Getting to our hotel in Xi’an ended up being quite a mission… from the cab driver in Beijing who tried to double-charge us, to the lack of information at Xi’an airport about public transport, to a further struggle to get a cab for the last part few kilometres to our hotel. And all the while it was raining. Bleugh.
But my wonderful and very dear friend, Eunice, cleared the grey skies with her smile when we finally met up at the hotel! It has been four years since we’ve seen each other and even then it was only for a few hours. This time we had 1.5 days of catch-up ahead of us!
Our big objective was visiting the Terracotta Warriors, which we were doing the following day. Eunice had done quite a bit of research on the sights in and around the city, so suggested we head to the Xi’an city museum this afternoon. Unfortunately we got there quite late (our laundry is to blame) but enjoyed strolling around the museum admiring some of the really old treasures. While Derek went back to the hotel, tired and not in the mood for Chinese food, Eunice and I caught up over dinner and drinks.
The following morning our driver picked us up at the hotel. Eunice organised a driver for the whole day. He was wonderful and happily ferried us around wherever we wanted to go.
Our first important stop was for breakfast…. i.e. coffee! And where is the best breakfast? Starbucks! I don’t think Derek and I would have survived China without our Starbucks. Suitably refreshed we headed for the Terracotta Army.
Eunice and I covering up the McDonald’s signs for the picture
Discovered by accident in 1974, the army was made as funerary art for the First Emperor of China back in 200BC. There are infantry, archers, horses and charioteers and even some musicians. The army is estimated to be 8000 figures strong and most remain buried near the emperor’s mausoleum. The authorities have chosen to keep most of the treasures buried as the lacquer covering the paint on the figures can curl in as little as 15 seconds and begins to flake off in a few minutes when exposed to air. In the area that has been uncovered, almost all the figures have been crushed and broken over the years but are getting painstakingly restored to their former glory.
All the figures are life-sized (although slightly taller than average) and vary in height, uniform and hairstyle according to their rank. Even the faces appear different for each one and many of them carried weapons.
There are rows upon rows of soldiers waiting to protect their king; they in turn are protected by a hanger-sized room these days that provides one of the best “big reveal” moments of almost all the sight we have seen. Normally a sight is visible from hundreds of meters away, such as the Taj Mahal or Angkor Wat. With the Terracotta Warriors, the walk up to the complex is past shops and food stalls before you enter a non-descript building, greeted by a map. Nothing special. But then you walk into this massive hanger and suddenly, because they are still buried and below your eye line, the army and the warriors await. It is very special.
After a delicious lunch of a local noodle speciality (Derek had Subway, of course), we headed for the old City Walls. The walls are some of the best preserved city walls in the world and encase old Xi’an in a 14km rectangle. They are over 15m high and almost 15m wide so it was lovely to walk on top and get away from the bustling city below. It was also lovely sunny and hot. Unfortunately we only managed to walk a small section before giving up and going for beers instead.
Eunice and I had a foot massage (the best one I have had in all of Asia!!) then headed to the Muslim food quarter where we tried various different snacks and local specialities, including a delicious yogurt. It was wonderful walking around this part of town, eating new and different things and catching up on old times. Thank you Eunice for making Xi’an extra special and memorable. See you next time in London!
