Beijing and Xi'an

China has been incredible so far: Beijing is huge and very modern: truly a world city. Construction is out of control there: tower cranes everywhere. We had the chance to visit the site of the 2008 Olympic Village: the venues look like they are going to be really cool. I can't wait to see them when they're finished. We also went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City almost doesn't seem real: with so many tourists, it's hard to believe that it wasn't just built as a tourist attraction, but it is stunning nonetheless. I particularly liked the Imperial Garden, and if I lived somewhere like the Forbidden City, my house would be in the garden and I would spend most of my time there.

Today (Monday the 28th), we leave for Guiyang in southwestern China. I have really enjoyed Xi'an and wish that we had more time to spend here. This area is the cradle of Chinese civilization and, according to Lonely Planet, there are over 35,000 archeological sites in the vicinity. Yesterday, we visited one of the biggest and most famous: the Terra Cotta Army, which consists of thousands of life size soldiers and horses. The site is still being excavated, but when finished, over 6000 figures are expected to be found. After exploring the 3 open pits, we returned to Xi'an to visit the Big Goose Pagoda, which is a Buddhist temple that was built for the first Chinese Buddhist monk. This monk brought Buddhism to China, and to Xi'an specifically, from India. The temple is still being used, but is open to the public. We explored the grounds, then climbed the 7 story temple to get a better view of Xi'an.

I am looking forward to Guiyang: it is off the beaten path, in the mountains, and with a large ethnic minority population. Xi'an is probably going to be the most "Chinese" of all the places we visit, but Guiyang should have the most interesting mix of peoples and cultures, as well as scenery.

Happy Belated Birthday

to my dad's girlfriend Donna, whose birthday was yesterday.

I'd also like to wish an early happy birthday to Dawn (29th), Chris and Megan (both on the 30th), and Matt (31st), if I don't get back to the computer before then.

Greetings from Xi'an, China

Every day, I say this is the best day ever, but today I really mean it. We arrived in Xi'an this morning after taking the overnight train from Beijing. Xi'an is much closer to the "real" China than the very modern world city of Beijing. After a quick morning snack, we headed out to explore the old city walls. Unlike many cities in China, where the walls have either been completely or partially destroyed, Xi'an's walls completely encircle the oldest part of the city. The walls were originally built during the Ming dynasty over 1000 years ago, although many sections have been rebuilt, some as recently as a year ot two ago. Shortly after climbing to the top of the wall, we discovered that we could rent bicycles and ride around on top of the walls, which of course we did. After a long night on the train, where between our group and 2 other larger groups of American students we drank all of the beer on the train, a bike ride was very much needed. The feeling of riding a bike on top of a 1000 year old wall is indescribable and the views of the old city incredible. To completely ride around the entire wall was 14 km (9 miles), and by the end we were hot and sweaty and tired, but all agreed this was by far the best thing we'd done so far.