钟之前的难过完全被现在的快乐淹没了。
爸爸不知什么时候出现,他发给妈妈和女孩各一个用竹签串起来的麻辣豆腐干。女孩高兴地咬起来,双眼盯着妈妈,那模样让人觉得她嘴里吃的一定是天下美食。妈妈则象喂幼鸟一样,咬一口,嚼一嚼,然后对准怀里孩子的嘴,吐给孩子。
爸爸斜靠在椅背上,看着她们享受的样子笑了起来。他们手中的麻辣串儿也笑弯了腰。
旁边的几个男女也跟着笑了起来,笑容也悄悄地爬上了我的脸。
回民街
西安的回民街,第一次探访,我留下了"贾三灌汤包"的记忆;今天第二次再走回民街,我得到了机会观察这纵横交织的不同生活.
游客最常也是最容易前往的,是鼓楼正对的一条街道.
这正对着鼓楼的街道是条美食街.空气里扩散着烧烤味.支在烧烤架上熏黑了的风扇卷起股股白烟,再奋力吐向空气中.白烟弥漫在我的头顶上,盘旋着,不肯散去,美食的味道就此封存了起来.烧烤没有时间和季节的限制,它不分白天和黑夜的发出"滋滋"地美得冒泡似的响声,足够大的吸引到过往的行人.而我们只要对这声响稍有迟疑,饭馆的师傅们便对着我们吆喝起来,如数加珍的一口气报出长串儿的菜单,一派不摧跨“胃墙”不罢休的气势.
羊肉泡馍却躲在了烧烤架后面的饭馆里,没有它的招牌挂在或写在门口。虽然如此,它还是菜单上的重点推荐,有不同的味道,不同的品质(放菜的数量).现在的羊肉泡也快餐化,机器碎的馍馍成袋地推放在厨房门口,特大碗里已经分配好了各种蔬菜.加入碎馍和汤汁儿后即可放在火上煮.
街面上有推着小车叫卖的小吃,饭馆里也有列在菜单正反面上的一条条有趣的名字.我最喜欢的是这里人家自制的酸梅汤,镇凉的,浓郁的酸,一元一大杯.
在烧烤一条街的街口往左拐,就是古玩一条街.说是一条街,还不如说是条小巷子.每家店铺的老板或是小工们都能说几句英语,英语的重要性在这里显见一斑.一有空,老板们便拿出手掌大小的英语会话册蹲在门口训练起舌头来.
横穿过繁华的百盛广场,我意外地发现另外几条曲径.
一条街口横挂透着昏黄光线的"浴室"招牌,招牌下是一人宽的悠长巷子进入浴室.光线在巷子的另一端被黑洞吞没,时间停留在了花样的年代.
街上往来的和店铺里或坐或站的,大多戴着小白帽.他们或年轻,或年迈,还有饭馆里忙里忙外的一两个束着深色头纱的中年女子.
街上的店铺买卖的几乎全是食物,有的见过,有的却要仔细端详,再加琢磨,才略知一二.
大皮院清真寺就掩藏在这样的寻常巷陌中.门口几个戴小白帽的孩子在玩耍,哈哈笑着,不知道是什么有意思的游戏如此好玩.一个蹲在门边儿的男孩看我准备迈进大院,急忙摇手,然后用手指了指我的腿.我马上明白了,穿了短裙是不能进去.带着遗憾我退了出去.他们几个又继续玩了起来,笑声绕过院门,摇弋在小街上.
临走的那天早晨,我早早地起床,还是为了看一眼深巷中的大皮院.到了门口,我再次认真读了遍清真寺的介绍.准备好了心情,我慢慢地走向那道门.一个戴白帽的老汉不知从哪儿冒了出来,看到我后熟练地摆了摆手.我第二次的大皮院探访还是无果而终.

I went to Xi’an this May holiday as the second visit.
The city is supposed to be the one with the tasty local foods and historical relics.
As my experience in these six days, I was exploring some relic and some foods not mentioned in any books.
I was glad to meet some local girl on my visit to the well-known Qian Mausoleum. She told me Hanyang Mausoleum and its museum were interesting and the entering ticket would be raised up in one day, the first day of May.
By her introduction, I went there next day.
Hanyang museum was so amazing and cool! Unbelievable! Completely different from Terra-Cotta. There exhibited the stuffs related to the daily life and bigs, sheeps and horses as well.
It is not far from the city, only 30 minutes by mini-bus.
I rented a bicycle another day to ride along the ancient city wall. The feel was so great. The wall just seperated the world into two parts, one part was full of noise and the new buildings and the other part was only belonged to the past, to the memory.
And another stuff impressed me a lot is Roujiamo, a kind of pancake stuffed all named meat. Cheap and tasty!
Icepeak, the local soda, and the drink made by dark plum, they were best to drink up under the temperature around 32 degrees.
Besides one street named Hui Minority Street, there are some other even more interesting lanes just connected to Hui Street. Not too many tourists and then it becomes much easier to see the local life and the local people. They do not mind or care what the tourism brings to their life and they still live by their way. The modern tracks have not found out there by now and they are only surrounded by the modern buildings. Even they have their own noise.
Posted by minfreya 20:30 Archived in Backpacking | China Comments (0)

