1. Michael & Xiao Jing at the Terracotta Museum. 2. Me at the dig site. 3. Note the convenient opening in this little guy's trousers.4. A vendor's area for steaming buns.
Breakfast in our room and then to the bus stop for the Terracotta Museum. When we got to the street we were assailed by tour buses and again decisions had to be made-which to take? Our city bus or a tour bus? Happily Michael and Xiao Jing decided we'd make our own way so we could leave when we wished. Onto the city bus. Ipod music, odors of sweat and garlic. I know that within a couple years the people will begin to use perfumes and body sprays. Already the billboards are advertising them with white (always white) women with bare breasts and pouty lips). I'm glad I'm here before that starts! I'm not bothered by sweat.
Michael and Xiao Jing have been at the Terracotta museum before when the it was just a huge pit and tour buses were not so plentiful. Michael remembers a higher ranking government official having his picture taken standing next to one of the warriors.
Xiao Jing tells me that "This place is only .000,000,0001% of the whole burial site".
It was awesome. I took some pics. I will Google this site to recall it.
It was hot at the museum digs. We stopped for ice cream and coffee for me then we headed home, a long bus trip.
Rested a couple hours, showered and we had dinner "on the street". The population in Xian is Muslim so lots of vegetables, pepper and ginger for seasoning, rice, eggplant, squid, pork, all in different sauces. And I love the chop sticks, much shorter and all wrapped and sealed in plastic. Again we were glad we had our own tissues and wipes.
Found another ancient neighborhood to wander awhile. Bought some cookies-almond, peanut, bean paste, date- for breakfast.
Stumbled upon a shadow puppet theater. Ornately cut leather puppets with sticks. Actors and musicians performed using them behind a screen illuminated with a light bulb-a folk story of a youth who tricks his intended bride into revealing how smart and secretive she is before he was to marry her. This was an exciting happenstance for us, an unusual cultural tradition. Took some pics of the performers.
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