Xi'an Day One

Beijing to Xi'an

We had an early morning start today. Flying from Beijing to Xi’an meant we had to be at the airport by 8:30 AM. We had an early breakfast and left the hotel at about 7:15 AM to get to the airport. Taking care of 23 pieces of luggage was an interesting task. Got that all taken care of and all were checked in and taken to the gate. Eastern China Airlines actually feeds people on their flights and the noodle meal was satisfactory but Bonnie tells the me rice meal was not as appetizing. Oh well, it is what it is.

History Museum

The first stop in Xi’an was the History Museum. Needed to learn a little bit about the beginning of the dynasties in China. We would use this information when we go to see the Terracotta Warriors tomorrow. The museum was interesting but we weren’t there nearly long enough.

White Goose Buddhist Temple

From the museum we went to the Temple of the White Goose. This is a Buddhist temple that is approximately 800 years old. This was a very interesting tour from cultural, religious, and architectural standpoints. There is an eight-story pagoda at the center of the temple grounds. This is a working temple and there are many monks moving around the temple while we are on the tour. There are many

interesting statues, gazebos, and halls throughout the grounds. Most of the buildings and rooms we were enter and poke around in to see the décor and how the

monks live and work. Some of the folks in our group decided to climb the pagoda but I couldn’t look at that many step again today after the trek on the Great Wall.

The evening was a free night for us since we didn’t sign up for the Tang Dynasty Show. We walked to a

huge mall in Xi’an and had dinner at McDonald’s. We poked around in the mall for about an hour and then walked back to the hotel. The walk to and back from the mall was about a mile round trip. Everyone had a good time but was tired when we got back to the hotel.

All is well on Friday as we close the day. Tomorrow is a big day for us all.