You know how when you get lost, it just seems like a very very long time? This is how I feel about this blog. I really really meant to keep it going once we got back to Ottawa but then six months went by before we moved back into our house; the moving process and the adjustment process took longer...blah, blah, blah.
But, what has taken me back to this blog was getting the family of five back on a plane and outside the borders of our country. Yesterday we landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico for a needed respite from the crazed day to day running around that we do. We have rented a house on the south-east coast with very good friends of ours - the Coulsons. Long before we had kids, we have travelled together and shared our lives. It is just dead simple to travel with this family. We take care of each other, the kids (there are now five in total) are all friends and we like to laugh and share each others company....just so easy. We love these people!
So, with this foray I am back to the blog. Stay tuned over the coming days and I will be posting new pictures and stories....oh ya...as soon as the luggage arrives as well. But then again, that is another story as well and really, it's all part of the adventure.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Monday, September 28, 2009
From Beijing to Ottawa....in 48 Hours!
7 September 2009
So, you’ve packed everything trying to balance out the weights of the bags and decided what you are going to wear on the plane as well as changes of clothes on the long journey. You’ve prepared yourself mentally – I can move back to Ottawa and it will be OK…and you think - it’s only a 20 hour commute and the kids will be fine.
Not really…
Off the airport on Sunday morning. We decided to take the subway and express train. We got to the Asiana Airlines counter only to be told that while our Beijing to Seoul segment was on time, our travel agent (who I had fired several weeks before) booked us on the Seoul to Ottawa flight NEXT FRIDAY….*&^&%!!
We spent the next several hours on the floor of the airport, talking to a variety of airlines, revising our budget and idea of what we were to do and thankfully, hours on the free wifi network of the airport browsing the Internet looking for options.
At one point we were going to go to Seoul and stay there for five days but we had wrapped our minds around going back to Canada. In the end, we cancelled our tickets, booked new ones via San Francisco and Chicago, handed over our credit card with our eyes closed and booked ourselves into an airport hotel up the road.
This was disappointment but of course part of the adventure. Wrapped in disappointment during the eye of the storm was of course anger, stress, upset etc.
But as I write this, we are on the final leg from Chicago to Ottawa. We are hopeful that Canada Customs will be there smiling and welcoming us home (uh-huh…) and that everyone will sleep soundly (uh-huh….). We left Beijing for the second time about 20 hours ago. The flights and connections have been reasonable but I would not say we are looking our best…blood shot eyes, upset stomachs – the fun of international travel with a family of five.
There is lots to look forward to and lots to look back on over the past 9+ weeks of our trek through South East Asia and China and the previous 2.5 years in Melbourne. What a privilege it has been. So now we begin the next chapter with a few stressful weeks of getting set up, buying a car, getting the kids in school and starting new jobs. There will always be something to look forward to. As for the kids, they have already started to plan the next family trip which involves Egypt, Fiji, Laos and France. I guess its time to head back to work.
Stay tuned for more adventures and stories from the Family of Five!
So, you’ve packed everything trying to balance out the weights of the bags and decided what you are going to wear on the plane as well as changes of clothes on the long journey. You’ve prepared yourself mentally – I can move back to Ottawa and it will be OK…and you think - it’s only a 20 hour commute and the kids will be fine.
Not really…
Off the airport on Sunday morning. We decided to take the subway and express train. We got to the Asiana Airlines counter only to be told that while our Beijing to Seoul segment was on time, our travel agent (who I had fired several weeks before) booked us on the Seoul to Ottawa flight NEXT FRIDAY….*&^&%!!
We spent the next several hours on the floor of the airport, talking to a variety of airlines, revising our budget and idea of what we were to do and thankfully, hours on the free wifi network of the airport browsing the Internet looking for options.
At one point we were going to go to Seoul and stay there for five days but we had wrapped our minds around going back to Canada. In the end, we cancelled our tickets, booked new ones via San Francisco and Chicago, handed over our credit card with our eyes closed and booked ourselves into an airport hotel up the road.
This was disappointment but of course part of the adventure. Wrapped in disappointment during the eye of the storm was of course anger, stress, upset etc.
