Catch Up Photos - Terracotta Warriors & Big Goose Pagoda

Here are the photos from our evening at Big Goose Pagoda and the morning excursion out to the Terracotta Warriors.

Me in front of the walled Big Goose Pagoda - we got there after tour hours and enjoyed walking around the park area.

The main entrance to the pagoda

Good kite flying day - the only ones flying kites were the ones trying to sell them.

Most of the warriors are in pieces - jigsaw puzzle, anyone?

A few samples of the type of military warriors are in glass cases so that tourists can get a closer look.

The warriors were actually colorfully painted. Once unburied and exposed, they turn back to the terracotta clay color.

Pit 1 - the largest and most impressive of the 3 pits of warriors.

The warriors were discovered in 1974 by some farmers digging a hole for a water well.

John and I at the back end of pit 1 where the Emperor's men and horses are being put back together and some of the restoration is done.

Terra Cotta Warriors Day

We are winding down with a few hours left in Xi'an before we catch our flight to Qingdao. Again, paying for internet so no photos - but we have 3+ days' worth to post eventually. Yesterday was our rest day - I was having some issues and not up to all day adventures. Last night we ventured out to the Big Goose Pagoda via taxis (yes, more than one). The Pagoda itself was closed but there is a nice area outside of it with fountains, walkways, and many vendors. We wandered around and then found a nice restaurant for dinner. This morning we hired a car to drive us the hour to the Terra-cotta warriors museum. Nice drive once out of the city and construction. The parking area is about a 15 minute walk from the museum through some apparently new buildings /shopping area and a nice garden. There are 3 pits of warriors in various stages of excavation. We started with the smallest pit and worked our way up to the most impressive one. I hadn't realized that most of the statues are not renovated and are still in pieces. The chambers had been ransacked and burned by the next emperor and his army so the wooden framework and carriages were destroyed. Hopefully in Qingdao we will have free internet and able to upload photos.