Weilong Hotel Xianyang

<br><br><br>28th<br>Our plan to get up early<br>to visit the Terracotta Warriors was again foiled by our inherent<br>laziness. I'm blaming this on the fact that our trip up until now has<br>been pretty laid back with limited time constraints so we know we've<br>always got time. It's quickly dawning on us however that this is no<br>longer the case and we're having to make some pretty strict plans if<br>we're going to be able to see half of what we want to in China.<br><br><br><br ...

... us to the Chinese spirit Baijiu<br>and things went downhill from there. Damo hit the hay but I chose to<br>go on a wander. I met a lot of people, was taken into a club by some<br>Chinese, tried to climb the bell tower with the ame guys and then<br>ended up in a bar where I sat chatting long into the night with a<br>English guy who'd cycled there across Russia and a German guy who was<br>a bit of a know it all. As you might imagine, not a lot happened the<br>next day.<br><br><br><br>

... up for the long train journey to Yichang. In the evening I went to the Drum Tower and looked at the museum inside, they also had a stage areas where I was excited to learn there were performances with drums and other instruments. The performaances were a little bit amateurish but fun. The views from the balcony were great I was able to see a lot of Xian, and the sparrows that flew around the tower flew past the balconies, lapping the tower.

... plain, but it only cost me 2 yuan for everything. I gave the young lady a Canadian pin and she was thrilled! <br><br>There was also some cafeteria style places too. I almost ordered a bean salad, but chose a dish that looked like chicken slices with pepper. It was 5 yuan (less than $1). We walked for a while before we found a place to sit down and eat. It ended up being tofu, so Bill did not have any of it. I thought it was really good. I could eat tofu on a regular basis. I had all of ...

... and there are 9 columns that separate them. <br><br>When it was built there was a roof over top their heads that was a wooden structure. It was covered with a mat and dirt in a weaved pattern. There are 5 entrances around the 4 sides of the pit for construction purposes. The warriors and horses were built outside and then moved in. When construction was completed, the openings were sealed with wooden pillars. There is a brick wall at the SE corner. This is believed to be the ...

... the tomb and complex: The tomb of Qin Shi Huang is located in the eastern suburbs of Lintong County, 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Xian: on the Lishan Mountain in the south and overlooking the Wei River towards north. The lay of the land from Lishan to Mount Hua is shaped dragon-like according to traditional Chinese geomancy. The imperial tomb is at the eye of the dragon. The emperor had chosen well. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attract ion/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army ...

... girl that spoke enough English to sell me a ticket to Xi'an leaving at 3pm - 7 hours away, but at least it only involved one hour of sitting down rather than 17. After storing my bag and faffing around for ages I found another internet cafe that gave you unlimited internet (and free green tea) for 2 quid. At 1.30 I was allowed through passport control, which was a lot less traumatic then last time, to wait by my gate. I arrived at the gate at 2.30 to board the plane but when I ...

... just getting their picture snapped and moving on. It was a bit anti-climatic, but in all honesty we had zero expectations when we went there, hence no disappointment. We do have one little interesting story to tell actually. On the overnight train ride from Pingyao to Xi'an (in hard sleeper - an open carriage configuration with bunk beds stacked three high), I woke - even with earplugs in - to sounds of sobbing ...

So yeh we just wanted it done for us really, and since we weren't functioning properly after the bus trip, we booked what was totally a chinese organised trip to the Terracotta Warriors..... We left at 9am by minibus, and we had a chinese woman as our guide, giving us commentry and even singing to us as we drove! At one point she discussed at great length the history and significance of Xi'an's ****** wall! Omri and i were in stitches ...

When he goes: From Tuesday 17h April 2007 to Friday 20h April 2007. Who he goes with (from): Marc (South Africa/Belgium). How he gets there: Updated data on their way... Where he stays: Updated data on their way... Build-up our general knowledge: Updated data on their way... What he does and highlights: Updated data on their way...