But as I write this, we are on the final leg from Chicago to Ottawa. We are hopeful that Canada Customs will be there smiling and welcoming us home (uh-huh…) and that everyone will sleep soundly (uh-huh….). We left Beijing for the second time about 20 hours ago. The flights and connections have been reasonable but I would not say we are looking our best…blood shot eyes, upset stomachs – the fun of international travel with a family of five.
There is lots to look forward to and lots to look back on over the past 9+ weeks of our trek through South East Asia and China and the previous 2.5 years in Melbourne. What a privilege it has been. So now we begin the next chapter with a few stressful weeks of getting set up, buying a car, getting the kids in school and starting new jobs. There will always be something to look forward to. As for the kids, they have already started to plan the next family trip which involves Egypt, Fiji, Laos and France. I guess its time to head back to work.
Stay tuned for more adventures and stories from the Family of Five!
Beijing - Lots to See and Do
Beijing - 30 August - 6 September
I am not sure why I have been struck by the modern feeling of this ancient city. Everywhere you look there is construction, new towers, wide new roads. Perhaps this would not have been here without the Olympics however even in this global recession, the Chinese economy is growing at above 6%. One of the consequences of this however is also the daily smog that encases the city..17 million people, over 5 million cars and lots of factories pumping out CO2 emissions....
It is a city of many personalities. The modernity and some of the unfortunate consequences of this form of capitalism is balanced with an incredible history and so much to see and do. We tried to squeeze in as much as we could outside of the big trip to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City that we have already talked about. Here I thought I would share some of the pictures and stories of the other places that we visited.
Beijing Zoo and Aquarium
Well....the pandas were good and in a slightly larger space than the rest of the (poor) animals. It was a better zoo than Saigon...you get the picture. I am not a fan of zoos but we had to see the Giant Pandas. It was worth it. Erica was excited as she got to see her first Cassowary (see picture)
- a native Australian animal from northern Queensland that she was tracking down whilst were in Port Douglas.
Oh ya...and we lost Joshua! Yes - complete panic and tears and running around convinced of an abduction. We lost him for about 40 minutes but as I was heading to the main office, a Chinese couple guessed that I was the father of a boy they had found and accompanied me back to the office. Thew knew little English but kept telling me "he is alright". I was so relieved to see him, we must have hugged and cried for 5 minutes. He was a scared boy. Kristen and the girls were the same once they were reunited. It was a tough midday.
We went across the bridge to the aquarium which in some ways reminded us of the Montreal Biodome as it had several areas that represented parts of the ocean, different animals etc.
We saw a dolphin and seal show which was good although completely in Mandarin - fun nonetheless.
One of the highlights was seeing this kite on the way out of the aquarium. Kite flying is an art practices predominantly by older men and some of these are quite elaborate as you can see.
Markets, Markets, Everywhere Markets (and cheap counterfeit products!!)
Shopping is the Number 1 pastime for the locals. I wish that were an exaggeration and not an accurate stereotype. We managed to visit a few places for last minute Xmas and Back to School shopping for the kids...and a few inexpensive knock-offs for fun!!
Hou Hai and Bei Tai Parks
Interestingly you have to pay to enter most public parks but in behind these walls are places of beauty...pristine lawns, lakes, pagodas and temples. Lots of people mingling. We spent quite some time exploring these parks - mostly walking and taking in the scenery. Enjoy the pictures.
Temple of Heaven
Constructed between 1406 and 1420, the Temple of Heaven is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty for annual ceremonies of prayer to pray for good harvest.
Surrounding these temples are beautiful gardens that were FULL of locals flying kites, doing calligraphy on the stones
, ballroom dancing,
playing badminton, ribbon dancing
and shuttlecock.
It was quite busy and lots of people-watching. We met one interesting retired journalist who was doing stone calligraphy who taught us some great Chinese riddles. He was quite happy to be speaking English and he taught us some poetry as well.
This was our last day out and about as we started to pack to ready for the journey home. It really was a nice day and great to see how the locals spent their Saturdays!
