Alotta Terra-Cotta

We decided to make our own way to see the famous terra-cotta warriors and jumped onboard one of the independent mini buses parked at the train station. The vehicle was already full of passengers and ready to depart. The guy who collected our money made seats available for the three of us (me, Ali and Matt) and then we immediately set off. Like all public transport in China, this bus was extremely old and dirty looking. Everyone was squashed with limited space to move or breathe which is why I was amazed at the chain of events that were to follow. The drivers assistant who was collecting the money from passengers proceeded to pick up additional travelers along the way. And not just people, but several large boxes of merchandise too. The bus kept stopping to allow more people on. Just when I thought he couldn't possibly squeeze another person or package onboard, he'd let on another six people and a large miscellaneous parcel - usually while the bus was still moving. There's no way he was going to miss the opportunity of making another 2 yuen. It was money in his pocket. I managed to survive by hanging out of the window. The moneyman even put boxes of merchandise on my lap until it was time for their delivery further down the road. When we finally arrived at our destination, the doors swung open and everyone scrambled to get out. The people of China aren't very civilized.

Emperor Qin Shihuang's terra-cotta museum was opened to the public in 1979. It's one of the largest on-site museums in the world. I was dumbfounded by what I saw. The museum consists of three pits which house approximately 6000 life-sized terra-cotta warriors and horses. They were built thousands of years ago to protect the Emperor in his after life and each one is slightly different from the next. The terra-cotta warriors were accidentally discovered by farmers while digging a well. No one knows why this site became buried or how it was even kept a secret for so long. The museum is essentially 3 huge structures that cover and protect each pit. This not only enables tourists to visit them but allows archaeologists to continue their work in a controlled environment. Apparently they have stopped unearthing more until they have developed better preservation technology. As we left the museum Ali rubbed her hands with excitement. It was another opportunity for her to practice bartering skills with the market people as she bargained for a miniature terra-cotta warrior. She does enjoy a good barter.

When we returned to the hostel we were surprised to see that Patrick and the two guys form England had checked in (we met them in Beijing). We sat in the bar and listened to each others travel stories in the evening. Patrick even played the guitar. Until he snapped the second string which made it impossible to play (although he did try unfortunately).