Xi'an - "What?! Are you insane?!"

Xi'an was the aborted portion of our spring break trip in March.  It was supposed to follow Beijing, but was cancelled when Louise got a fever of 104 degrees and was prescribed 10 days of antibiotics.  Astonishingly, we got our money back through our travel credit card, but that is another deal all together.  Before we left China, we thought it would be CRITICAL to make this trip.  The trip is not the insanity of it - rather, the method we choose.

Somehow, Steve got it into his head, and then the girls head's that we should take the train.  Good idea - you've seen our earlier posts about trains in China, except...  That the train to Xi'an is slow.  So slow, in fact, it is an overnight train.  Something like 14 hours of train.  In China.  With two small kids.  Steve thought it was a GREAT idea, did his research and showed reassuring photos of soft sleeper compartments (soft sleeper = first class.)  Strangely, it is also of a similar cost to flying.  I eventually came around figuring it is only 14 hours...  Steve's argument that it was good practice for the trans-siberian railway did not sway me.

We decided to do this and as we started to mention it to people (other expats and locals) they were AGAST!  You'd think that we'd said we were going to go into outer space.  We kept hearing "wow, you are brave, I would never do that..."  Only one person had specifics - watch out for the toilets, they get nasty, but that was about it.  At that point, we were committed, so off we went.

At train station.  Notice Vivi wearing her favorite pants, which no longer fit and somehow did not make the return trip... 

Out of order, but Louise leaving the train in the morning.  I may be giving it away, but clearly, she survived.  Or was really happy to be getting off!

In the compartment.  Steve planned ahead and brought us cold beer.  Nice!  Interestingly, they were also selling it aboard the train.  However, if you are keeping track, you'll know that when in China, the beer is rarely cold!  Cheers to Steve's advance planning.

The compartment!  Still in the station.

What I did not communicate or capture earlier is that when Steve went to book the tickets, he could not get us all into the same compartment.  Yikes!  We had two berths in each of two compartments.  This caused lots of head shaking from my assistant and our driver - who could not believe that we could manage this ourselves.  We had our driver available on cell to translate if we needed it, but we were actually able to negotiate with two people in one of the compartments to switch with us - all without a word of shared language.  Thank heavens for empathetic women!  As a side note - I'd not take either Steve or I on in charades anytime soon.  We are getting pretty good at it - I do a really good charade of "dressing on the side."

Anyway - on to Xi'an...  Xi'an is positioned as the cultural capital of China (Shanghai is the commercial and Beijing the political.)  It is known for two things:  the Terracotta Warriors and the largest intact city wall in the country.  With this in mind, I'd somehow expected it to be a bit more intimate than some of the other mega cities.  Will I ever learn?  8.5M+ people is still super big!!!

Near hotel.  This seems to be some sort of municipal government offices.

Xi'an is well known for its Muslim population and we made a bee-line for the Muslim Quarter for yummy yummy spicy food!

Statues - noteworthy because there were in a rather improbable location.  We had a lot of time to admire as the girls ate ANOTHER drumstick type ice cream.

General street scene.  Would have loved to go at night.  Trees were strung with lights and we've learned that everything is brighter in China!

Down a side alley.  In the foreground you can see one of about 3M stands selling spicy lamb kebabs.  We tried some from the street stands and then a restaurant.  Even got the girls to eat un-spiced version.  They have developed a love for meat on a stick.  In fact, we bought a HUGE multipack of cheap sticks before we left China.

Nuts and other flavored things.  We ended up buying a bag of spicy peanuts that we are still trying to figure out how to get more of.  Steve is trying to make them as we speak.  And, I just got a link for a potential solution from Amazon.  Fingers crossed!

Delicious Muslim Mutton/Bread stew (Guan Tang Bao Zi).  The bread is really dense, so it does not disintegrate.  And, who doesn't love a dish that comes with that much garlic!!!!