I am not sure why I have been struck by the modern feeling of this ancient city. Everywhere you look there is construction, new towers, wide new roads. Perhaps this would not have been here without the Olympics however even in this global recession, the Chinese economy is growing at above 6%. One of the consequences of this however is also the daily smog that encases the city..17 million people, over 5 million cars and lots of factories pumping out CO2 emissions....It is a city of many personalities. The modernity and some of the unfortunate consequences of this form of capitalism is balanced with an incredible history and so much to see and do. We tried to squeeze in as much as we could outside of the big trip to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City that we have already talked about. Here I thought I would share some of the pictures and stories of the other places that we visited.
Beijing Zoo and Aquarium
Well....the pandas were good and in a slightly larger space than the rest of the (poor) animals. It was a better zoo than Saigon...you get the picture. I am not a fan of zoos but we had to see the Giant Pandas. It was worth it. Erica was excited as she got to see her first Cassowary (see picture)
- a native Australian animal from northern Queensland that she was tracking down whilst were in Port Douglas.
Oh ya...and we lost Joshua! Yes - complete panic and tears and running around convinced of an abduction. We lost him for about 40 minutes but as I was heading to the main office, a Chinese couple guessed that I was the father of a boy they had found and accompanied me back to the office. Thew knew little English but kept telling me "he is alright". I was so relieved to see him, we must have hugged and cried for 5 minutes. He was a scared boy. Kristen and the girls were the same once they were reunited. It was a tough midday.
We went across the bridge to the aquarium which in some ways reminded us of the Montreal Biodome as it had several areas that represented parts of the ocean, different animals etc.
We saw a dolphin and seal show which was good although completely in Mandarin - fun nonetheless.
One of the highlights was seeing this kite on the way out of the aquarium. Kite flying is an art practices predominantly by older men and some of these are quite elaborate as you can see.
Markets, Markets, Everywhere Markets (and cheap counterfeit products!!)
Shopping is the Number 1 pastime for the locals. I wish that were an exaggeration and not an accurate stereotype. We managed to visit a few places for last minute Xmas and Back to School shopping for the kids...and a few inexpensive knock-offs for fun!!
Hou Hai and Bei Tai Parks
Interestingly you have to pay to enter most public parks but in behind these walls are places of beauty...pristine lawns, lakes, pagodas and temples. Lots of people mingling. We spent quite some time exploring these parks - mostly walking and taking in the scenery. Enjoy the pictures.
Temple of Heaven
Constructed between 1406 and 1420, the Temple of Heaven is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty for annual ceremonies of prayer to pray for good harvest.
Surrounding these temples are beautiful gardens that were FULL of locals flying kites, doing calligraphy on the stones
, ballroom dancing,
playing badminton, ribbon dancing
and shuttlecock.
It was quite busy and lots of people-watching. We met one interesting retired journalist who was doing stone calligraphy who taught us some great Chinese riddles. He was quite happy to be speaking English and he taught us some poetry as well.
This was our last day out and about as we started to pack to ready for the journey home. It really was a nice day and great to see how the locals spent their Saturdays!
The GREAT (Fantastic) Wall of China
2 September 2009
Today was a day that we were all looking forward to. The kids had been talking about the Wall for a few weeks and the whole trip there was highly anticipated.
We booked through a tour company as we wanted to go to a section that was not too busy with tourists which is something hard to avoid in this part of the country as we found at the Forbidden City. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is located in Huairou County about 45 miles from Beijing, the Mutianyu section connects Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Great Wall in the east. The wall was first built in Northern Qi Dynasty (550 – 557 AD). In Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it was rebuilt it in order to strengthen its defensive potential when they guarded the strategic pass against the Mongols. It winds 1.4 miles through lofty mountains and high ridges, many sections of which are made of granite. It measures 23 to 26 feet high.
The weather was not cooperative. As you can see from the pictures it was a foggy (and polluted) day. It did not dampen the beauty and awe of this place. We took a "ski lift" to the top of the mountain.
We walked for almost a couple hours and it was a very tough climb - steep pitches and lots of stairs.
The plan was to toboggan down the side of the mountain - the kids were very excited. They had built a metal slide which took about 20 minutes to glide down on luge-like toboggans. Unfortunately it rained a bit and they closed the toboggan portion and we had to take the ski lift back down. The kids (the whole family actually) was very very disappointed. The guides were surprised by this as they had never closed it before (unlucky us!).
