Day 6 ... A Pagoda, an Army and a bike

First thing to say today is that I woke up WAY to early! 5.26 am is not a good start to the day when I spent the night over thinking! However, the day waits for no one, so I put my big girl panties on and was ready for the day ahead.

After a lovely shower (although I hate the step in the bath ones ... who needs to do the hurdles to have a shower?), dressed and off to breakfast. This was another buffet with much to offer including the coffee I needed after my restless night.

We then met up with Lily and our driver for the day ... Mr Lei, and jumped into the van to head to our first destination. After only a few minutes drive we arrived at the gates of the Little Wild Goose Pagoda.

The Pagoda was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and it is the smaller of two Buddhist pagodas in Xi'an. It is surrounded by a beautiful park which is free for the public to enter and so is a central location for many of the older generation to come and exercise with gentle morning stretches or tai chi.

The Pagoda has 13 tiers and reaches 43 metres tall. It was 46 metres and 15 tiers but as a result of earthquakes and storms it has lost some tiers and height. The grounds have a large bell that you can ring with a gong ... three bell strikes for your wish to be heard. Ian took the opportunity to strike the bell and utter his wish to come true.

Within the grounds is also the Xi'an Musuem ... a nicely laid out museum with many statues of Buddha, goddesses and other artefacts. It was nice to wander through to see some of the exhibits and marvel at the richness of the history of Xi'an.

After the Pagoda we bundled back into the van and headed towards the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor complex located some 35 km from the city ... home to the Terracotta Army. The drive was interesting of course ... with much to see along the way like a massive new road being built! Even more interesting was our driver (and guide) getting lost along the way!

How we could get lost is beyond me! Ian and I were both following along on google maps and saw the turn off to the Warriors but Mr Lei and Lily seemed oblivious! So we ended up taking the scenic route ... through small side streets and past small farmlets. With Ian and I desperate to navigate from the back seat we pulled over at one point for Lily to ask for directions.

We made it in the end though ... and I suppose that is all that matters! Jumping out of the car when Mr Lei pulled in to double park we then began the rapid walk to the entrance (passport please), through the gates, and then walked through the lovely lush park to the second entrance gate (passport please and security check) and then we were almost there.

The Terracotta Warriors were only found in 1974 when a local farmer was digging a new well on his property and found some artefacts. He contacted the local authorities and the rest (they say) is history! Land was acquired and the excavation began.

Three pits have since been excavated with Pit 1 being the largest ... 230 metres long and 72 metres wide and contains an army of more than 3000 figures. Pit 2 and 3 are smaller with Pit 3 believed to be the command post. Pit 4 appears to be empty and had been resealed by the archaeologists in charge. In total it is estimated that the 3 pits contain 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 chariot horses and 150 Calvary horses.

Nothing can prepare you for the sight of the army as you walk through the doors of Pit 1. Firstly it feels like you are in a massive farm shed (maybe a chicken shed), then the crowds are crazy ... standing 5 deep to get to the front of the wall, and then, when you finally break through the crowd to reach the front ... you are hit with the visual wonder that is the army!

The army is incredible. Each soldier is different. Some are complete. Some are headless. Different costumes annd facial features. Each one is different. The horses are amazing. You just stand there and stare! And then try to capture it in some way before it is your turn to move on and let the crowd behind have their opportunity to view the Warriors.

You then walk along the sides ... again fighting the crowd, stopping in wonder and awe. As you walk the length of the pit you see more soldiers, some complete, some just piles of rubble. You can see signs of ongoing excavation and restoration. It is more than I imagined!

Pit 3 was next ... a much smaller pit with fewer figures. It was also less congested so you had to fight less in order to see. Pit 2 was the least excavated and is the site of the more work currently underway. The building also housed some complete figurines in glassed boxes that allowed you to see them up close and in 360⁰. The details are incredible.

Leaving the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor ... we walked through the bustling maze of restaurants, fast food places (McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut), and the countless souvenir stalls and sellers to head back to meet up with Mr Lei. Then Lily took us to a local restaurant where she over ordered and Ian and I enjoyed a banquet of food.

Cold noodles, Biang Biang noodles, sweet crispy pork, broccoli and carrots in soy, a local vegetable steamed with garlic and a local Chinese pork hamburger. The food was delicious ... we over ate ... but we enjoyed it all.

Then back to our hotel to catch a rest (it was 31⁰) before we headed out alone for some more adventures.

(Ian here) My wife is an angel, who indulges my simple whims - like 3 strikes on the bell at the pagoda, and agreeing to cycle the Xi'an Fortress Wall. Yes! Even after a big day, 13.7km around the city on top of the wall, looking down on city life as the sun set and the night lights took effect. Sure our muscles ache (again) after 2 hours pedalling, but you only live once. It was super fun. Flat paving, a little bumpy, and the bikes weren't a perfect fit. But ...

The moat. A Buddhist temple. Table tennis. Hundreds of people in traditional costume taking photos. Walkers. Cyclists. City streets. Bars and restaurants. Badminton. It was all there as we cycle by. The smell of the lilac from the trees growing beside the wall.

Once we returned the bikes our final challenge for the day was navigating to our hotel. Easy. Except the big night show was about to start so we got sent out a different gate that deposited us inside the fortress wall, not outside. A moment of bewilderment until a helpful policemen pointed to the subway exit across the road and a pedestrian path through the 50m thick wall.

But wait. It's 8pm and the sound and light show turns the Arrow Tower red and orange. Xi'an really is the city that never sleeps. But time for us to close down. 6.10am pick for our fast train to Chengdu. Stay tuned for more!