We did find an adventure after all….we decided to take a tour of Xi’an, China. We flew out of Hong Kong and arrived in the mainland around 6pm. By the time we collected our luggage and caught the airport shuttle into the city, it was about 7:30pm – and we were tired.
Our hotel is right in the middle of the city and pretty much in the center of most of the historic attractions. Right across the street is the Bell Tower – beautiful in the evening. I sent this picture to Cindy…and I’ve been able to talk with her everyday either on the phone or by Skype.
We found some food, walked the a Night Market in the Muslim Quarter, and passed by the City Wall before heading back to the hotel to get some rest.
We are still having a little trouble settling into the time zone. Our minds say we should go to sleep but our bodies don’t want to cooperate. There is 13 hours difference between here and home. Once we finally feel asleep, morning came quickly. We arranged for a private tour guide to show us the sights of Xi’an.
Emma (our guide) met us in the lobby of the hotel at 9am. Our first stop of the day was the Banpo Neolithic Village. This is an ancient – I mean 6500 years old – village about 30 minutes outside of the center of the town. It was only recently discovered so they are still excavating much of it. But what they have found is very cool. Alan and I got our picture taken with some very old Chinese people.
After the Banpo Village, we made our way further outside of Xi’an to the countryside to see the Eighth Wonder of the World and one of the greatest archeological finds of the 20th century – the Terracotta Warriors. The terracotta warriors were created by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. He is credited with uniting China from a collection of warring states to become its First Emperor. He built several amazing things including the Great Wall. The Warriors were built to protect him in the afterlife.
There are over 8,000 of these soldiers made from very special clay found only at the foot of the nearby mountains. They were destroyed in a peasant uprising once the First Emperor died. This is only one of the pits – and the one that is been most excavated.
Tomorrow we will see the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Xi’an City Wall, and the Great Mosque. But for now, it’s bedtime.