We are off on a 5 day holiday to Xi'an, China. We began with a taxi ride to the Metro to avoid rush hour traffic. We began our metro ride at the first stop so it was empty but quickly filled up as you can barely see Gabe through the mass of people.
 |
| Mason snuggled with this guy at one point :) |
 |
| Gabe catching some zzz's |
 |
| Hattie napping |
 |
| She was starting to go crazy! |
The train was not bad. They didn't turn out the lights, workers were constantly selling something and they were very loud. Also, Chinese people spit (a lot) on the floor and just throw their garbage on the floor. If you could get past these things and the fact that we were the only foreigners on the train so they stared at us a lot, it wasn't half bad.
This women struck up a conversation with Luke wanting to know where we were going and why we were on the slow train, she said it was for poorer chinese travelers. We said it was for the poorer foreign travelers too :) We couldn't disembark fast enough, it felt so good to walk! We arrived late on Monday night and saw the bell tower lit up in the middle of town, only a block from our hotel.
The Bell Tower, is a stately traditional building, that marks the
geographical center of the ancient capital. From this important landmark
extend East, South, West and North Streets, connecting the Tower to the
East, South, West and North Gates of theCity Wall of the Ming Dynasty.
The
wooden tower, which is the largest and best-preserved of its kind in
China, is 36 meters (118 feet) high. It stands on a brick base 35.5
meters (116.4 feet) long and 8.6 meters (28.2 feet) high on each side.
During the Ming Dynasty, Xian was an important military town in
Northwest China, a fact that is reflected in the size and historic
significance.
The tower was built in 1384 by Emperor Zhu
Yuanzhang as a way to dominate the surrounding countryside and provide
early warning of attack by rival rulers. (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/bell.htm)
They were selling ice cream bars, but none of them had a cooler so we were
stunned that they were actually still frozen when we bought them.
 |
| View from the Bell Tower down one of the four main streets. The city of Xi'an is about 8 million people |
The Drum Tower
The
Drum Tower of Xi'an (西安鼓楼), located in the heart of
Xi'an in
Shaanxi province of
China, along with the
Bell Tower it is a symbol of the city. Erected in 1380 during the early
Ming Dynasty, it stands towering above the city center and offers incredible view of Xi'an.
The Drum Tower got its name from the huge drum located within the
building. In contrast to the Bell Tower, where bell was stricken at
dawn, drum was beat at sunset to indicate the end of the day
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_Tower_of_Xi%27an)
This was some street vendors located at the beginning of the Muslim Quarters...they sell pretty much anything and everything. Luke and the kids tried these eggs.
Having some fun with a live model in a window shop and also a cute panda in a store front.
 |
| Traditional Dress of Soldier |
Xian City Wall, When Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644),
captured Huizhou, a hermit named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should
'built high walls, store abundant food supplies and take time to be an
Emperor,' so that he could fortify the city and unify the other states.
After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed his
advice and began to enlarge the wall built initially during the old Tang
Dynasty (618 - 907), creating the modern Xian City Wall. It's the most
complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the
largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.
 |
| Soldier | |
On top of the wall. You pay a small fee and then you can go to the top of the wall. We rented bikes and biked around the 8 mile perimeter. It was a beautiful, sunny day with blue skies, which we don't see often in Guangzhou because of the pollution.
  |
| Year of the Snake and a Family Photo on the Wall. |
A few of the stops. It was amazing and huge. We were in awe of the construction and complexity of the wall. The sun was just setting as we finished our ride.
 |
| We often see couples wearing matching outfits. |
Here are a few things we don't usually see... you can buy ice cream in the freezer at a convenience store or a cob of corn if you prefer. They had a pot of boiling water near by, I am guessing to cook your corn. Also, this man had large telescope with an American flag. He was claiming you could see Pluto for a price. While we were checking out the commotion of the telescope our kids got roped into another photo opportunity :) They have become so accustomed to this request we have joked they will have withdrawal when they get back home and no one wants their photo!
We must be getting close because we spotted a few for sale on our way in. You could also buy an animal skin?
The
Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of
terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of
Qin Shi Huang, the first
Emperor of China. It is a form of
funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from around the late third century BC,
[1] were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers in
Lintong District,
Xi'an,
Shaanxi province. The figures vary in height according to their roles,
with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors,
chariots
and horses. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the
Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520
horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in
the pits near by
Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.
[2]
Other terracotta non-military figures were also found in other pits and
they include officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.
Then we boarded a bus that brought you about 10 mintues away to an area where they are unearthing more and the location of
Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum
Shopping in the Muslim Quarter
These were some delicious candy coated strawberries
The next day we went to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda...some history according to Wikipedia...
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or
Big Wild Goose Pagoda (
Chinese:
大雁塔;
pinyin:
Dàyàn Tǎ), is a
Buddhist pagoda located in southern
Xi'an,
Shaanxi province,
China. It was built in 652 during the
Tang Dynasty and originally had five stories, although the structure was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress
Wu Zetian and its exterior brick facade was renovated during the
Ming Dynasty. One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold
sutras and
figurines of the
Buddha that were brought to China from
India by the
Buddhist translator and traveler
Xuanzang.
 |
| Another photo opportunity! |
 |
| View from the top, you could see out all four sides |
We traveled by motor buggy on the way out of town. Gabe and Mason and I rode in one and Luke and Hattie in another. They just whip you through the traffic and even drive up on the sidewalk.
 |
| Sleeping again... |
 |
| We had a few laughs along the way too! |
We reciprocated with a photo op, don't think she could read her own shirt because none of them spoke English.
This was the scene at the train station. Thousands of people waiting for their train or for someone to arrive. This is the train schedule. We were able to easily find our train number. We took a slow train, mostly because it is cheaper, but also because it was their Labor Day Holiday, May 1, travel options were limited. We would ride this train for 30 hours. Sleeping in many different configurations. We left at 8:30 and arrived at 2:30 AM a day and a half later!
The Bell Tower, is a stately traditional building, that marks the
geographical center of the ancient capital. From this important landmark
extend East, South, West and North Streets, connecting the Tower to the
East, South, West and North Gates of the
