Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors

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Xi'an meant a lot of things for us. First, the obvious was visiting the Terracotta Warriors. It is an amazing archaeological find and huge tourist site. We arrived on a Sunday and it was beyond busy as usual. We couldn't really get too close to the statues (a privilidge reserved for the VIPs only) but it was still fun as long as we didn't take things too seriously. Also there was a KFC at the site which was our first taste of western fast food in 3 months (a preview of things to come in Xi'an).

Second, it meant a really nice hotel to finish our group travel portion of our trip. The trip finished with three nights at the Bell Tower Hotel which is the nicest place we've stayed at and it had the most amazing breakfast buffet (pictured above) - egg chef, piles of bacon, sausage, pancakes, french toast, and some healthier things that Jordan mostly ignored.

Third, it meant McDonalds and Starbucks. Enough said, yes we can hear you cringing at home.

Fourth, it was the beginning of our independant travel. We successfully found the advance train ticket booking office and purchased two hard-sleeper seats to Pingyao. So much easier than we expected. Phrase-book in hand, we approached the window nervously and the lady smiled back and spoke in perfect english, "Where do you want to go?"

We rounded out our stay in Xi'an by walking around the muslim quarter night market and riding bicycles around the city walls. It was a much needed break from tourism and we enjoyed just hanging out in the city near the Bell Tower. We did eventually stray from McDonalds and found the most amazing dumplings in an alley a few blocks from the hotel.

Tonight we leave on our sleeper train at 11pm. When we wake up we'll be in Pingyao. Should be fun!

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Photos

Pit number 1
Largest pit, largest crowds.

McDonalds
And the Bell Tower in the background.

Mad scramble
For a photo of a warrior up close.

Beijing duck wraps
Kind of like fajitas

Comments

[Dorothy Mindach]

Terracotta Warriors
OMG!!! How wonderful to be able to see the actual terracotta warriors in person. They are one of my favorite 'finds'. We were to get a few here in Calgary this year for the Chinese 100 years but it was cancelled, so your photos will be my closest shot to the real thing.

[Daniel]

Xi'an
I quite enjoyed Xi'an. I went to a Pizza Hut there, and you honestly should try that in China. But just for fun, order a pizza, an appetizer and a dessert and watch as you have to eat your ice cream before the pizza because everything shows up all at once! That night market was fun, it was my first adventure in bartering with a calculator. I have a tea mug on my desk at the moment from that market.

[Daniel]

Also..
I ate some food from that market and I still wonder what type of meat I was actually eating while there.

[Joyce]

Thank you! :)
Is it just where you take the photos or, have the places you've visited all been so clean - no litter on the streets??? Incredible - sort of makes me ashamed of us Canadians... Joyce :))))

[Home and Away]

Breakfast in Xian
We visited Xian last year and stayed at the Sofitel, very first class. We had their full breakfast including pancakes. However, they came without syrup, so I asked for some. They weren't sure what I meant so it took a few minutes to describe what I wanted. Anyway, although China has come a long way to meeting the needs of it's western guests, there are still times when our cultures don't understadn each other.

[Chris and Nikki]

This is a great picture, wish I'd have got one like this when we were in Xi'an.