Diamond International Xi'an

... Pagoda after the goose that saved his life. We were here later in the evening and only saw one monk. He is pictured. Of course, visiting the pagoda required that we tour outside, so more cold---still snowing,<br><br>After dinner we went to the outdoor Muslim market. Note: outdoor---so more snow and ice and cold. There are many Muslims in Xi'an and they have lots to sell---mysterious food items, silk, pottery, combs carved from bone, spices, nuts, dried ...

... platforms and rampart towers "ma mian". There are 98 of them and they are 120 meters apart or the range of two arrows. They are 20 m wide, 12 m long and extend from the main wall (outward). They were used for observation of the enemy, weapon storage and protection from the rain for the soldiers.<br><br>It is hot on the wall. It is supposed to be 35 degrees and the gray and black stones are hot. Thankfully there is a bit of a breeze at times. On the stone walk there are some Chinese ...

... is still angry at Matt for walking all the way to the Big Goose Pagoda. The map we had said it was only 1 km south of the city, but I swear it was more like 3 km! Because of Xi'an's strategic location along the Spice Route, this city has a sizable Muslim quarter. Heading over there you can find good deals in the market, and the food is delicious! Skewers of freshly cooked meats filled our hungry bellies every ...

... with my coffee. After a couple of minutes a Chinese girl, Lisa, who had been living in Canada for the last 6 years started chatting to me. It was handy having someone around who could speak Chinese when I was being harrassed by beggars and street sellers as she could tell them to go away! We were chatting for ages and when I checked my watch it was already 5:10pm so I had to make a quick dash back to the hotel to collect my bag before trying to hail a cab. Why is it that you ...

... The same can be said for when we rented bikes and rode along the outer perimeter of Xi'an ancient city wall. Good fun though. Highlights for me: - Playing with the Hostel's resident puppy Bobbie - Doing my very own South African graffiti on the ceiling. Note.....I would recommend to other travelers that its better off doing the Warriors on your own, its more rewarding and you dont feel as if you're getting ripped off.

... emperor, in his gold coffin, were incredible. There was everything to make his life comfortable, including things like clothes, eating utensils etc. When he died the tomb was not finished. He had reigned for 37 years, but the tomb took 40 to complete. @He was buried in his gold coffin, all the slaves that had built the tomb were killed and thrown into a pit on one side of the tomb. The second emperor killed all the concubines who had not delivered ...