We are up early this morning and go down to breakfast. John continues to have his bowl of congee and I find a tasty steamed bun and some egg with fresh vegetable which is seasoned with soy sauce.
We meet to get on the bus at 7:45 AM. We are trying to beat the crowds to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. Today is the first day of a three day holiday in China. That means millions of Chinese will hit the road to visit all their favorite tourist sites. We reach the site around opening time but it is already very busy.
The Terra Cotta Warriors (TCW) are in a very large building. The building was built around their actual burial site. They are there to protect the first Xin emperor in his afterlife.
The TCW are modeled after real people. Each one of their faces is different.
There are archers, foot soldiers, officers and generals as well as horses to ride and pull armaments.
We also look at two other excavations and a building containing two half size bronze carriages pulled by four jade horses. It is great but the crowds are enormous and more than a little overwhelming.
Leaving the TCW, we make our way through the drizzly weather to the airport. We find out that our flight has been delayed. Ultimately it is delayed two and a half hours. Instead of getting in around 4 PM, it is past 6 before we arrive in Beijing. Then there is the purported one hour ride to the restaurant for dinner which, due to the holiday traffic, is much longer. On the plus side, a freshening breeze and rain earlier in the day has washed the air clean and we are treated to low humidity and bright blue skies. Jimmy cannot keep from marveling over this. Beijing is rarely this unsmoggy.
John and I and Brad and Kathy decide that we cannot endure another frantic lazy Susan dinner and catch a cab from the group restaurant to the hotel. We settle into the bar and have drinks and appetizers quietly. It has been a busy and exhausting day and we are happy for a little solitude before bed.