Tuesday, July 24th
Xi’an, China
This morning Brian Bai, our tour guide for the day, picked us up at 7:45am to head over to the Terracotta Warrior compound. I am calling it a compound because it was a mammoth series of buildings spread out over a large area. Thankfully we had Brian to guide us otherwise I am sure we would have been wandering around like idiots! My guide book said to work backwards from the excavation sites, starting at Pit 3 then working your way to Pit 1 since it’s the largest and most spectacular, but Brian said it would get too busy so we should go to Pit 1. Of course he was right, as we left Pit 1, the place was jammed with people.
The Terracotta Warriors were the brainchild of Emperor Qin, the first emperor of China, to protect him in the afterlife (his tomb is located nearby). They were discovered by a local farmer in 1974 who was trying to dig a well. I even got to see him today and snuck a picture of him. I guess you have to buy his book and then he’d sign it and take a picture with you. Brian told us that he reported only received 5 yuan from the government when they took his land to create the compound. I would definitely google it if you are interested in learning more about the Terracotta Warrior. It truly is fascinating.
The warriors were amazing, especially in Pit 1. The distinction and detail on each warrior, from their helmets, faces, armor and shoes were truly incredible. It is projected that there are over 6,000 warriors in the Pit! I could be getting the number wrong, but Brian said that archeologist have discovered over 20 different types of mustaches on the warriors. Additionally, the types of helmets and shoes distinguish the military rank of the soldiers.
Pits 2 and 3 were okay. I can see why the guide books tell you to go to them first then end on Pit 1, because after seeing Pit 1, the others pale in comparison.
Here's us horsing around with Terracotta Warrior statues outside of the complex.
Brian took us to lunch at a local noodle place. I didn’t realize this but biang biang are the famous local noodles here. The place we ate for lunch didn’t have a 12.5 foot noodle, but they were pretty good.
Lastly, we headed to the Shanaxi Wildlife Rescue preserve where we saw two adorable pandas, and the cutest red panda. They were my favor part of the preserve. A close second was the leopard and then the golden monkeys. We also saw Asiatic black bears (they were extremely playful), peacocks, vultures, a takin (that looks like a blonde buffalo) and other birds.
On our drive to and from our excursions there was of lots conversation about the driving in Xi’an and China in general. Brian told us that there are approximately 300 deaths a day due to traffic accidents. Unfortunately, I am not surprised considering I have seen no helmets on any scooter drivers and many pedestrians essentially play Frogger crossing the street!
Xi’an, China
This morning Brian Bai, our tour guide for the day, picked us up at 7:45am to head over to the Terracotta Warrior compound. I am calling it a compound because it was a mammoth series of buildings spread out over a large area. Thankfully we had Brian to guide us otherwise I am sure we would have been wandering around like idiots! My guide book said to work backwards from the excavation sites, starting at Pit 3 then working your way to Pit 1 since it’s the largest and most spectacular, but Brian said it would get too busy so we should go to Pit 1. Of course he was right, as we left Pit 1, the place was jammed with people.
The Terracotta Warriors were the brainchild of Emperor Qin, the first emperor of China, to protect him in the afterlife (his tomb is located nearby). They were discovered by a local farmer in 1974 who was trying to dig a well. I even got to see him today and snuck a picture of him. I guess you have to buy his book and then he’d sign it and take a picture with you. Brian told us that he reported only received 5 yuan from the government when they took his land to create the compound. I would definitely google it if you are interested in learning more about the Terracotta Warrior. It truly is fascinating.
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| The Farmer hiding his face since I didn't pay the money for his book or to take his picture! |
Pits 2 and 3 were okay. I can see why the guide books tell you to go to them first then end on Pit 1, because after seeing Pit 1, the others pale in comparison.
Here's us horsing around with Terracotta Warrior statues outside of the complex.
Lastly, we headed to the Shanaxi Wildlife Rescue preserve where we saw two adorable pandas, and the cutest red panda. They were my favor part of the preserve. A close second was the leopard and then the golden monkeys. We also saw Asiatic black bears (they were extremely playful), peacocks, vultures, a takin (that looks like a blonde buffalo) and other birds.
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| Red Panda....soooo cute! |
On our drive to and from our excursions there was of lots conversation about the driving in Xi’an and China in general. Brian told us that there are approximately 300 deaths a day due to traffic accidents. Unfortunately, I am not surprised considering I have seen no helmets on any scooter drivers and many pedestrians essentially play Frogger crossing the street!
Is 300 deaths in the whole country?
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