Terracotta Warriors

I took a fast train to Xian ( pronounce say-shin 4 1/2 hours), speeds were up to 302 km per hour and it was so pleasant.  I met a very nice Chinese women and we talk almost the whole way.  There was a group of tourist from America on the same train and the women I was with, thought I was with that group.  When I told here I was by myself, she was surprised.  She worked for China Oil and was being picked up by her company and offered to take me part way to my hostel.  That would be great I told her.  She dropped me off at the subway station and I got off where the directions that the hostel gave me to get off and tried to following it with no luck.  After asking a lot of people (who did not speak English but the directions was also in Chinese) a man on a motor scooter stopped to help.  He kept asking the locals where the hostel was and he finally knew where it was.  He took my luggage and put it on the front of the scooter, oh dear he is going to take me there.  So, with my skirt I was wearing, I hopped on and prayed I wouldn't die tonight!!  As he darted through traffic I thought how funny it was and knew if I didn't make to the hostel at least it would be a good epitaph (here lies Annette, died in China riding through traffic on a scooter!!!!).  But, as it happened God's angels were watching over me (again!!) and I made it to the hostel in one piece (and my luggage too!!).  I gave the guy 5 yuan (about a $1.00) for the ride.  As I got off the scooter, about 15 young people came out of the hostel and just kind of stared at me.  I got my bag and went into the hostel laughing all the way.  When I checked in they only had one bed and it was the top bunk, darn, hate the top bunk.  They told me the next day that they would change my bed to the bottom, once someone checked out.  No problem.  I signed up for the Terracotta Warrior tour the next day.  The tour started at 9 am and I met a young women from the East Coast that is working in Abu Dubai as a teacher.  The day was very hot and humid, the bus was air conditioned but the pits weren't and again there were thousands of tourist mostly from China that visited the sites as well.   Walking into Pit 1 and seeing all of the soldiers that have been uncovered is overwhelming.

A little bit of background for those who don't know who the Terracotta Warriors.  In 1974 peasants drilling for water uncovered a vault that led to the discovery of soldiers and horses in battle formation. It is said to have over 6000 soldiers though they have only uncovered 2000.  Pit 3 is said to be the headquarters of this army.  It contained 72 warriors and horses.  There are two types of horses the Chinese and Mongolian (it is said the Mongolian are the shorter stronger horse that pulls the chariots whereas the Chinese horses are the faster ones). No two faces are alike and the very first warrior was the kneeling archer the only one in the pit that was fully intact. All the craftsman that constructed these warriors (said to have used the slaves as faces of the soldiers) were killed once they completed the work (so as to keep this secret from outside the dynasty).  In Pit 1 was the infantry and was accompany by 35 chariots though the chariots were made of wood and long since disintegrated. The color was vivid on the soldiers but once they were uncovered within hours the color dissipated and only the red color stayed. I bought a book signed by the peasant who discovered the warriors (he is now in his 80's).  The book is very informative and has a lot better pictures then the ones I took but here they are:

Train Station Beijing

Fast train I was on AWESOME

My hostel in Xian

Entering the Terracotta Warriors

Picture of the first one found - kneeling archer

The real one-fully intact

This one with a horse

This was Pit 3 some soldiers  were not completed (no heads)

Pit 1

Still Pit 1 the Infantry

Life Challenge: Age is an issue of mind over matter..  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.... Mark Twain