Xi’an with the Fords

Terracotta Warriors

Arrival: We arrived in the afternoon and were picked up by our guide, George, and the driver. We’d already ate on the airplane and were not feeling entirely hungry, but when we learned the Shangri-La Hotel would be serving Happy Hour from 5-7pm, we managed to find our appetites. The club lounge featured an impressive happy hour indeed, including a throw back to my days in Thailand with a homemade, refreshing and spicy Papaya Salad. We dined happily and looked out upon the city. From the 19^th floor, we could spy a Brothers (printer company) factory across the street. The staff was friendly and seemed to enjoy our company, as we were the only guests partaking in the happy hour. I asked the chef to bring out a dragonfruit so my family could see the whole fruit (they’d only seen the pieces at the breakfast buffets). We marveled at the pink peel and then the chef was nice enough to demonstrate how to cut up the pretty fruit.

After stuffing ourselves with the hors d-oeuvre, we went for a stroll out behind the hotel, to the nearby park and pond. The park was full of activity for the local people and this makes perfect sense. The daily reality for most people in China is a life inside a small apartment unit, surrounded by tall buildings and millions of people. Parks are the perfect place to spread out a bit and enjoy a small slice of nature. Parents and grandparents walked along with their child, while old men gathered for games or to bend the strings of their old, traditional Chinese instruments. In other places, small groups assembled for some evening tai chi. And in the center area of the park, a large group of women (and one tall, uncoordinated man) gathered for some dancing. Miranda was courageous enough to join the dancing! But I think I better not post that video… J

Day One: Terracotta Warriors. Our first stop was to the ceramics factory where the clay souvenirs are manufactured. We learned about the process of forming the mold, etching detail into the clay, and then placing the clay into the kiln. We also purchased some souvenirs, and I teamed up with Miranda to haggle a lower price on some beautiful wall hangings for her new home (to be found) as well as Celeste to buy some great warrior magnets.

Next stop was the actual site of the Terracotta Warriors, exactly where they were found by some famers digging for a well in 1974. Several long hangars has been built over the three different pit-sites. Since the warriors were by-and-large destroyed by enemies of the emperor, and then buried and forgotten over the generations, few statues are ever unearthed intact. So a team of dedicated scientists have been working to carefully dig them up and piece them back together, like the most complex of puzzles. Many more pieces of the statue are still buried and no one expects the entire project to finish anytime soon. Our tour began in the museum where we saw a short video to provide the background history.

We had lunch at a nice buffet restaurant featuring “noodle entertainment” from the chefs. One chef cut large slices of noodles with a large cleaver to send into a bowling pot of water, while the other chef continuously stretched and twisted the noodles in the air before slamming them against the prep table. Once we had eaten our share, it was time to explore the pits and see the soldiers.

                                 

The statues were impressive and the stories that George regaled us with were entertaining. Equally impressive and entertaining was the sheer mass of people pushing past one another to get the best view into the different pits of warriors. Unfortunately, no one is allowed into the pit for side-by-side photos.

The agenda for the night: dinner and a show. We enjoyed a sumptuous dumplings (my favorite Chinese food!) feast with a wide variety of different types, almost 20 types in all.

The show was a feast for the senses: dancing, colors, and beautiful traditional Chinese music on instruments that might be long since forgotten if not for their classic sounds. The peaceful show was interrupted, on more than one occasion, by a drunk local who insisted on taking calls throughout and was not shy about noise volume. This is quite commonplace for the Chinese guests in attendance, but the drunkard received several glares from the various tables of foreigners.

Day Two: We did further damage to the great breakfast buffet; I think everyone had two cups of yogurt plus large servings from the rest of the spread! George greeted us after we checked out of the hotel and our merry band went into the inner city. This part of Xi’an is a large remnant of ancient China, surrounded by the 600-year old wall. The weather cooperated, so we were able to see the entire length of the wall, looking down at the city, from bicycles! It took about 80 minutes, but we were able to bike the full 25km distance around the top of the wall, with plenty of breaks allowed for water, photos, and reading about the history.

                                   

The bike ride was followed by a short visit to the Drum Tower. This is a tall, traditional-style tower that is the display place for the drums of old. These were no small, snare drums, but drums the size of grown men!

We left the drum tower and headed to the airport.

Sadly, it was time to say goodbye. We watched the checked-bags go down the chute then I gave long hugs to the Fords, not knowing when I’d get to travel with them again, let alone see them. Having lived abroad for almost 17 months now, I really appreciate those hugs from family when I can get them!

My flight returned safely, albeit delayed 30 minutes to Nanjing. The Fords arrived safely to Chengdu (home of the pandas), but only after completing the flight two times! Shortly after they left Xi’an and were approaching Chengdu, the pilot was forced to turn around and return to Xi’an due to bad weather. They waited patiently, like pandas in a tree, for a while before the plane was authorized to make the flight-again!