Last Wednesday we left on a night train to Xi'an. I think in total the ride was about 16 hours long. Fortunately, we were asleep for the majority. Sleeper trains are a bit cramped, but they are the best way to travel. I fell asleep to the sound of the mother below me singing her baby(and me) to sleep. I woke up to a man sloppily slurping his soup, and what sounded like an old man coughing himself into his grave. The countryside outside my window was absolutely gorgeous. We passed through miles and miles of farmer's fields. Terraces were cut into the hillsides, every possible bit of land was farmed. I learned so much about the Chinese just by watching their lives through my small window. They bury their dead above ground, in huge cone shaped mounds with only a white flag atop to mark it. Graves could be anywhere. I saw them in the middle of fields, atop hillsides, and next to rivers.
Xi'an was really cool. It is a city with about 8 million people. We stayed in a youth hostel run by a guy named Jim Beam.....isn't that the name of some sort of alcohal? I think so. The hostel was really nice, a lot cleaner than our own living quarters. Our first day in Xi'an we went on an official tour. We went to a factory where they make Terra cotta warrior replicas, then we went to a museum with ancient artifacts that date hundreds of years B.C. . After the museum we went to a hot springs, which served an ancient emperor, and his concubines. It was really beautiful, but we didn't have time for a soak. After that we went to see the Terra Cotta warriors. It was really amazing. I never really realized how huge this place was until we got there. To this day, they are still excavating the site, and finding new warriors and artifacts! The first pit we went to was a covered area, bigger than a football field. The terra cotta warriors were everywhere, all neatly in line, all different from eachother. Each face is a unique face! Along with the warriors, there were terra cotta horses. There were two other pits, not quite as big as the first one, but still just as impressive. There were some warriors that were outside the pits, under glass so you could get an upclose look at them. The detail is amazing. There is fine grid detail in the soles of there shoes, and the hair on their head is braided, you can see every strand. It was incredible. After we saw the warriors we went to the tomb of the emperor who created all of this. I can't remember his name, sorry. I was expecting to go underground and see some decadent beautiful tomb, but that wasn't the case at all. The tomb has not been excavated at all. To this day, it is an undisturbed mound. When I say mound, I mean a hefty sized hill. The people of China refuse to excavate his tomb because they believe, and have some proof that it is highly protected. In ancient writings it is said that there are mercury pools along the perimeter of his grave. It also says there are automatic crossbows hidden and ready for fire. Our tour guide informed us that they have seen the mercury pools from satellite in space. Because of this proof, and the possibility of other booby traps the Chinese have not, and probably will not excavate it. Ted and I stood on top of this mound, and drooled at the idea of what riches could be underneath our feet.
Our second day in Xi'an we spent in the Muslim district. We went to a beautiful ancient mosque that is hidden in the middle of this huge city. After that we spent the rest of the day exploring and haggling in the marketplace. We bought a really cool Mah Jongg set, and also a chess set. We also got our last name carved in character on a stone stamp. We picked out the stone, and watched a lady carve out our name in less than five minutes. It is really pretty.
Our first trip was really fun and exciting, and we look forward to our next one, which is in about two and a half weeks. I think we are going to Bejiing. Yippee!
Yours,
-a.
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