Today was a travel day – aboard the bullet train from Beijing to Xi’an! The train rode like we were on a sheet of glass and even though we were cruising at 307 k/hr it still took us six hours due to the stops along the way. It was quite an experience traveling that fast and being able to see the country side China offers although the country side gives way to progress very quickly as city after city after city are progressing.
May 13, 2013
Terracotta Soldiers – Oh my! Today we visited the site of the Terracotta Soldiers and The Banpo Museum. While visiting the soldiers we were able to view all three site and we even got to meet the farmer who discovered the soldiers on his land many years ago. While much work has been done to excavate the soldiers there is still LOTS of work left to be done. The Banpo Museum is the living site for the Banpo people over 6000 years ago. The site was discovered when the city began digging for a new power plant. Now the site boasts 4 separate buildings to include museum quality pieces and the archaeological site.
May 14, 2013
Today we once again find ourselves back in time! We visited the Old City Wall of Xia’an, the Drum Tower, and the Bell Tower. The City Wall used to secure the city and is over 600 years old. While the exterior got a much needed facelift the “heart of the wall” still stands incased in the newer wall. The top of the wall measures about40 feet wide and If you were to walk the wall you would end up traveling over 14km; they do hold races on the wall. It is interesting to note the different building inside the wall and outside of the wall – inside the tallest building is probably only 6 or 8 stories but outside the wall…the sky is the limit. We also visited both The Drum Tower and The Bell Tower. These are ordinate towers that were used to signify the arrival or departure of royalty as they passed through the walls.
May 15, 2013
Today we said good bye to China! It has truly been a remarkable trip thus far – and everyone is still getting along! Saying good bye to China also means that we must bid farewell to what has to be one of the best guide/buddy anyone could ask for; Jack from Shanghai Normal University! He has been with us ever since we stepped foot on their campus; we cannot express enough gratitude to SHNU, Jack and his family for helping us in Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an. Of course with every goodbye there is a hello. When we arrived in Korea we were met a very familiar face from The University of Incheon, Enjji An and were also able to meet a couple of our future students! After settling into the guest house we had a wonderful dinner and a fantastic time catching up with old friends!