This past Saturday Rick and I took off from Pudong International Airport. Our destination was Xi’An. This city is located in central China and was previously the capitol. Its history dates back as far as 2000BC.
Rick and I only had one day in Xi’An so I arranged for a tour guide and car in order to make the most efficient use of our time. Tony our tour guide picked us up from the baggage claim area of the airport. I have to admit I felt like someone special as I scanned the crowd of waiting people for a sign with our names on it.
Tony quickly got us (and our stuff) loaded into his car. We headed first to see the Terracotta Soldiers (a.k.a. Terracotta Army). The soldiers which date back to 210 BC were created by the First Emperor of China. The soldiers were found in 1974 by local farmers digging a water well. It is estimated that over 8,000 soldiers were originally placed in battlefield configuration in three separate pits. Some of the soldiers have been rebuilt and restored, however many still remain buried in the pits.
One low point of our time visiting the soldiers was our lunch. We walked in to the ends of what could have been a good lunch buffet. As we sat eating we all of a sudden heard a commotion in the open prep area (think carving station at a buffet). It sounded a bit like screams coming from the staff. Soon enough we realized what was going on as a rat scurried across the dining room floor. I simply looked at Rick, shrugged my shoulders and said “When in China its best to just keep eating.” As I took my next bit though I couldn’t help think about the nursery rhyme from my childhood, “three blind mice, see how they run.”
Most of our day was taken up by our trip to see the soldiers. We were able to stop at one more tourist spot though; we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda.
That evening we attended the Tang Dinner Show where we got to try many different types of steamed dumplings and watch a sampling of traditional Chinese dance and music. My favorite was the Warrior Dance. Rick liked the trumpet solo.
After the show we took our time getting back to the hotel by wondering through the Muslim Quarter and around central Xi’An enjoying the sights offered within the city walls.
I’ve heard that a true test of a relationship is if you are able to travel well together. I have to admit that the Muslim Quarter put this concept to the test. I walked a few blocks into the neighborhood and found myself truly enjoying all of the sights, sounds and smells. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Rick. I think he came close to having a panic attack. He was hung up on the smells. As he said his “olofactory [bulb] was on overload.”
Thankfully we were able to push through the uncomfortable moments and even managed to buy some bags of great tasting dried fruit and pistachios.
No comments:
Post a Comment