Xi'an, China and Terracotta Warriors
And the whorl wind trip to China started off like this...
We landed in Beijing at 6:20PM and had to reach our hotel, pick up train tickets, check in to the hotel, leave luggage, and get to the train station by 9:30PM. It was a bit like being on that reality TV show The Amazing Race, actually I think it would be a breeze after this trip. As long as we had my sorority sister, Elizabeth, who has lived in Beijing for 4 years and picked us up at the airport to help with the language. She has the taxi communication down, although leave it to me to book the only Beijing hotel that no one has heard of. That is a whole other story!
We made our night train with no problem and were even able to grab dinner at McDonald's before. In our travels we have learned that McDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks are everywhere in this world, buy stock people! I had booked a deluxe sleeper on the train, good thing too because as we rushed up to get on. Dirk took one look at the scene and almost turned right around. The locals travel by train very regularly, to and from Beijing during the weekend to the outlying country side where their families are. They literally buy standing room only tickets for a 12 hour train ride! People were EVERYWHERE! I reassured Dirk that the deluxe sleeper had two beds and a bathroom just for us.
So we made it to the sleeper, ate our McDonald's, and quickly fell asleep after a full day of travel. Next thing we were in Xi'an frantically searching for our tour guide and feeling like a side show freak in a circus. I thought people starred in Singapore, oh wow! We were so out of place, but guess what? There was a McDonalds right outside of this tiny countryside train station, like a beacon of light. Yep, we ate Mc, Mackers, Mickey D's... whatever you want to call it, ALOT! And yes, we are at the gym everyday after this holiday for it. After, what seemed like an hour, we found our tour guide and were off to see the sights.
terracotta warriors
deluxe sleeper, bunk bed style!
ready for the warriors!
bell you ring so that your special someone can hear around the world?
Old pagoda we visited before the warriors- now a public park
Reminded me of little ghosts, on a stick.
Then we went to the tourist scam before the warriors, where they show you how they make them and then pressure you to buy them. Another defining moment for Asia, this scene is everywhere in Asia. 
Dirk was a little big for the warrior!
Jade warrior, weighed so much!
A bit of back ground on the terracotta warriors. They are 2,200 years old, created in 221 BC in the Qin Dynasty. The first Emperor of China made his warriors build this colossal monument and then buried them all alive with him to keep the tomb a secret. Each warrior looks like the actual warrior and all have different facial features, hair styles, and are ordered in class of warriors. Only about 10% of the actual warrior tomb is uncovered. The emperor's tomb is still not uncovered, he buried himself with a substantial amount of mercury and they are still trying to figure out how to uncover all the treasures without destroying them. It is currently considered the Eighth Wonder of the World?
Introducing the warriors! Pit 1.
Not yet uncovered! The ceiling of another pit.
The Archer
The standing archers, they originally had weapons on them but most rotted because they were made of wood.
Weird statue gift given by Johnson & Johnson for the Beijing Olympics.
Chariot made of all bronze.
CRAZY crowded train station, people were everywhere!
The beacon of light!
A little like herding cows huh? One of these guys hit me with their potatoes sacks, it really hurt! And that is how people in Chiner travel!
Chiner, people add a "R" to everything English and pronounce China, Chiner... I find this very amusing for some reason!
We took the night train back to Beijing and did the Great Wall the next day. You will have to wait for that post.
We took the night train back to Beijing and did the Great Wall the next day. You will have to wait for that post.
3 comments:
Awesome!! I so hope to go there one day.
And I do have to make a correction - Starbucks has NOT made it to Perth. We really are the last place on earth not to get frappucinos :(
Does that mean Xi'an, China is more advanced than Perth? No wonder people move so slow there...
I went to China a little over 3 years ago. Aren't the terracotta soldiers amazing??
Also, when we were there I got tired of eating the food and wanted McDonalds really badly! I walked right in, took a look at the menu, decided it was going to be impossible to read and walked right out.
Can't wait to hear about the Great Wall!
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