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Day 6 Shanghai - Xi'an, Hanyangling
Oct. 18th, 2010 05:20 pmGot up at an ungodly hour in the morning to catch the flight to Xi'an. The flight itself was about two hours, though it took a while to actually get out of the airport due to Shanghai's crowded terminals.
Once in Xi'an, we were picked up by our tour guide for a quick lunch at the airport, then drove to the 汉阳陵 (Hanyangling) site which was on the way to the city. This is the mausoleum/grave of the fourth emperor of the Han Dynasty, Han Jingdi. He was the second half of the famous 文景之治 (Wen-Jing reforms) and the father of the infamous Han Wudi. We went through the underground museum which showcased the dig sites and the clay objects found around the burial mound (the actual burial mound of the emperor is not excavated until the archaeologists have decided they've got better technology to best preserve what they excavate...and the government has to give the ok too of course). There was also a very cool movie about the stuff found, though unfortunately no photos were allowed.
After that we were delivered to our hotel. Rooms are nice and most of the amenities are here also. Only downside is that they charge for the internet access here and it seems to be much slower than in Shanghai. insanejournal especially takes a long time to load; livejournal in comparison loads much faster.
Also, I didn't realize how much better the Shanghai air quality was due to the coastal winds. With three to four coal plants in Xi'an, the air here is as bad as I remember Beijing being. I started coughing as soon as we left the airport (at least, I hope that's why I started coughing and it's not cuz I'm catching a cold. :-/).
We'll probably eat at the hotel for dinner since there's nothing that I know of in Shaanxi cuisine that makes me want to suggest going out to find. Also, one of the twins had diarrhea this morning which we think might have been due to the noodle place at the Expo last night (note: do not eat at Jade Cuisine) since the other twin didn't touch her food much last night and didn't have stomach problems this morning. So I think we're going to be much more careful about food here.
On the bright side, it sounds like most of our stay here in Xi'an for the next week will be guided tours. So hopefully that will cut down on the wear and tear on my feet, since the tours are more likely to be saner in their scheduling. :P
Edit to add: Apparently I'm really allergic to the air around here. When I'm in a controlled atmosphere such as the bathroom after a hot bath or the restaurant deep inside the hotel, I'm just fine. But the moment I get near a door or window with a hint of the outside air, I start coughing uncontrollably and my throat itches. Bleh.
Once in Xi'an, we were picked up by our tour guide for a quick lunch at the airport, then drove to the 汉阳陵 (Hanyangling) site which was on the way to the city. This is the mausoleum/grave of the fourth emperor of the Han Dynasty, Han Jingdi. He was the second half of the famous 文景之治 (Wen-Jing reforms) and the father of the infamous Han Wudi. We went through the underground museum which showcased the dig sites and the clay objects found around the burial mound (the actual burial mound of the emperor is not excavated until the archaeologists have decided they've got better technology to best preserve what they excavate...and the government has to give the ok too of course). There was also a very cool movie about the stuff found, though unfortunately no photos were allowed.
After that we were delivered to our hotel. Rooms are nice and most of the amenities are here also. Only downside is that they charge for the internet access here and it seems to be much slower than in Shanghai. insanejournal especially takes a long time to load; livejournal in comparison loads much faster.
Also, I didn't realize how much better the Shanghai air quality was due to the coastal winds. With three to four coal plants in Xi'an, the air here is as bad as I remember Beijing being. I started coughing as soon as we left the airport (at least, I hope that's why I started coughing and it's not cuz I'm catching a cold. :-/).
We'll probably eat at the hotel for dinner since there's nothing that I know of in Shaanxi cuisine that makes me want to suggest going out to find. Also, one of the twins had diarrhea this morning which we think might have been due to the noodle place at the Expo last night (note: do not eat at Jade Cuisine) since the other twin didn't touch her food much last night and didn't have stomach problems this morning. So I think we're going to be much more careful about food here.
On the bright side, it sounds like most of our stay here in Xi'an for the next week will be guided tours. So hopefully that will cut down on the wear and tear on my feet, since the tours are more likely to be saner in their scheduling. :P
Edit to add: Apparently I'm really allergic to the air around here. When I'm in a controlled atmosphere such as the bathroom after a hot bath or the restaurant deep inside the hotel, I'm just fine. But the moment I get near a door or window with a hint of the outside air, I start coughing uncontrollably and my throat itches. Bleh.
