Off to Xi'an!

Xi'an was one place Father hadn't planned on when we started our trip, but Mother insisted on it.  To be honest, Mother didn't know the geography of China very well and didn't understand how far away Xi'an was.  We decided to do a quick side trip on our way to Changsha. 

It was time to board the bullet train to Xi'an for a little side trip to see the Terracotta Warriors. It was a surprisingly comfortable and quick four hour ride there, which is to be expected, we were riding the fastest bullet train in the world.  The train went up to 200 miles per hour! What are Terracotta Warriors you ask?  I think Wiki explain it best:  

The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was^{[citation needed]} to protect the emperor in his afterlife.

The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BCE,^[1] were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.^[2] Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.

When we arrived, our driver was already there.  From the station, it was an hour car ride to the hotel we were staying at.  We settled for the night, although my room was weirdly hot at 31 degrees Celsius, or about 88 degrees Fahrenheit, but I slept through the night.  The next day, I saw that the temperature had risen overnight! Turns our Mother and Father's room was the same and they hardly got a good nights rest which really messed up our mood for sightseeing today.  Father went to the front desk to take care of business and Father insisted on everyone getting a room with two AC in the room which I was extremely thankful for.

Our day went on, filled with some sight seeing! We went to see the Terracotta Warriors.  It was extremely crowded in the pits displaying the warrior, but I managed to get some good looks.  The guidebook describes the third pit as the best pit, but I personally found the first one most impressive.

It was a great experience to see the Terracotta Warrior in person, since I'd only seen pictures.  Even though I couldn't get too close, it was still amazing to see how each face is slightly different.  After that, we went to see the tomb of Emporer Qin Shi Huang, which the warriors protect. 

After looking through all the warriors on display and the tomb, we went back to the hotel.