Xi'an

This post is way overdue! It is now May, and I am finally posting about our trip to Xi'an that we took in March. Just a forewarning, this is going to be a long post. We did so many things and even something that was really extraordinary (keep reading to find out). Sean and I also uploaded a bunch of videos, so be sure to check those out too. Let's get started! Sean and I took the overnight train to Xi'an. Sean picked me up from my work, and we headed to the train station. We took our time because the overnight train was scheduled to leave at 9:10pm, and it was only about 5pm. So we casually ate dinner, and at 7:45pm we went to the train station. When we got to the station, we asked where our platform was. To our surprise, the guard told us that we were at the wrong train station! What! We found out that the station that we needed to go to was about an hour away! Oh snap! It was night, traffic in Beijing at this hour is always bad, and our train was going to leave in an hour! So with help from above, Sean and I were given extreme super charged legs, Sean was also aided with extra arm strength (to carry our suitcase) while we ran to the subway, transferd twice, found the right bus, and ran to the right station. We arrived sweaty, exhausted, and seven minutes before the train departed. We later found out that you have to arrive five minutes before to be allowed on the train. What a miracle!
So we found our hard sleeper beds and tucked our suitcase away. Click HERE to see us tell you how the night went. (Just to let you know, I have some pretty funny facial expressions, and you can see me what I look like right when I wake up).
We arrived in Xi'an after our twelve hour overnight ride. We stayed at this great traditional youth hostel for about 20 dollars a night! One of the first things we did was go to a 1,000 year old hot spring. When Xi'an was the capital, many of the royal party members would come out to this hot spring and bathe.


Then we headed on over to the Terracotta Warriors. What a site! The army of warriors was discovered in 1974 by peasants digging a well. The life-size pottery figures were made to guard the tomb of the first emperor, (who unified China 2,200 years ago) Qin Shi Huangdi. They have excavated over 7,000 soldiers, archers, and horses within three pits. Pit 1 contains the infantry; pit 2 is still be excavated and is filled with cavalry and soldiers; and pit 3 has the high-ranking officers. Pit 2 is still being excavated because each warrior was originally colored with pigment. However, when the paint comes in contact with the air it disintegrates, so until scientists can find a solution, these warriors will not be uncovered. As many know, each warrior has an individually made face. The details are amazing. Take a look at these carefully crafted hairstyles, belts, clothing, and shoes. Take a look here a short clip of us in pit 1 here.
That night we went to the Wild Goose Pagoda to see the water show. It was wonderful! Check it out here!
The next day we did something extraordinary! We hiked to Hua Shan (Flower Mountain), the steepest and most dangerous mountain in China! I was not looking forward to it at all, but I am so proud of myself that I made it to the top! Here are pictures of us along the trek. Most mountain trails here are all paved or made into steps and stairs. We went with our Spaniard friends that we met at our hostel. We finally made it to the first peak after 4 hours of steep stair climbing. Now for the dangerous part. We had to climb the "Dragon's Back" to get to next two peaks. Take a look at this steep cliff trail up ahead of us. Then once we crossed that part, we had this super steep ridge to climb. See what I was thinking right before we hiked it here! We finally made it to the top exhausted, and proud! Click here to see the clip. The locks are to symbolize couples' locked love. Click here to see a cute old man working away breaking up the rocks. To end our trip, the next day we did a nine mile bike ride along the old city wall.