where cider meets condensed milk: Little clay soldiers

where cider meets condensed milk

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Little clay soldiers

Here I am atop the stone wall surrounding the city of Xian. It has been the glorious capital for 6 different dynasties, but now it is simply old and polluted and historical. Our main goal was to see the Terracotta Warriors and then hop elsewhere, but upon arriving were unable to get a sleeper car out of Xian for 6 days, and as it was had to wait 3 days to get just seat tickets. So, we did more touristy things and I basked in our shiny clean hotel room while Adametal went up a nearby mountain to see what he could see.

Is that...? No, couldn't be. But it does look like him... wait... yes... it is! It IS!! Adam with another bicycle??? That louse! PLEASE DON'T TELL JUDY!!!

Peer over the city wall and suddenly... we're in Baghdad.

Bell Tower in the center of the city.

Great Mosque in the Muslim Quarter-- we spent several tranquil hours here, avoiding the urban confusion outside.

Terracotta warriors! They are all life-size, and about 6,000 have been uncovered since they were discovered about 30 years ago by some farmers digging a well. It was amazing to see them, but the atmosphere of the exhibit was very modern and clinical. They are housed in buildings that look like airport hangars, whereas we were hoping for something a bit more Tomb Raider.

New addition for the anti-smoking poster? (Butts are gross.)

Atop the burial mound of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who commissioned the warriors as his guards in the afterlife. You can't go in the tomb because they haven't unearthed it, and with good reason. Among other defenses, he had rivers of mercury running inside as protection. Yes, rivers of mercury. Maybe going Indiana Jones on the tomb doesn't seem such a good idea after all...

posted by Raychaa @ 5:10 PM

1 comments:

At 3:26 AM, Anonymous said…

Wow, I want to be badass enough that they bury me with rivers of mercury....yummy...

~Al :)