Xi’an is one of the oldest cities in China and is perhaps best known for the terracotta soldiers, discovered in 1974. We spent part of a day at the complex that houses this amazing discovery. You can actually buy a life-size replica and the price includes shipping and insurance. It was the first thing I really wanted to buy since the trip began. But, they don’t come cheap so there will be no soldier gracing our yard anytime
soon. On day two of our stay in Xi’an we headed out of town to visit Mount Hua. This mountain is one of five sacred mountains in China and has five separate peaks. What is of interest to most folks is climbing to the various peaks. We took a cable car as far as it would go and then hiked to the north peak, the one that is most accessible. It was foggy at the top and we couldn’t see a thing. That might have been a plus as the peaks drop off rather suddenly. Some people have called the various hikes amongst the most dangerous in the world. If you saw pictures of some of the trails you would understand why. Needless to say, we didn’t venture to any of the other peaks because with the fog we wouldn’t see anything anyway. On day three we spent some time on the 600 year-old wall that surrounds the old city. It is completely intact and is much more than just a wall. It is between 12 and 14 meters wide at the top – plenty wide enough to drive around. However, it is a vehicle-free zone other than for bikes. We rented one and had a great time touring the east and south segments. The highlight of our time here was visiting with friends we met in Regina while they attended the U of R. One evening we got together with our friend Bill (not his Chinese name) and strolled around the magnificent public square and walkways as it lightly snowed. The city has done a fantastic job in the construction of its public areas. On another evening we visited with Emma and David (not their Chinese names). Emma was a visiting scholar at the U of R a couple of years ago specializing in geology. She and David treated us to a great meal in a Chinese Muslim restaurant. It was wonderful to visit with people who know this city so well. We fly to Beijing tomorrow. We would love to visit Xi’an again, especially in the spring when the leaves are out on the trees. You get the impression that this is a gorgeous city in the summer. Be sure to see the new pictures posted on the China page. Comments are closed.
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AuthorIn January, 2012, Curt and Char left their jobs in Canada to spend four months travelling around the world. Archives
May 2012
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