Bags out by 8am, on the bus by 9am, breakfast buffet starting at 6am. Damn I feel like sleeping in. Breakfast is much more plain that the room. No mimosas in site. Another long day today. Had to run next door and take a picture of the Xian Peoples Hotel (three stars).
First stop today is to see the Terra Cotta warriors. About an hour and a half bus ride, while we get background information, and get outfitted with FBI style earbuds with receiver units so that we can actually hear what our local tour guide it telling us. A nice bonus was being able to get dropped off (and picked up) inside the grounds rather than the public parking lot half a mile away which is good considering that it is another hot and humid day.
I must say that the scale of the terracotta warrior site is impressive although Im beginning to believe that I just shouldnt visit world heritage sites what with all the tourists from the world around. Seemed like a lot of the folks touring today were Spanish tourists, but I heard Russian, Polish, and Japanese as well.
Started the tour in Pit One the oldest, then moved on to the pavilion showing a surround video (which I found boring, might have been better with seating), then onto Pit Two which is newer, and then onto the museum. There is much work to do in both pits, and there are more pits that are waiting for better technology before they start unearthing more of the site.
Our lunch stop was at a restaurant on site, between Pit Two and the museum which houses some of the bronze chariots that were found buried with the clay soldiers. The bronzes survived better than most of the soldiers which were partially destroyed in a revolution centuries ago, long before the dirt filled back in on them to seal them for hundreds of more years.
All in all the site is not a bad discovery for a bunch of farmers trying to dig a new well. One of the original farmers was signing copies of the official book about the site which I got autographed not a bad job for someone whose farm is now a huge archeological site. He (the farmer) is the photo to the right. The fan he is holding is to fend off people taking his picture (without paying). I bought I book I figured I paid.
Hot and sweaty back on the bus the air conditioning was barely able to keep up for our ride directly to the airport no time to change into the t-shirt I bought at the site museum figuring Id need a change after spending hours sweating.
Flight transfer again went well though the flight was running about half an hour late an Air China 737-800 this time (a China Sichuan Airlines A320). Had a beer at the airport waiting and shock of all shock, dinner with beer on the hour and a half flight!
The Beijing Hilton is right across from the new American Embassy which is under construction on the 3rd of 6 ring roads of Beijing. Recently remodeled, the rooms unfortunately after the Sofitel and the Shangri-La, are rather normal sized still the nice marble bathrooms, but a bit of a come down. Amazing how fast you get used to 5-star luxuries.
Dinner was immediately served buffet style in the hotel restaurant I stopped in the room for a shower first. And a good thing too since the buffet was all the sushi you wanted, oysters on the half shell, large shrimp, mussels, stuff from the satay bar, or the noodle bar and lets not forget the whole dessert bar area with its chocolate fountain, ice cream and sprinkles section, and fruit bar. Makes me wish that I hadnt eaten the noodle dish on the airplane (which was surprising good). Cant wait to see what the breakfast buffet will bring hopefully another Shangri-La style foodfest.
We have an 8:15am bus call in the morning and Im getting the feeling its another forced march in the heat.if this is Sunday, it must be Beijing.
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