Xi'an

We have been without Internet for awhile and I apologize that we had no advanced notice to let you know that we are all OK. After spending the night in a less than desirable hotel, we finished our time in Xi'an and have made it to Beijing via airplane.

Our last days in Xi'an were spent going to the Shaanxi History Museum and walking around downtown Xi'an. The museum was quite nice -encompassing artifacts from the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. We had the opportunity to see The Kneeling Archer, a 120 cm tall figure unearthed in 1977 from Emperor Qin Shi Huang's tomb a very large Buddah and pictures of people playing polo dating back to the Tang Dynasty.

While waiting to enter the museum, we got a chance to walk around a very lovely park surrounding the Giant Goose Pagoda. The park was home to Asia's largest water fountain which shoots water synchronized to music several shows per day. We visited street vendors, enjoyed the park and caught glimpses of the Pagoda which was repaired after damages (several times) due to earthquakes. It used to be a monastery for graduate students of the Tang dynasty.

We visited the famous Drum and Bell towers that are located in the central heart of Xi'an. The tower housed both the drums and bells to signify either morning or dusk during the Ming dynasty and it is believed the the Bell Tower protects the city of Xi'an from the dragon (earthquakes).

While in Beijing we checked into our lodging and met with students from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology. We exchanged ides and answered questions about out country and our school.

We had dinner on our own and most of us are turning in early as tomorrow will be a long and exciting day at the Great Wall.