On to the Terracotta Warriors.  Not sure how much of the story y'all know, but the general gist is that...  One day in the early 1970s, a farmer was digging a well in his field and hit up on a hard object.  When he worked around it, he found it was a terracotta warrior - and one of an entire army of them.  The government has since taken over the land (after making concessions to the local farmers who now all run souvenir stands) and built an enormous complex to display the pits that they've excavated.  The warriors are considered a national treasure and we were again insanely lucky to hit the timing right.  It was not all that busy while we were there (although, still crowded for our tastes.)  But, we could see the corrals for queuing and saw photos that gave me claustrophobia just looking at them.

If I were a cynic (which sometimes I am...) I would listen to some of the whispered rumors that imply that not all is as it appears to be here.  There is an argument that the whole thing is a fabrication.  There is no written documentation of the warriors.  Rather, the history has been pieced together through excavation and research.  Apparently, the tomb of the Emperor who commissioned all of this has been located.  However, the government has pledged to wait something like 50 years to excavate to in order to ensure that it is appropriately cared for.  The argument is that we don't have the right technology to do it today.  I can actually see this, but I can also see the flip side...  It takes time to build something so elaborate... Doh!  There I go, all cynical again.  Oh well, it is fun to consider.  But, more fun to believe it is all entirely authentic!

Within the grounds.  Not too crowded.  Love the hills in the distance.

Best photo in front of the warriors.  Girls were not amused.  Do you see the size of this place?!  It is HUGE!!!  You will notice that we do not have the standard tourist photo of us standing next to a warrior.  I was disappointed to find out that it is a fabricated scene for which they charge.  I don't know why I'm surprised by this - but, I was.  We were totally unwilling to pay for it.  I actually kinda regret that the tiniest bit!

This is my favorite shot.  It is taken from the front, where the warriors are lined up at the main entrance (directly behind us in the prior photo).  They are really astonishing.  No two are alike.  Each is said to be modeled after a real person.  I understand that there have even been contests to see who looks like some of the warriors.  Pretty cool.  

If you go on a week day, apparently you can see archeologists working on assembling them.  Only one has been found whole.  The others are laboriously put back together.  Seems painstaking!  These are some that are done or nearly done, waiting to be placed (I think.)  Pretty typical, there are signs saying "no photos", but everyone was taking photos.  Fortunately, no one was climbing over the barricades to get next to the warriors.  

Back view - obviously.  I should have straightened it.  But, oh well.  Again, pretty cool, right?

This is another pitt that is partially excavated.  If you look to the mid point of the photo, you can see wavy dirt...  This is still awaiting excavation.

The ONE guy who made it whole.  ONE!!!!

Moving right along to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.  Next up on our Xi'an Tour was this pagoda.  Lovely tour in an affluent neighborhood.  Enjoyed looking around.

Obligatory family photo.  Not our best.

This is a close up of an elaborate mural depicting the life of Buddha - made entirely of Jade.  It is really phenomenal.  Was produced in the 80s.

This photo gives me hope that they did actually learn something from these trips!

By buying one of these statues in the book cases, you guarantee yourself prosperity.  This must be why China is doing so well.  There are a LOT of these.

There are monks buried at the bottom of each of these towers - creating a bit of a forrest.  The older ones are hundreds of years old and protected by fencing.

View from out front.  Loved the statue, mountains, light fixtures and kite.

Next up:  Back to the Muslim Quarter to watch our girls melt down at the Muslim Mosque.  Some photos included (of the Mosque, not the meltdown).  I thought it was an interesting mix of cultures and very different than the ones I saw in Istanbul.

I'm most proud of the fact that this photo actually had a yellow power cord running through it and I was able to edit it out!!!!  Was just reading on Pinterest that there are tools I can use to make the skies in China blue too!  That may be another entry.

Ancient Walled City - or City Walls up next... Must say, it was pretty cool.  Xi'an was HOT and MUGGY the first few days, with the sun cutting down to try to crisp us up as we steamed.  So, the first two days, we couldn't really do the wall - being 40 feet or so closer to the sun and unprotected.  It is disappointing because it would have been awesome to rent a bike and ride the perimeter.  Oh well.  Our last day would have been the right time.

