Xian, China – Terracotta Warriors - March 2

We had breakfast and checked out of the hotel and Rocky and our driver were there to get us. First we went to tour the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. We ran into “the foursome” as they got an earlier start to their day. I think they were leaving as we got there. It was a large Pagoda and we climbed to the top for great views of the city.

 from the car on the way to the Pagoda

 Wild Goose Pagoda in the background

 men flying kites

 one of the kites

 "the foursome"

 entry to the Pagoda complex

 views from the Pagoda

 drive to the Warriors

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses were next on our agenda. The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day - Oct. 1st, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back.

Since Oct. 1st, 2010 the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum have been combined into one large attraction area, Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, which also includes three other small sites opened in 2011. The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and the nearby three unopened sites (namely the Museum of Terracotta Acrobatics, the Museum of Terracotta Civil Officials and the Museum of Stone Armor) constitute the so-called Lishan Garden.

Rocky did a great job of getting us there when the crowds were at lunch. He said it would be better to eat a late lunch and miss the crowds. We first watched the movie in surround vision (really old and poor quality, but very informative) Towards the end of the movie I could have sworn I heard Jeff’s voice and as we were leaving and the lights came up there was the foursome. They were finishing that part of their tour and we were just starting.

 shuttles to take you to the pits

 the Museum

We started with No. 1 Pit as it is the largest and most impressive. We were able to get right up to the front for unobstructed viewing and we could stay as long as we liked before we moved on. Despite people on the ship telling us there weren’t very many warriors on display and we’d be taking photos through plexiglass that was not the case. We were very impressed. Quite a sobering experience to see them all lined up restored as best as possible. (some missing heads or other parts) We saw the sight of the well that was being dug and that was when the discovery was made. At that time, the farmers actually hid them as it was considered bad luck to unearth the dead and they thought they were real people. They had no idea what they had found. There was a large section that hasn’t been unearthed yet. We also saw the areas of ones in various stages of reconstruction.

 restoration area

We then went to No. 3 Pit which is believed to be the command center of the armed forces. It went on display in 1989, with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses.

The last stop was at the Museum with lots of information, the 2 restored chariots and horses and several individual warriors in plexiglass that you could get up close to really see their detail. Here we experienced the type of crowds there can be. We were able to work our way to the front eventually.

 notice the detail on the bottom of the shoe

Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur. The detail that was put into making the army was amazing. No two warriors or horses are alike. Originally, the emperor wanted to bury his actual army alive to protect him in his afterlife, but he was talked out of that. He saw the need to keep his army to protect him and the country while he was still alive. So, he ordered replicas of his men and horses to be buried. After he was no longer the emperor the new regime of course destroyed everything and they were buried in the rubble. If the well had been dug even a short distance away in the other direction, they may have never been found. On our way to lunch Rocky pointed out the Emperors grave at the base of a mountain.

 walking back to the car

 now, THAT's and outfit....

the Emperors grave at the base of a mountain

We had a late lunch at Wa Shan Zhai Restaurant where Rocky looked at the menu with us and helped us order our food. We had 2 meat dishes and 1 vegetable dish and it was all GOOD!

 drive to the restaurant

 the restaurant

 our guide and driver

What an amazing day we had! The Terracotta Army was very impressive in person. (and not nearly as creepy looking as they seem in documentaries.)

It was time to leave and head to the airport for our flight to Chenghu. Despite being only a bit over an hour-long flight, they hustled out a sandwich and a drink on the flight. Couldn’t tell you what it was, but we ate it.

 sleep boxes at the airport

I never tire of their bathroom signs.....

We were met by our guide Jason and driver Mr. Wu. Jason explained our day for tomorrow and what to expect. He pointed out sights along the way and talked about the history of Chengdu. The literature we got and Jason made a big deal over how most people don’t like the included lunch as it was Chinese food and may not be to our taste. We had been told to bring snack bars just in case it was not sufficient. We did and we certainly didn’t need them.

Jason came in and got us checked into the 5 star Tibet Hotel Chengdu. He even came up to the room to make sure it was satisfactory before leaving us. It was huge and beautiful but despite  turning off the heat and 2 open windows it was still hot to sleep. The bed was comfortable and not rock hard like the last place. We got a few hours of sleep before getting up around 5:00 for our 7:15 pickup time.

 our hotel

 this was in our room

 common areas of the hotel

The Panda Research Center was around an hour and a half away and we needed to miss the traffic to make it on time. The restaurant didn’t open until 7:00 for breakfast, but he said to go 15 minutes early and they would let us eat whatever was ready. (which was nearly everything)

 We took tons of photos today and it will take quite a while to wade through them. Thank you for your patience!