China! Day 14

Goodbye Chengdu, hello Lhasa Tibet. Unbelievable amount of permits and security checks to be able to fly to Tibet. Now to adjust to the altitude and dryness. More adventure to come!

Fwd: China! Day 12 part a

Goodbye Xī'ān, hello Chengdu. We boarded a high speed train to take us to our new city and adventure. Love traveling by train! Chengdu is the 5th largest city in China coming in at over 16 million. That more than 2x's the size of New York City. It is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. The food dishes are even spicier. It is a 2-3 napkin meal.  😋 Home if the Panda Bear Sanctuary — tomorrow!  Tonight about half of the group opted to go to the Face Changing Performance. Our guides treated us with a special surprise (depends on how you look at it....), dressing us up in costumes as you can see above. Thrilled with the head wear...  The performance is basically a tragic love story, acrobatics, fire breathing and, of course, the truly amazing performing of the mask/face changing that happens right in front of your face. More pics in next entry.

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China! Day 13 part d

>>> More panda fun and a peacock. Who knew...
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Fwd: China! Day 13 part c

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> Giant pandas is a conservation-reliant vulnerable species. They are endangered in the wild in the mountain ranges in central China, mainly Sichuan where we are staying now. As result of farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowlands where it once lived. The dragon has served as the Chinese National symbol, the giant panda has filled this roll more recently. It was pretty cool to see these bears in a very well done simulation of their natural environment.
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China! Day 13 part a

Pandas! So adorable! Chengdu main attraction is the National Giant Panda Sanctuary. A huge park that has created a natural environment to sustain and support the giant panda bear. Today there are only about 1800 giant panda living in the wild. The Chinese are very passionate about their pandas. Of course it was another encounter with a massive crush of humanity to see the bears. It was easier than anticipated to see the bears. Took a ridiculous number of photos of the bears. Here are a few.

China! Day 13 part e

Lunch and shopping along an ancient quaint street in Chengdu. Very fun! Managed to buy a few treasures to take home. Then we set off for the People's Park. Did not get enough close encounters with a massive crush of humanity at the Panda park, we certainly got our quota at this park. People come here to socialize, play mahjong, performances of dance, song and play instruments. Very fun! But jammed with people.

China! Day 13 part b

The red panda. Much smaller than the giant panda. Native to the Himalayas and SW China, they are endangered species due to loss of environment and poaching. They are one of few species that can rotate their ankles to descend down a tree. The tail gives you a clue they are related to the raccoon. Would rather have a red panda on my deck than a raccoon...

China! Day 11 part a

It is time for a Day in the Life. At least one day during every OAT tour, you spend out with local people in whatever country your are visiting. Today was really quite fun. Started out with splitting up in teams, given 10 Yuen and a Chinese name of a vegetable. The challenge was to find and buy that vegetable, in Chinese, then spend the balance of your 10 Yuen on as much as you could buy. The prize, a couple of 1000 year old eggs. Our guide cracked one open and we all had the opportunity for a taste. Somehow a black egg just did not look appealing... We left the market for to poke through the old village and then across the street to the new village. We were greeted with music and dance. Very fun! Met our hosts and broke into two groups to participate in making our lunch dishes. It was a blast, not to mention quite tasty. Good thing Carol and I had previous experience on how to make dumplings thanks to Jeannie Loh. 😊

China! Day 11 part b

Lunch has begun! Our culinary creations are on their way for us to devour as you can see above. Thanks to the expert guidance from our most skilled hosts. It really was quite fun and enjoyable to eat! Caught a few photos of this village street and park. The last pic is an attempt to show you some serious high density housing here in China. All of the cities we have visited are loaded with these 30+ floor apartment buildings. Sure hope they have elevators.... 😉. We leave Xi'an tomorrow on a train to Chengdu. Keep reading!

China! Day 10 part e

It would not be an OAT tour without a school visit. Here we are in a 6th grade classroom. The students were quite fun. It was interesting to say the least. Was remiss in completing yesterday's adventures. Dinner last night was comprised of a number of variations of dumplings. Yum! Along with a stage show. The costumes were amazing! Loves the choreography and musical instruments. The best was the line of women performing the 1000 hands. All had about 3" extensions for finger nails. It was pretty cool. Tonight's dinner, not so elaborate. A few of us when for a Chinese hamburger. Well, not really a hamburger as you might know. It was quite tasty. The meat was chopped pork and the bun...not sure exactly but it was yummy! Tomorrow our last day in Xī'ān.

China! Day 10 part d

More warriors.

China! Day 10 part c

The scale of this discovery is yet to be determined other than it is immense. There are 3 pits partially excavated. The excavation and reconstruction of this archeological site is ongoing. More than 2000 warriors and horses have been excavated. There is an estimated 6000 still buried. Emperor Qin Shi Huang's actual tomb remains a mystery to archeologists and historians as it is still sealed up. Geophysical surveys have determined where the tomb mound is located but the mausoleum has not been excavated. It was believed that Qin Shi Huang could rule over his empire in the afterlife along with his support warriors. In reflection of exploring this world wonder today, one is struck by not only the depth and quantity but the effort required to build and bury all that is here. It is nearly beyond comprehension.

China! Day 10 part b

China's first Emperor Qin Shi Huang wanted to live forever He spent a massive amount of resources building this immense underground empire, equipped with everything he would need for the afterlife. Palaces, army for protection, chariots for travel, stable of horses, entertainer, and of course, his concubines. Covering 56 square kilometers, this is the biggest burial site on earth. Now a major tourist site in Xī'ān. Originally the warriors were painted bright colors depicting different ranks. It is difficult, if at all, to see today. Once the warriors were created, painted and placed in military formation in the pits, their were equipped with real bronze weapons. More than 40,000 weapons have been found in the partially excavated pits. Read on the next parts for more interesting facts.

China! Day 10 part a

On March 29, 1974 a farmer was digging a new well when he uncovered fragments of pottery. This led to the discovery of the famous TerraCotta Army. What a thrill it is to be here to see! Despite another experience with a massive crush of humanity. 🥴 The discovery was quite surprising since there are no historical records of this underground army. It was 221 bc when Emperor Shi Huang ordered the building of this army which was to serve him in his after life. The emperor's mausoleum is about 1.5k from the pits where the TerraCotta Warriors are entombed. The warriors were untouched underground form more than 2200 years. This is now considered the 8th wonder of the world. Incredibly, no two figured are exactly alike. They were built in 3 pieces. The feet/legs are solid cast, the body is hollow, the head is solid and detachable. All the facial features are unique to that soldier. Just like a real army, there are different ranks such as generals, officers depicted by the flat crown on their head, infantrymen who have their hair in a single bun, archers, cavalrymen, charioteers, and guards of honor. All have their own unique expressions, clothing and hairstyles. Keep reading part b and c for more fun facts.