From within the walls at the South Gate.  Steve later discovered that the lower part of the wall was actually foam to protect the real wall from performances that happen here each evening.

From the top, looking out toward one of the watch towers.  The idea of the wall is similar to that of the Great Wall.  The towers are set to be roughly an arrow's distance a part.  The cutouts (like this) are to allow for sighting and shooting.

Neat view, huh?  To the right, you can see some of the towers.  The moat surrounds the walls, affording extra protection.  And, then of course you have modern life to the left.  One MUST have Prada and Hermes.  Of course, they've breached the walls and likely exist on both sides (Prada, that is...)

This is the top.  Wouldn't it be fun to bike?

Yep - designer accessories in the distance...

I opted not to use a different version of this which had the little boy peeing on the wall.  Sorry for all these photos, I just thought they were neat!

Steve discovers the foam wall...

Can you imagine trying to scale this?  I tried to get a photo of the girls trying to, but they just weren't good enough actresses...  

From the outside.

One of the last things on our China "to do" list was to take the girls to Hot Pot.  I had an earlier post about Steve's experience (with the turtle) and I'd had a prior couple of experiences as well (with snails.)  But, we'd never done it as a family.  Basically, think of it as something like fondue, but with broth and raw meat.  Lucky for us, while we were in Xi'an, Steve stumbled upon one of the most accessible Hot Pot chains in China - Hai Di Lao Hot Pot (also in Arcadia CA, if you are near by.)  I'd been in Shanghai and it was a block from our hotel in Xi'an.  It is the LARGEST restaurant I've ever been in (and yes, I've been to the Cheesecake Factory and it is larger than that!)  Each table is its own station and they are heavily staffed.  To the point that we had 6 people helping us at once.  Helpless Americans.  If only more than one had spoken English and been able to help - they would have realized we were fine and just needed a minute!!!  Regardless, shockingly, Louise LOVED it.  See her cooking her own meat below (in the non-spicy side).

Such a full service restaurant that they even provide cribs for the babies!!!  It was too much for me to take photo with the baby in the crib!

At a shopping center where we have lunch (not a particularly noteworthy one...)  However the ceiling is a video display.  it is amazing.  To see it in action, go to:  Xian Mall Ceiling

Photo of the girls on a death-defying ride.  It is basically a three wheeled motorcycle with a carriage.  If you've been to Thailand, think TukTuk.  But, this thing went on roads that it SHOULD NOT have been on.  The girls loved it.  Steve is still in recovery.

Strangely on our way to the airport (yes, we flew home) we had to stop and get gas.  The driver made us get out of the car and opened the trunk to fill it up.  Steve tells me it was natural gas.  I found the whole thing odd.  Look how pasty my poor girls look.  What we would have given for a bit of natural sunshine!

One more note.  I want to introduce you to Jack - the newest member of our family...

Jack is our very own Terracotta Warrior.  He stands about 2 feet tall and has a detachable head.  Funny how we happen to have Jack...  Jack is named after our intrepid driver.  One day, Driver Jack showed us a picture of another family he used to drive for, and in the background was a 5' warrior, wearing a santa hat.  We made a joke about it and Steve said something about buying one.  Our driver immediately started saying "no no no!  Don't buy one.  I have one for you."  We love Jack, but he showers us with gifts, we told him we could not, would not take it.  He told us that it had been in a box for years and was taking up space.  He has family from Xi'an so it is easy to get another.

Sure enough, when Jack picked us up from the airport, there was a box in the trunk, which Jack insisted on giving us.  We had no choice, but I was STILL planning on returning it the next day.  Then we got home, and unpacked and we couldn't!  He is too perfect.  Not too big, covered with a light dusting as if he'd just come out of the ground.  He became an important member of our family - complete with his bedding of Chinese language newspapers from 2011.  So, when we get a home, look forward to meeting Jack's namesake...  Thank you Jack!!!