Xi'an - Day 3

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Free Morning

The morning was free…so I decided to sleep in a bit and work on the blog. The internet connection at the hotel was a little slow, so the uploading of the pictures took forever. I only had enough time to upload my pictures for Beijing.

Han Yangling Museum

The Han Yangling Museum is the home of the archaeological site for the mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi (ruled 188 BC - 141 BC). The mausoleum itself hasn't been excavated, but a few of the ruins in the area have been. Excavation of the various sites started in the 1970's, and in 1999 the museum was opened.

It seems that the different Emperors of China liked their pottery armies. Although not as majestic or large as the Terracotta Army, Emperor Liu Qi did commission a 40,000 piece army to be built, complete with soldiers, Calvary men, and assorted livestock. Some of the soldiers and horses still have there original color on them...although all of the silk clothes on them rotted away over the years. A weird thing that the archaeologists can't figure out is why all the soldiers are missing their arms.

I am not sure how many Chinese citizens have actually visited the museum...when we looked at the opening ceremony photo, there were many Westerners in the crowd.

Being the cultural fellow I am, I decided to buy a book on the museum (as well as one on Xi'an)...as I really didn't feel like taking many photos of the exhibits. Lucky for me, or so I was told, the author of the book was also one of the original archaeologists for the site and director of the museum...and he wanted to sign my book. Look for the picture below.

Flight to Guilin

It seems that my First Class status was a little more useful to the group this time around. In addition to getting advanced notice that the flight was delayed and the gate had changed, I was able to get drinks and snacks for everyone waiting at the airport. I don't think the folks @ the lounge were too happy with me. I kept on making excuses to get into the lounge, and then walking out with an armful of sodas, beers, and snacks. We departed an hour late, and actually got a decent meal on the flight. Some steak and potatoes, as well as fresh fruit.

Our tour guide in Guilin was Susan, a married woman of Zhuang descent. She is a very bubbly and happy person. She even sang us a little song on the way back from the airport.

Given the late hour that we arrived at the hotel, a small group of us opted for a quick dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. A few beers, soup, noodle, beef and peppers, and deep fried whole prawns. Mmm, mmm, good!

We are staying at the Sheraton Hotel while we are in Guilin. Thanks to Deloitte, which gets Gold Passport level status for all employees, I was able to get an upgraded room and welcome fruit plate. Yeah!

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