DAY 39
Week 6
XI'AN (Shaanxi, CHN) to EMEI SHAN (Sichuan, CHN)
Monday August 14th, 2017
TODAYS MILEAGE – 500 miles or 805 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 34,470 miles or 55,474 kilometres
Today's activities began with an hour & half minibus ride out of Xi'an to visit the area's most famous attraction, the UNESCO World Heritage listed - Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Terracotta Army.
One thing that strikes you upon arrival, is the sheer scale of the place and the amount of people that were already here at ten o'clock on a school/work day. We went through all three Terracotta Army Pits & the Relics Hall, which at our decidedly leisurely crowd controlled pace, ended up being the best part of three hours.
After a great local lunch, prepared by and served in one of the nearby villager’s house, it was a two-hour return trip back to our accommodations - "HNA Hotel Downtown Xi'an".
We had plenty of time to freshen up, check out of our hotel and head over the railway station for our 449 mile (723 kilometre) overnight sleeper train ride to "Chengdu", one of the three most populous cities in Western China.
• LINTONG ~ Terracotta Army: Arrival (Shaanxi, CHN)
• LINTONG ~ Terracotta Army: Pit 1 (Shaanxi, CHN)
• LINTONG ~ Terracotta Army: Pit 3 (Shaanxi, CHN)
• LINTONG ~ Terracotta Army: Pit 2 (Shaanxi, CHN)
• LINTONG ~ Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum: Relics Hall (Shaanxi, CHN)
• LINTONG ~ Lunch With The Locals (Shaanxi, CHN)
• XI'AN ~ Exploring The City (Shaanxi, CHN)
Day 9 - Xi'an to Emei Shan
Visit one of China's greatest archaeological treasures--the Terracotta Warriors. Later, board an overnight train to Emei Shan.
Take a guided tour of the Terracotta Warriors where more than 8,000 clay soldiers and hundreds of replica horses and chariots stand in three pits. Learn why the Emperor Qin Shihuang commissioned the statues to serve as his army in the afterlife and how they were discovered. Spend a half-day exploring this archaeological wonder.
Experience 15-17 hour overnight travel like a local. Sit back and get some well-earned (and likely much-needed) rest enroute to your next stop.