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After a very early morning fight from Xi’an, we found ourselves gliding down the beautiful Li River. It was raining when we arrived in Guilin, but it’s as if we have some benevolent Chinese spirits looking after us – because by the time we were on the River the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. We are going to cruise the most scenic portion of this lovely site during a… Read More
Right off I need to let you know the Terra Cotta Warriors are not really terra cotta. They are made of a completely different kind of clay called loess and are a much lighter sandy color. Apparently when they were first discovered by farmers in the mid-1970s, National Geographic identified them as terra cotta and in English, the moniker has stuck; in Chinese it’s totally different. Seeing the warriors is definitely a… Read More
Today was pretty much a travel day – flying from Beijing to Xi’an on a China Eastern Airbus. I’ve been able to take off my jacket for the first time; it’s warm here, but not much humidity. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors, but we began our visit in this former capital with a stop at the little-visited Han Yangling Museum. This modern facility houses the results of… Read More
Beijing has quite literally bloomed before our eyes. As the days have gone by the magnolia blooms have fully opened and more and more tress are showing their beautiful yellow, pink and purple blossoms. The temperature is still cool (high of 60) and the sky a pastel blue-what better day to visit the Temple of Heaven and its beautiful surrounding park. We walked through the park with expanses of bright green new… Read More
