xi'an
Visiting this place was envisaged from the outset, mainly to see the terra cotta warriors. It was easy to arrange it as I merely delegated the travel plan to Amelia. She secured a good deal on the flights and got a five star hotel. Great to have the luxury although the hotel was a good distance from the city walls.
I was very surprised to see how developed Xi'an is. On my trip from the airport to the city, I lost count of the number of new developments. This is to be expected in Shanghai, Beijing and so on but I hadn't thought that this city would be undergoing explosive growth too. Busy, busy, busy. Everywhere awash with street hawkers, noise, pulsating activity. I later understood that I once paid twenty times the going rate to have my shoes shined!
I spent just under a week here. It is an ancient city with a huge number of historical sights. The province has some 35,000 declared sights of historical interest. It was, of course, the capital at one point. It constitutes the beginning of the Silk Road. It has a large Muslim population as a result. What's more is a lot of the sights, within the city walls, can be visited on foot. Although taxi's are cheap, cheap. It also has some great nightclubs which are tightly packed and play great music. Quite a rarity. I covered most tourist things in a couple of days. That left the warriors.
It was a problem trying to arrange a trip there by tour. Every operator required a minimum of two people and they wouldn't count my alter ego! In the end, I decided to take the public bus which can be tricky and risky too if one gets on the wrong bus or is coaxed to get on the wrong bus. I took a taxi to the bus station but en roue the taxi driver started talking English and we struck a deal where he would drive me there for a good price. He was a pleasant enough bloke who had learned English from watching American films and cross referencing the dialogue with the subtitles. Clever although I bet he has watched a lot. He was mainly preoccupied with quizzing me on the sexual aspects of Western Women.
Signposting in China can be quite amusing. It seems that a handy dictionary isn't also used. There are many examples of misspelt English words. However, along the motorway to the tombs, every km or so, a sign directs you to the 'Terra Cotta Worriors'. The structure itself is signposted with 'no climing'. I have mixed feelings about seeing it now. Yes, it was a sight to behold. Created with great skill and care over two thousand years ago when Europeans were running around in oily rags, grunting at each other. But there is a darker aspect to it. Simply, the emperor in question was a tryrannical b*stard. He liked burning books and art long before the nazi's.
Some 740,000 people were enslaved for its construction over 38 years. This is the same guy who finished the joining of the Great Wall. And on both projects, thousands and thousands were slaughtered. The Great Wall is said to have foundations made of human bones. The emperor's terrra cotta warriors were to be kept secret. So when a bunch of artisans had completed a section they were directed off to another hole in the ground to begin again, or so they thought. Instead, they were buried alive so as to preserve the secret.
I am envious of him in one regard though. He had 3,000 concubines!
I was very surprised to see how developed Xi'an is. On my trip from the airport to the city, I lost count of the number of new developments. This is to be expected in Shanghai, Beijing and so on but I hadn't thought that this city would be undergoing explosive growth too. Busy, busy, busy. Everywhere awash with street hawkers, noise, pulsating activity. I later understood that I once paid twenty times the going rate to have my shoes shined!
I spent just under a week here. It is an ancient city with a huge number of historical sights. The province has some 35,000 declared sights of historical interest. It was, of course, the capital at one point. It constitutes the beginning of the Silk Road. It has a large Muslim population as a result. What's more is a lot of the sights, within the city walls, can be visited on foot. Although taxi's are cheap, cheap. It also has some great nightclubs which are tightly packed and play great music. Quite a rarity. I covered most tourist things in a couple of days. That left the warriors.
It was a problem trying to arrange a trip there by tour. Every operator required a minimum of two people and they wouldn't count my alter ego! In the end, I decided to take the public bus which can be tricky and risky too if one gets on the wrong bus or is coaxed to get on the wrong bus. I took a taxi to the bus station but en roue the taxi driver started talking English and we struck a deal where he would drive me there for a good price. He was a pleasant enough bloke who had learned English from watching American films and cross referencing the dialogue with the subtitles. Clever although I bet he has watched a lot. He was mainly preoccupied with quizzing me on the sexual aspects of Western Women.
Signposting in China can be quite amusing. It seems that a handy dictionary isn't also used. There are many examples of misspelt English words. However, along the motorway to the tombs, every km or so, a sign directs you to the 'Terra Cotta Worriors'. The structure itself is signposted with 'no climing'. I have mixed feelings about seeing it now. Yes, it was a sight to behold. Created with great skill and care over two thousand years ago when Europeans were running around in oily rags, grunting at each other. But there is a darker aspect to it. Simply, the emperor in question was a tryrannical b*stard. He liked burning books and art long before the nazi's.
Some 740,000 people were enslaved for its construction over 38 years. This is the same guy who finished the joining of the Great Wall. And on both projects, thousands and thousands were slaughtered. The Great Wall is said to have foundations made of human bones. The emperor's terrra cotta warriors were to be kept secret. So when a bunch of artisans had completed a section they were directed off to another hole in the ground to begin again, or so they thought. Instead, they were buried alive so as to preserve the secret.
I am envious of him in one regard though. He had 3,000 concubines!
posted by Ciarán at 8:40 a.m.
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