We were up at 5am to catch the flight to Xian. We unloaded everything at the hotel (Hyatt Regency) and then went to lunch at a buffet. The restaurant’s electricity was out so they had candles on the stairs up to the dining room and in the bathrooms. The large dining room had lots of windows so no candles there.
The weather is much smoggier here than in Beijing. The sky doesn’t look brown/dirty but it is definitely very hazy and a bit difficult to breathe.
First stop was the Shaanxi History Museum…tons of artifacts all the way back to Neolithic times. Xian was the capital of China at various times so there is lots of history. Xian was also the end (or beginning) of the Silk Road to Arabia and Turkey. Going through an Asian museum with a guide is a lot more informative than on our own. Bryan pointed out various key displays and had lots of stories (some of which I assume were actually true).
The next stop was the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and surrounding Buddhist Monastery. We opted not to climb to the top of the pagoda.
Dinner was dumplings (Dim Sum) and all was excellent (and too much to eat). This was followed by the Tang Dynasty Show, which was outstanding. There were various performances by instrumentalists as well as dancers. The scenery and costumes were beautiful.
Video in new window of Tang Dynasty Musicians
Video in new window of Tang Dynasty Show - Horn
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