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Published: December 31st 2007
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view from above
on the top bunk of the hard sleper. Bejing to Xian So we pick up catching the train to Xi'an, in the Shaanxi provence. We were booked on the overnight train, and were told it was a 4 bed hard sleeper. We had done our homework here, and so knew about the sleeper class, but as we boarded the train, we realised that we had a 6 bed sleeoer, as we had the top bunks!! Now this is normally a good thing, as its probably the safest bunk to get, and you don't have everyone sitting and eating on it before they go to bed!! However, in a 6 bed hard sleeper, the top bunk has less space, and your right up against the AC. So with my legs sticking out, I take of my smelly shoes to reveal my even smellier feet, and hope that everyone will leave the carriage free for us......................NO CHANCE MATE!! These guys are used to smells worse than my feet, and they are nothing in comparrison. I am reliably told that i kept the carriage up with my snoring!!! Well, i didn't sleep that well, so i had to share that with everyone too, don't ya think!!
The hard sleeper was exactly that.....hard!! But it
a mouth full of noodles
caught with my mouth full yet again!!! could have been worse. The sheets were clean, and thats all i could have really asked for. So we arrive in Xi'an, and are picked up by the hostel staff, free of charge, and taken to our hostel.
The hostel, the SHUYUAN, is slap bang in the centre of Xi'an, hidden around the corner of the south gate of the old city wall. Xi'an itself was a far cry from Beijing. Not as many people, not as much traffic, although the pollution was still very obvious. The hostel on the other hand was even better!! I cannot believe that the state of this hostel was as good as some of the hotels i have been in. The rooms were snazzy, with ensuit bathroom, and power shower, the main dining room was wierd, kinda bohemian, which was very out of place, and it had a downstairs bar, fully equipped with pool table and kareoke!!!!
The main attraction in Xi'an is the Terracotta warriors, but there is more to Xi'an than that. The city was infact the first capital, until it was moved to Beijing during the Qin dynasty. There is also a strong Muslim presence here, and this is
inside the city walls
The city walls of Xian, the ld capital of China typified by the great mosque, and the muslim quarters, which is a section of the city which has a muslim feel, and run by the chinese muslim community.
We take a guided tour, provided by our hostel, to the terracotta factory, Mampo neolithic village, which was an enthralling insight into early chinese neolithic civilization. The toold they used, the currency, the housing, and the sacrificial and burial habits. Infact some of the skeletons still remain on show for the public.
Many of these tours take you through factories in an attempt to part you from your money even further. The guides get a comission if you buy anything from them, so there's something in it from them, but it gets a bit obvions and a bit annoyinmg after a while!!
We finally get to the place where the terracotta warriors were found and held, and anticipation shuddered through us all. there was an obvious feeling that this was what we were all impatiently waiting for, and the time had now come.
The Warriors were built by the first emperor Qin, as he thought that he would be able to rule in the afterlife, and therefore wanted
the creation of an army
making little terracotta warriors an army to take with him. He employed 4000 men, and it took 40 years to build them out of clay apparantly only found in the qin ling mountains!! Unfortunately he was also a nasty man, and his people turned on him, and he was killed. The terracotta warriors were smashed up and buried, along with the emperor, and were found centuaries later, by a peasant man called , who was digging a well for water. What was found was probably the greatest find of the centuary, and many hold it as the 8th wonder of the world!!
They were found all smashed up, and they have been painstakingly put back together by hand. Each warrior has a different face. They are divided into cavelry, archers, horsemen, generals and emperors. There are 3 pit which hold seperate groups of warriors, but alas pit 2 was closed for renovation (bloody olympics again!!!). Pit 3 hold some of the warriors and some horses, and this was our first stop, after watching a magical surround sound video of the history of the warriors.
PIT 3 was amazing, as they are literally in a pit. There's not many of them, but
Hanging with the boys
With copies of the teracotta army boys there is still that feeling of awe, as people clammour to take that perfect picture. There are many broken pieces, and some without heads, but the real puncher was to come in pit 1.
As we enter PIT 1, the enormity of the pit causes you to stop for a second and just make sure you are not dreaming. The place is huge, and there's that faint cloud of dust that lines the whole hall. Imagine if you will, the rays of sun shining through the window of an old warehouse. You can see the fine silt and dust flying through the air, unsettled with an antique smell. WOW!!! It's just breathtaking!!!
The whole auditorium is not full with warriors, as you may expect. Infact there's a large portion that does not hold any warriors at all, and looks almost as if they are still digging. The amazing thing is that there are still more to find. LOTS MORE!! I am old by our guide that they have recently found a 4th pit, but this is not open to the public yet. Imagine the excitment of the find. These clay warriors, that are so detailed in structure, and
a body of iron
even Carmen joins the league of Qin have managed to survive (somewhat) for centuries underground. They have, unsurprisingly, lost all of their famed colour, but the actual structures remain. 8 of them having been touring Europe, allowing people to see for themselves the rarity of these specimens. But we get to see the real thing, and it is a life experience that will never leave us.
I spend that night getting drunk with other travellers in the hostel bar, as Carmen nurses her cold but getting an early night. I should have done the same, because we had to be up by 04:45 the next day, to catch the plane to Chendu, our next stop on our chinese adventure....................................
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silvia&Gianni
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we are sooo jealous!!
guys!! we are very jealous of you!!!! i miss u! xxx