The day also included trips to a couple imperial tombs and of course the obligatory factories including silk and jade. Nothing much to say about the factories. the tombs were interesting although not comparable to those found in Vietnam in terms of splendour.
I think I will let some of these pictures do the talking. It was a spectacular day and a highlight of these past few weeks. The Great Wall is not only a treasure of China but something everyone should aim to see!
Today was a day that we were all looking forward to. The kids had been talking about the Wall for a few weeks and the whole trip there was highly anticipated.
We booked through a tour company as we wanted to go to a section that was not too busy with tourists which is something hard to avoid in this part of the country as we found at the Forbidden City. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is located in Huairou County about 45 miles from Beijing, the Mutianyu section connects Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Great Wall in the east. The wall was first built in Northern Qi Dynasty (550 – 557 AD). In Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it was rebuilt it in order to strengthen its defensive potential when they guarded the strategic pass against the Mongols. It winds 1.4 miles through lofty mountains and high ridges, many sections of which are made of granite. It measures 23 to 26 feet high.
The weather was not cooperative. As you can see from the pictures it was a foggy (and polluted) day. It did not dampen the beauty and awe of this place. We took a "ski lift" to the top of the mountain.
We walked for almost a couple hours and it was a very tough climb - steep pitches and lots of stairs.
The plan was to toboggan down the side of the mountain - the kids were very excited. They had built a metal slide which took about 20 minutes to glide down on luge-like toboggans. Unfortunately it rained a bit and they closed the toboggan portion and we had to take the ski lift back down. The kids (the whole family actually) was very very disappointed. The guides were surprised by this as they had never closed it before (unlucky us!).
The day also included trips to a couple imperial tombs and of course the obligatory factories including silk and jade. Nothing much to say about the factories. the tombs were interesting although not comparable to those found in Vietnam in terms of splendour.
I think I will let some of these pictures do the talking. It was a spectacular day and a highlight of these past few weeks. The Great Wall is not only a treasure of China but something everyone should aim to see!
Beijing - The first adventure - Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City
Dateline: August 30 - Arrival to the Beijing Train Station
The Beijing train station was certainly less chaotic than Xi'An. We had a relatively smooth ride as most of us got some sleep. Our first challenge was to get into town and it did not start out well. No information counter, no maps (except of course in Mandarin), no reasonable signs that we could decipher. The buses to take us to the main station where we thought we could grab a cheap taxi has been discontinued. Of course, there were lots of extortionist drivers willing to take us for lots of money. We walked and walked and decided just to barter with a van driver and we ended up getting a reasonable deal. The driver was not happy but we learned over the coming few days in Beijing that this is how all people react after you have negotiated with them...some even cry for the theatrics to try and make you feel bad -this is a show only!
Day One was about recovery. We were staying in a rather swank two-bedroom hotel with a pool - a reward for making it this far!! We bought groceries, went for a swim and watched a movie. We planned the next few days and made it an early night.
Our first day of exploring was "close to home". We found our way to our local subway station and ventured into the heart of the city. (By the way, the Beijing Subway system is incredible!!).
We explored the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty (starting in the 14th century)to the end of the Qing Dynasty (ending in 1912). It is located in the middle of the city and is now referred to as the Palace Museum. Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sitein 1987.
It was a tad overwhelming for everyone on little sleep. It was a warm day and this created a few minor (OK, major) meltdowns BUT we preserved and made it. It is really something - absolutely huge, well preserved wooden buildings with remnants of a bygone imperial era. There were beautiful gardens. We followed a tour using an automated audio guide (that worked some times...) but this helped us with the history, architecture and other important stories.
We walked back down one of the outer walls and moats to then enter Tiananmen Square. This was a bit of an emotional walk given the 1989 massacres (or the "incident" as it is referred to in China). I remember being on Queen's campus during that time and holding a candlelight vigil in support of the students. It is a vast area surrounded by communist inspired buildings, Mao's tomb (like all good communist leaders....). It was very cool to be there after all that has taken place there.
