Friday-Saturday, June 24-25, 2011
TERRA COTTA WARRIORS IN XI'AN, TRAIN #2
AND HOTEL #2
Yesterday turned out to be another busy day; we met our guide at
10 and boarded a van to visit the finding site of the Terra
Cotta Warriors and the factory /museum where the replicas are
cast. We learned about how they were discovered by a farmer in
the early 70’s after being buried two thousand years before they
were found .We gave both of the kids cameras, and the pictures
they chose to take were pretty interesting. Holt was only
interested in the soldiers themselves, the excavation sites, and
the weapons they used. Maili, on the other hand, was very
meticulous and photographed every. single. display. in the whole
museum. All of them. So instead of strolling down memory lane
one day when we review the photos from the trip, we will be able
to literally retrace EVERY step of the journey, thanks to our
very thorough junior photographer. Meme would be proud.
After spending the day at the exhibit and museum, we went back
to downtown Xi’an to what the guide promised was the premiere
dumpling establishment in the city. It did not disappoint;
before leaving we sampled dozens of dumplings with every filling
imaginable. Some were absolutely delicious and others, not so
much, but we tried them all and enjoyed the experience, Maili
most of all. She has told us many times that what she misses
most about China is the food, and she managed to consume an
astonishing amount at that dumpling house. After sampling all of
the dumplings, she proceeded to put away no less than THREE
bowls of soup. The rest of us were too full to even touch the
soup, but she was kind enough to help us out.
After dinner, our guide took us back to the train station, where
we boarded an overnight train to Nanjing, which is the capital
city of Callie’s province. Thankfully , the air conditioner
actually worked on this one, and everyone fell asleep by 7 and
slept all night. This train experience was much better than the
last, with one notable exception: the infamous squatty potty. We
have thankfully managed to avoid them thus far this trip, but
our luck was bound to run out at some point .Maili managed to
have a potty emergency right after the western toilet was closed
for business for reasons unknown. Evidently , unlike riding a
bicycle, some things just do not come back to you, or at least
they didn’t for Maili.
Trying to figure out the logistics of how to squat, aim, and
keep one’s clothing from touching the floor while lurching from
side to side on a train would be almost comical if not for the
fact that Maili chose that exact moment to drop the one precious
roll of toilet paper we had brought with us ( yes, you must
ALWAYS remember to bring your own. ALWAYS.) So I found myself
holding up Maili with one hand, reaching for the elusive roll of
toilet paper with the other while trying desperately to keep
from falling into that disgusting hole in the floor as the train
lurched from side to side and Maili giggled so loudly that the
people down the hall must have wondered what on earth those
crazy Americans were doing in there. Even funnier than that was
when she had to help hold me up so that I could use it without
falling in. Mother-daughter bonding moments for sure. But I
digress..
At any rate, we survived the train ride and finally arrived in
Nanjing this morning, where we are back to civilization. A hot
bath and some room service, and we are feeling almost human
again, if a bit sleepy. In fact, as I type this, everyone else
is sound asleep, in spite of the fact that we all slept really
well aboard the train. I hope everyone will be able to sleep
tonight. If not, another midnight Oreo party will take place.
Unfortunately, those have become the norm since we’ve been here.
I have a feeling that by the time we adjust to China time, it
will be time to go home. And we will have all gained 15 lbs.
Except for Maili, who never gains an ounce, she just keeps
getting taller. Callie will definitely have a big sister to look
up to. Only two more days , we’re counting them down. |
In Xi'an
Trying on hats at the local market
Learning how terra cotta warriors are cast
Original site of the Terra Cotta Warriors
At the museum |
