The "Eastern tour" was leaving at 9.
Went down for another interesting breakfast experience.
Still had plenty of spare time, so watched some TV. There were a lot of Chinese action movies that reminded me of Monkey Magic, a show that I watched on ABC as a kid.
Got down to the foyer at 8.30, waited a bit, chatted to the tour guide, who thankfully spoke English (one of the benefits of this tour group), had a chat to some of the other people from the Melody who were going on the tour, and got on the bus.
In particular, one guy was called Jimmy. He was from Taiwan and spoke good English. He worked for a semi-conductor distribution company.
We also picked up a group of foreign language teachers from Shanghai, Leonardo, Caitlin, and Marco.
At the last stop, we picked up some American girls, Sami and Sam.
Had a decent chat.
First stop was a museum about an old village, and they way they buried people. They also had a kiln. Babied were buried inside urns. Adults were buried with some loved possessions that might have been needed in the afterlife. Their heads faced West if they died a natural death and East if they died an unnatural death. The best theory is that West resembles the setting sun, and hence the end of life.
Started talking to some others in the group, including Kenneth and Chris, who were working on the development and testing of Windows Mobile.
Next stop was a pottery store that sold many things, but the obvious drawcard was the scale terracotta warriors. Ended up giving in, deciding I needed some more souvenirs, and bought a couple as a set for 700 Yuan. Think I probably paid too much, but they looked to be good quality.
Later we passed some shops selling poor quality ones for much, much less. Perhaps as low as 1 Yuan. Still, if my other ones make it home in one piece, I'll be happy.
Stopped for lunch. There was a guy twirling the noodles right in front of us. Had a pretty good Chinese-style meal.
Then on to the Terracotta Army!
Drove for a while, maybe half an hour if I remember correctly. The entrance to the Terracotta Army was quite strange and understated. We drove thru a little village and stopped near a town square.
After a bit of a walk, they had some large archways and buildings that gave it the grandeur I was expecting.
Was pretty cool, but not exactly what I thought it would be. A bit portion of the chamber was still being excavated and repaired.
Lots of different types of units. The main ones were generals, warriors, archers, horses and cavalrymen.
Interestingly, they were aligned in what was supposed to be the battle formation of the day, so its purpose was to protect the emperor in the afterlife.
Some way to go!
Went down for another interesting breakfast experience.
Still had plenty of spare time, so watched some TV. There were a lot of Chinese action movies that reminded me of Monkey Magic, a show that I watched on ABC as a kid.
Got down to the foyer at 8.30, waited a bit, chatted to the tour guide, who thankfully spoke English (one of the benefits of this tour group), had a chat to some of the other people from the Melody who were going on the tour, and got on the bus.
In particular, one guy was called Jimmy. He was from Taiwan and spoke good English. He worked for a semi-conductor distribution company.
We also picked up a group of foreign language teachers from Shanghai, Leonardo, Caitlin, and Marco.
At the last stop, we picked up some American girls, Sami and Sam.
Had a decent chat.
First stop was a museum about an old village, and they way they buried people. They also had a kiln. Babied were buried inside urns. Adults were buried with some loved possessions that might have been needed in the afterlife. Their heads faced West if they died a natural death and East if they died an unnatural death. The best theory is that West resembles the setting sun, and hence the end of life.
Started talking to some others in the group, including Kenneth and Chris, who were working on the development and testing of Windows Mobile.
Next stop was a pottery store that sold many things, but the obvious drawcard was the scale terracotta warriors. Ended up giving in, deciding I needed some more souvenirs, and bought a couple as a set for 700 Yuan. Think I probably paid too much, but they looked to be good quality.
Big statue of a horse and knight in the middle of a roundabout
Me as a terracotta warrior?
Later we passed some shops selling poor quality ones for much, much less. Perhaps as low as 1 Yuan. Still, if my other ones make it home in one piece, I'll be happy.
Stopped for lunch. There was a guy twirling the noodles right in front of us. Had a pretty good Chinese-style meal.
Some of the guys in the tour group: Sami, Jimmy, tour guide, Dmitri
Then on to the Terracotta Army!
Drove for a while, maybe half an hour if I remember correctly. The entrance to the Terracotta Army was quite strange and understated. We drove thru a little village and stopped near a town square.
After a bit of a walk, they had some large archways and buildings that gave it the grandeur I was expecting.
Was pretty cool, but not exactly what I thought it would be. A bit portion of the chamber was still being excavated and repaired.
Lots of different types of units. The main ones were generals, warriors, archers, horses and cavalrymen.
Interestingly, they were aligned in what was supposed to be the battle formation of the day, so its purpose was to protect the emperor in the afterlife.
Some way to go!
The Terracotta Army
Me and the Terracotta Army!
Some soldiers up close
Some horses up close
A kneeling archer
Back in the courtyard outside, mountains in the distance
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