Our final walk back to the subway and the hotel for a well deserved rest was via the new National Centre for the Performing Arts. The "egg" as it is known is (I think) one of the most fantastic pieces of modern architecture - it is bold, imaginative...I could not get enough of it. All cities of the world need some fantastic buildings like this one. See for yourself....
So much more to see and do in Beijing!
The Beijing train station was certainly less chaotic than Xi'An. We had a relatively smooth ride as most of us got some sleep. Our first challenge was to get into town and it did not start out well. No information counter, no maps (except of course in Mandarin), no reasonable signs that we could decipher. The buses to take us to the main station where we thought we could grab a cheap taxi has been discontinued. Of course, there were lots of extortionist drivers willing to take us for lots of money. We walked and walked and decided just to barter with a van driver and we ended up getting a reasonable deal. The driver was not happy but we learned over the coming few days in Beijing that this is how all people react after you have negotiated with them...some even cry for the theatrics to try and make you feel bad -this is a show only!
Day One was about recovery. We were staying in a rather swank two-bedroom hotel with a pool - a reward for making it this far!! We bought groceries, went for a swim and watched a movie. We planned the next few days and made it an early night.
Our first day of exploring was "close to home". We found our way to our local subway station and ventured into the heart of the city. (By the way, the Beijing Subway system is incredible!!).
We explored the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty (starting in the 14th century)to the end of the Qing Dynasty (ending in 1912). It is located in the middle of the city and is now referred to as the Palace Museum. Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sitein 1987.
It was a tad overwhelming for everyone on little sleep. It was a warm day and this created a few minor (OK, major) meltdowns BUT we preserved and made it. It is really something - absolutely huge, well preserved wooden buildings with remnants of a bygone imperial era. There were beautiful gardens. We followed a tour using an automated audio guide (that worked some times...) but this helped us with the history, architecture and other important stories.
We walked back down one of the outer walls and moats to then enter Tiananmen Square. This was a bit of an emotional walk given the 1989 massacres (or the "incident" as it is referred to in China). I remember being on Queen's campus during that time and holding a candlelight vigil in support of the students. It is a vast area surrounded by communist inspired buildings, Mao's tomb (like all good communist leaders....). It was very cool to be there after all that has taken place there.
Our final walk back to the subway and the hotel for a well deserved rest was via the new National Centre for the Performing Arts. The "egg" as it is known is (I think) one of the most fantastic pieces of modern architecture - it is bold, imaginative...I could not get enough of it. All cities of the world need some fantastic buildings like this one. See for yourself....
So much more to see and do in Beijing!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Xi’an – Other Highlights
Date: 25 - 29 August
With the exception of the day we spent at the Terra Cotta Warrior tombs (which is the subject of a separate blog) there were a few highlights of our time in Xi’an which included:
Walking (and Riding) the City Wall
The plan on this morning was to rent bikes on the top of the city wall and ride as much of the 14 km that we could. The bike renters however said that Erica and Madeline were too small to take bikes. We were planning on taking the “bikes for two” but no matter how we argued, we were left disappointed. We decided then to rent a tuk tuk (bikes with drivers) and managed to get two charming older men and one wanted to impress us with his English. We enjoyed the hour-long trek and history lesson learning how the dynasties flourished, built Xi’an into a capital, amassed their armies and conquered the Mongols.
We decided to walk on the outside of the Wall to venture further and discovered a great walking track and gardens. There was a fitness trail that the kids enjoyed, people playing musical instruments and lots of table tennis players. We saw a few newlyweds getting their pictures taken (which seem like very serious business in China). We decided to head back inside the Walls and catch some traditional Hunan food which meant a restaurant that had a series of private dining rooms – this was odd…but the food was good
The Muslim Quarter
I had mentioned that we stayed in the Muslim Quarter. There is a large population of Chinese Muslims who have lived in this area for hundreds of years. They are merchants and own shops and cafes all through this area. There is a Great Mosque in the centre which is quite hard to find but we did so on our last day in Xi’an. It is a peaceful area and quite reminiscent of Chinese temples. The entire Koran scripture is chiseled into the wooden walls of the main prayer area.
