Fellow Virtual Travelers,
Oh my! We have not been letting grass grow beneath our feet! As mentioned in our last update, we spend Friday at the Shaolin Temple, the Pagoda Forest, rode the cable car part way up the mountain for valley sights, drove to Luoyang, only to catch another bullet train to Xi'an. It is strange to know that one is traveling across the country at 144 mph (or 240 kilometers). Once in Xi'an, we enjoyed local cuisine at a local restaurant, providing tastes we'd never had before! This is an interesting trip in that while we have local guides for each city's touring, we are on our own sometimes, getting from city to city! 'Here are your train tickets, go to platform 4, get on car 5. Don't dilly dally as you have 2 minutes to get on the train with all your luggage and they will not wait for you...' Ack!
Check out where we've been the last two days!
Shaolin Temple
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Temple
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/henan/luoyang/songshan_shaolin.htm
Pagoda Forest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagoda_Forest_at_Shaolin_Temple
http://www.chinatouronline.com/china-travel/luoyang/luoyang-attractions/Pagoda-Forest_383.html
Then getting up in Xi'an, we drove out of the city to tour the Terracotta warriors and tomb site of China's first emperor who'd ordered his tomb site constructed while he was still alive. This emperor, Qin Shi Haung Di sought immortality while alive and was given mercury as a potion to extend his life (mercury lasts a long time, right?). We suspect that the mercury is what ended his life around the age of 50. In his tomb mound, he ordered rivers of mercury to be placed, and the site is still so toxic that it has not been opened or excavated!
Terracotta Army Museum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/
Qin Shi Haung Di tomb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/mausoleum_1.htm
West Jade Temple at the base of Huashan. This temple grounds was under construction in 2002 and is a small replica of the Forbidden City in Beijing! It is mostly finished and is new construction that looks very old! We've not been able to find any information about this beautiful sight on the internet, which is too bad! If any of you find something, let us know!
Doctor Hua To's grave
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Tuo
http://history.cultural-china.com/en/50History63.html
Since last visiting all of the places above, we are shocked with the changes and construction that has happened since 2002! Sometimes we could not even recognize the place!
Tomorrow we will be climbing Huashan (Hua Mountain):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hua
We've not had a chance to reply to all the emails we're getting from you, but please know that we enjoy hearing from each and every one of you!
Blessings,
Dennis & Anita