5 Cheeseheads in China: Xi'an

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.

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!

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 the City 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?

Some history according to Wikipedia...

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.