Joshua’s Discovery – You can eat and live on dumplings for three meals a day
Dumplings for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! I think the record could be 15 dumplings in one sitting – I lost count. We visited a couple dumpling restaurants and they were in roadside stalls and available for breakfast. Filled with veggies, pork, coriander, garlic and chilies – fried, steamed or boiled – there were always lots to choose from. I think my favourite was fried pork and coriander with a soy chili sauce.
Big Goose Pagoda and the Crazy (Local) Bus Ride
On our last day, we decided to venture out beyond the City Walls and go to the most famous (and important) area in Xi’an for its people called the Big Goose Pagoda. This was a huge park filled with great public art and a beautiful pagoda that was used for centuries but the emperors and their families. In the last few years they built a large water fountain park (think Bellagio in Vegas) and put on a spectacular water show a few times a day. We were half way up the pagoda when the water show started and we had a fantastic view overlooking the fountains from about 40 metres above street level.
We failed to find the History Museum which was somewhere near the Pagoda and also could not get a taxi to pick us up so we stood in line for the local bus. The price was right (about 10 cents) but the pushing, shoving and crowds in side the bus was something we had never witnessed before. While we managed to make it home, I think we were a little shell-shocked and giddy that we managed to experience and survive the transport system.
Xi’an Train Station
I have to add a couple pictures from the madness that was the Xi’an train station. In fact, why use words when you can add a couple pictures of the complete chaos of thousands of people crammed into a small space…
With the exception of the day we spent at the Terra Cotta Warrior tombs (which is the subject of a separate blog) there were a few highlights of our time in Xi’an which included:
Walking (and Riding) the City Wall
The plan on this morning was to rent bikes on the top of the city wall and ride as much of the 14 km that we could. The bike renters however said that Erica and Madeline were too small to take bikes. We were planning on taking the “bikes for two” but no matter how we argued, we were left disappointed. We decided then to rent a tuk tuk (bikes with drivers) and managed to get two charming older men and one wanted to impress us with his English. We enjoyed the hour-long trek and history lesson learning how the dynasties flourished, built Xi’an into a capital, amassed their armies and conquered the Mongols.
We decided to walk on the outside of the Wall to venture further and discovered a great walking track and gardens. There was a fitness trail that the kids enjoyed, people playing musical instruments and lots of table tennis players. We saw a few newlyweds getting their pictures taken (which seem like very serious business in China). We decided to head back inside the Walls and catch some traditional Hunan food which meant a restaurant that had a series of private dining rooms – this was odd…but the food was good
The Muslim Quarter
I had mentioned that we stayed in the Muslim Quarter. There is a large population of Chinese Muslims who have lived in this area for hundreds of years. They are merchants and own shops and cafes all through this area. There is a Great Mosque in the centre which is quite hard to find but we did so on our last day in Xi’an. It is a peaceful area and quite reminiscent of Chinese temples. The entire Koran scripture is chiseled into the wooden walls of the main prayer area.
Joshua’s Discovery – You can eat and live on dumplings for three meals a day
Dumplings for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! I think the record could be 15 dumplings in one sitting – I lost count. We visited a couple dumpling restaurants and they were in roadside stalls and available for breakfast. Filled with veggies, pork, coriander, garlic and chilies – fried, steamed or boiled – there were always lots to choose from. I think my favourite was fried pork and coriander with a soy chili sauce.
Big Goose Pagoda and the Crazy (Local) Bus Ride
On our last day, we decided to venture out beyond the City Walls and go to the most famous (and important) area in Xi’an for its people called the Big Goose Pagoda. This was a huge park filled with great public art and a beautiful pagoda that was used for centuries but the emperors and their families. In the last few years they built a large water fountain park (think Bellagio in Vegas) and put on a spectacular water show a few times a day. We were half way up the pagoda when the water show started and we had a fantastic view overlooking the fountains from about 40 metres above street level.
We failed to find the History Museum which was somewhere near the Pagoda and also could not get a taxi to pick us up so we stood in line for the local bus. The price was right (about 10 cents) but the pushing, shoving and crowds in side the bus was something we had never witnessed before. While we managed to make it home, I think we were a little shell-shocked and giddy that we managed to experience and survive the transport system.
