On a bicycle build for two...

Day 25 - 29/10/09 - Xi'an (China)

Our sleeper train arrived into Xi'an just before 9am. We then followed the sea of passengers to the exit of the station and met up with our next tour guide, Andrew. We transferred to our Xi'an hotel for breakfast & check in.

Our first stop for today was the Terra-cotta Warrior factory which makes replica Warriors out of clay from the same region that the original Warriors were made. Of course, our trip would not have been complete if we didn't get our own Warriors to take home with us!

Next was the Hot Springs which was used as a winter Palace as it is a few degrees warmer due to the hot springs. We could picture ourselves having some of these hot springs in our own backyard, with 43 degree water to relax in.

The Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang. There are 3 pits that have been dug and contain the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, and a 4th that did not contain anything. It was amazing to see the Warriors and to be able to see archaeologists at work in a section of pit #1. We believe the Warriors are a must see if you are in China.

Day 26 - 30/10/09 - Xi'an (China)

Andrew picked us up this morning and we drove about 2 minutes to the City Wall. Once on top of the wall (12 metres), we hired 2 tandom bicycles and went for a ride to the corner of the wall and back. This was a hilarious hour long adventure!

On the way back, the chain on our bike came off, and when a group of Chinese saw Rhys and Scotty trying to fix it, they also had a try. With the chain still broken, a tour guide who works on the City Wall, also came to try and help. In the end, we had to walk the bike the last 200m.

It was then time to go see the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a buddhist temple, home to 50 monks. The Pagoda leans to the left, and therefore they try to encourage toursits not to climb to the top 60+ meters, so we thought it best just to see it from the outside.

After lunch, we went for a walk through the Muselum Quarter, which was full of beggers and people with missing limbs. It was a short walk back to our hotel for a rest, before going to Starbucks for a coffee and cake.

This evening, Andrew took us to a dumpling dinner and show about the Tang Dynasty. The show was spectacular and epic, with lots of dancing and lovely costumes. Oh, and lets not forget the awful sounding trumpet and the man with the crazy trumpet voice - he was hilarious!

Take care - Jess & Scotty