Today we went to see the terra cotta warriors.  This is one of the things I most wanted to see in China.  There are over 8000 terra cotta warriors. A lot of them are still underground because we don’t have the technology to preserve them yet.  Most of the ones they uncovered had bright paint on them.  Within a short period of time, all the color oxidized and was gone. They are 2008 years old. Each warrior has a different face, the faces of the actual soldiers. Before the warriors we went to a shop where they make replica warriors.  They also made lacquer furniture.  The first thing we did in the morning was go to a local park, Xingqing Park.  Like the other parks, there are a lot of retired people exercising and playing games.  Apparently no tourists go to this park except with this tour group.  The people love to see the tourists and invite them in to join.  We did some tai chi, hacky sac, a fan dance and acupressure massage.  It was a lot of fun.  The Chinese people were quick to grab you and have you join in.  They loved taking photos with us too.

We had a dinner show tonight.  It was wonderful, with great costumes and quite a variety of dancing.

We have tomorrow morning off to do what we want.  I’m torn between going to see the drum and bell towers up close, walking along the city wall, and sleeping in.  When we got back to the hotel, one person asked me if I was going to the towers tonight.  Duh.  I could do that tonight and then the wall tomorrow.  We took a taxi from the hotel.  You couldn’t get very close to the bell tower, but you could get pretty close to the drum tower.  It was real pretty, all lit up.  Getting back proved more difficult.  We stood where a lot of taxis were coming by.  One stopped and a Chinese couple appeared from nowhere and took it.  Then the next one stopped and some Chinese people just jumped in front of us and took it.  This went on for quite a while.  Most taxis didn’t even stop.  Most that stopped, drove up to Chinese people instead of us.  Two taxis did stop.  When I handed them the address of the hotel, they both said no.  I finally decided a 40-minute walk lead by Google maps sounded like a great idea.  The guy I was with didn’t like the new plan, but he didn’t have much choice because he wasn’t any more successful at getting a taxi than I was.  We came to a smaller street.  As you looked down it, all you could see is small colored flashy lighted business signs.  It looked like a spy or kung fu movie where the hero escapes into a crowded back alley.  I decided this was the better path back.  It was.  We zig zagged through small restaurants, businesses, street vendors and alleys.  I liked seeing this side of the city.  I like getting a glimpse of how people actually live.

(c) All rights reserved Kimberly Fiore