This place had Pork Dumplings, Chicken Dumplings, Fried Dumplings, Apple Dumpling Gangs, any kind of Dumpling you would like.______________________________________
Day 5
Well we just spent our first (and last) day in Xi’an, and quite possibly it was my favorite day of the trip so far. Today we got up early so that we could take a flight from Beijing to Xi’an and still be able to have a full day in Xi’an. How early did we get up? Well so early that it was before the start of the hotel’s continental breakfast. And you know you got up early if you’re awake before the sun is up in china, the first place the sunrises in the world. Flying domestically within China has actually been quite an experience, because there are subtle differences between US airplanes and Chinese flights. For example in the US you are lucky to get a cup of soda and a pack of peanuts on a short flight, but here in China on our less than an hour flight we not only got a drink but also a hot meal. And the other big difference I noticed between Chinese and US flights is the service. The flight attendants were super friendly and the TSA agents (or whatever the Chinese equivalent is) were beyond helpful. After walking through the metal detector, the employees went just short of repacking my carryon and putting my shoes, sweatshirts and jackets back on (that’s not a typo, the checked luggage weight limit on Chinese domestic flights is about 12 pounds lighter than the US, so to make room in my bag I wore layers on the plane). I have to assume it was to encourage tourism into China but if this kind of the hospitality is the norm, I’m all for it. I cannot remember the last time I was treated that kindly in an airport.
After landing in Xi’an we immediately went to a museum about the Terracotta Warriors. Considered to be one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century (just slightly behind Dr. Jones discovery of the Lost Ark and Holy Grail), The Terracotta Warriors were constructer in the 3rd century BC by the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty: Qin Shi Huang. The emperor built the army with the belief that these warriors were supposed to protect him in the afterlife. Although they have not been completely excavated, it is believed that there could be over 10,000 different man sized statues buried under ground. The most important thing I learned at this museum is that these were statues and not sarcophaguses, as that information made the next part of our trip much less creepy. Maybe I’ve seen the Sesame Street where Bert and Ernie visit a pyramid too many times, but I don’t think I could have walked amongst these things if I continued to think there were corpses inside. But that is a moot point now, because after the museum we took a short bus ride to the actual location of the Terracotta warriors, where we were able to stand within throwing distance of these marvelous artifacts. Seeing these statues in person is just jaw dropping. If I had to suggest one place in China to see: it would be the Great Wall. But if I had to suggest two places in China to see: it would be the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors. Much like with snowflakes, no two terracotta warriors are alike. Although, like with snowflakes, I think that’s just an educated guess. Either way, seeing these statues in person is quite a thrill and just another thing I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
In between the museum and the excavation site, we took a quick detour for lunch. Normally on this trip I have passed on lunch, as our breakfast portions have been big enough to appease a dragon, but today I decided to partake in lunch as it was a special sixteen course dumpling sampling. Now I know what you’re thinking, “How can there be 16 different kinds of dumplings”? Well I’m not really sure about everything I ate (I was too hungry to take notes), but I know it included beef, chicken, pork, walnut (yes walnut), duck, vegetables, amongst their many other varieties. Besides each dumpling having a unique taste, a lot of them had a unique shape. My favorite was the duck shaped duck filled dumpling. You may not be able to tell from the pictures but the display case featured dumplings shaped like rabbits, flowers, and other interesting shapes. Much was discussed at lunch of how a theme family restaurant (like Chili’s) serving a Dumpling sampling would make a killing in the US. You heard it here first folks so I want credit when” YUMplings” becomes the next Olive Garden.
And while I realize I have gone out of order, this brings us to the end of the day. I’m not sure if we won a contest for an upgrade or just got lucky in booking our rooms, but tonight’s hotel room is 10 times nicer than our one in Beijing. It’s a shame we are only here for one night, but hopefully this is a pattern and our next hotel room will be even bigger, and by the time we’re in Shanghai they’ll be giving us the Rain Man suite. But something tells me it’s all downhill from here. And so that’s it for today as I plan on calling it an early night and thoroughly enjoying my luxury bed. Up next tomorrow: A day of travel featuring a flight to Shanghai and a bus trip to Hangzhou, with a little site seeing springled in the mix.
wǎn ān,
Kevin
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The Non-Primate 8th Wonder Of The World
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