Terra Cotta Warriors!

Our second day in Xi'an was among the most fun we had in China!



All of our rooms in China were comfortable, basic, and similar.	In Xi'an they had ethernet-cable Internet (and provided the cable!).

We had Western-style bathrooms in our hotel rooms each night. Bottles of water were always provided, since the water was not necessarily potable.

Our hotel breakfasts were very elaborate and impressive! The buffet in Xi'an was double-sided and had both Western and Asian dishes.	At this window, cooks were preparing omelets and fried eggs.
	Breakfasts were hearty!

After breakfast, we made our way to a "Pottery Factory" for our shopping stop.	They will sell you any size of Terra Cotta Warrior replica you would like!

We finally arrived at the Terra Cotta Warriors! First, we watched a movie about them (in a building off to the left, not shown) and then had lots of time to explore the several buildings.

That first view of the first pit really is jaw-dropping.	My sister had previously visited, but I really enjoyed seeing this with my mother.

It's amazing how well-preserved they are!	They really are pits. (We were above them.) Note the sign; that's the site where the farmers first encountered the warriors while digging!
Of course the Terra Cotta Warriors are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, silly!

After seeing the Terra Cotta army, we went to eat lunch. It was one of our most odd lunches. We had a noodle-making demonstration during the lunch, but no noodles were served. The highlights were fried onion straws (tasted just like Damon's onion loaf) and toffee potatoes (potato chunks covered in a hard sugar glaze).

After lunch, we had a "Painting demonstration" before returning to the hotel.

With our free time before dinner, we walked through town and enjoyed walking on Xi'an's famous city walls. So fun!

That night's dinner was a Dumpling Dinner and show.	We were brought out course after course of dumplings!

Many of the dumplings were shaped to look like animals.	The dumplings were delicious!

After dinner, we watched a Tang Dynasty show. Sets and costumes were elaborate!

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