Xi’an Train Station
I have to add a couple pictures from the madness that was the Xi’an train station. In fact, why use words when you can add a couple pictures of the complete chaos of thousands of people crammed into a small space…
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Mighty Army of the Qin Dynasty – Terracotta Warriors
Date: 27 August 2009
While digging for well water in 1974, a farmer and his family stumbled upon the Ancient tombs of the Qin Dynasty and unearthed what we know today as the Terracotta Warriors. All farming in this entire area west of Xi’an was stopped and archeologists from around the world were brought in to begin to understand what was found and how significant this fluke discovery was.
Little did this farmer know then that he had found funery tombs and an army of warriors and horses made from terracotta clay dating back to 210 BC – over two thousand years ago!
On our way to this area of China we stopped into a factory that was responsible for making official replicas of these warriors. Sometimes these “factory and shop stops” on tours are a bit of a hard sales pitch but this was fun – particularly for the kids as they got to get their hands dirty and make a couple warriors themselves.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an incredible experience. I had been looking forward to this for months and it did not disappoint. The museum buildings enclose the area where this army was found. The sites are well protected and our guide was a fountain of knowledge about imperial history, myths, war, archeology, geography – every question you asked had a fantastic story behind it.
The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor of Qin in 210-209 BC (he declared himself the first emperor of China in 221 BC to the end of his life in 210 BC). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huang Di in the afterlife. This is the same Emperor who started to build the Great Wall (another place we are very much looking forward to). It was also said as a legend that the Terracotta Warriors were real soldiers, buried with Emperor Qin so that they can defend him from any dangers in the next life.
Almost 700,000 people worked on these warriors, horses and weapons (they have unearthed about 6000 warriors thus far) over several years. They have also found human remains and some of the workers were locked into these tombs to keep working once it was sealed.
What is also quite interesting about these warriors is that each of them is unique. They are not carbon copies of one another. Imagine that – over 2000 years ago, without any machines and they produced individual hand made forms from clay and each one has a different face, body shape and size – incredible!
The archeology work continues and they have decided to leave many of the pit areas and tombs alone until they find new technology so that they can preserve as much as possible. It was a real “Indiana Jones” day – to think that such an incredible place was found only 30 years ago and there is still so much to learn was quite exciting. It was a fantastic day!!
While digging for well water in 1974, a farmer and his family stumbled upon the Ancient tombs of the Qin Dynasty and unearthed what we know today as the Terracotta Warriors. All farming in this entire area west of Xi’an was stopped and archeologists from around the world were brought in to begin to understand what was found and how significant this fluke discovery was.
Little did this farmer know then that he had found funery tombs and an army of warriors and horses made from terracotta clay dating back to 210 BC – over two thousand years ago!
On our way to this area of China we stopped into a factory that was responsible for making official replicas of these warriors. Sometimes these “factory and shop stops” on tours are a bit of a hard sales pitch but this was fun – particularly for the kids as they got to get their hands dirty and make a couple warriors themselves.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an incredible experience. I had been looking forward to this for months and it did not disappoint. The museum buildings enclose the area where this army was found. The sites are well protected and our guide was a fountain of knowledge about imperial history, myths, war, archeology, geography – every question you asked had a fantastic story behind it.
The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor of Qin in 210-209 BC (he declared himself the first emperor of China in 221 BC to the end of his life in 210 BC). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huang Di in the afterlife. This is the same Emperor who started to build the Great Wall (another place we are very much looking forward to). It was also said as a legend that the Terracotta Warriors were real soldiers, buried with Emperor Qin so that they can defend him from any dangers in the next life.
Almost 700,000 people worked on these warriors, horses and weapons (they have unearthed about 6000 warriors thus far) over several years. They have also found human remains and some of the workers were locked into these tombs to keep working once it was sealed.
What is also quite interesting about these warriors is that each of them is unique. They are not carbon copies of one another. Imagine that – over 2000 years ago, without any machines and they produced individual hand made forms from clay and each one has a different face, body shape and size – incredible!
The archeology work continues and they have decided to leave many of the pit areas and tombs alone until they find new technology so that they can preserve as much as possible. It was a real “Indiana Jones” day – to think that such an incredible place was found only 30 years ago and there is still so much to learn was quite exciting. It was a fantastic day!!
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