11/7 xi'an

Quite the process to get to Xi'an cheaply - flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong, ferry from HK to Shenzhen (in mainland China), flight from Shenzhen to Xi’an. But well worth it to see this ancient capital of China for over 1,000 years and home to the famous terra cotta warriors. We only had a day here so it was a busy one that included a trip to the Large Wild Goose Pagoda (yes, that is its name), the Confucius stella museum, and the terra cotta warriors. All amazing, the warriors were definitely the highlight, but what a change from when I was there 18 months ago. Now there are 100 times as many shops and it’s become more of a shopping area than anything. Still, definitely worth the visit, but beware of the pollution! With the amount of construction, there is a haze that is everywhere.

Massive bowl o' airport noodles (we seem to eat nothing but rice and noodles, rice and noodles, punctuated by McDonald's where we can find it)
Yes, that is the pollution haze out our hotel window
Wild goose pagoda

View from the top - POLLUTION! You could taste it. Seriously.

Calligraphy on ancient stellae
Terra cotta warriors!