CHINA - Xi'an

Xi'an was once the capital of China and hence boasts an interesting past. Upon arrival we went to the hotel and a brilliant breakfast at the local hostel. We were then shown around the centre. The main shopping street and adjoining alleys were brilliant places full of traders and there interesting stalls. You can barter the price of anything, for example Karl bartered down the price of Tigerbalm by 10pence!!! lol. We then hired bicycles and cycled around the city walls which was further than we thought. It was about 9 miles around along seemingly endless walled vistas. It was excellent to get some exercise after being stuck on a train for the best part of a day.

Diner consisted of a local speciality, Hot Pot, which comprised various meat and vegetable items which you boiled in a very spicy hot pot sauce.

Next day was the trip to the Teracotta Warriors. They were built as part of a huge mausoleum for the first Emporer of a united China Qing. He seemes to have been quite a paranoid chap having also ordered the construction of the Great Wall. His original intention was that a whole army would be killed and buried with him to look after him in the after life but instead it was suggested that copies of each person could be manufactured out of clay. Cunning! What is on display now is supposedly a very small fraction of the entire archealogical site much of which has yet to have been dug up. The rumour goes that there is a 30m high building under a nearby hill housing the emporers body surrounded by a moat of mercury fed by thre rivers of mercury resembling China's great rivers. However because of all the mercury it would be very dangerous to unearth it without inventing a safe way to do it! It has to truly be the most amazing and exciting archealogical site in the world. Qing was however a very unpopular man as he ordered the murder of every person who helped construct it and the warriors themselves in order to preserve the secret of his tombs location. This is why it was discovered by accident by a farmer digging a well. Anyway enough of the background stuff, it is an awesome thing to see, something which fills you with excitment at the prospect of what else has yet to be unearthed!

The next train jouney would take us to Chengdu primarily to go and see the panda sanctuary!