THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Interesting food !

Coming from Ipoh where delicious cuisines are easily available and affordable, the food we tasted on the Silk Road tour  was far from good, but we ate and enjoyed for the sake of filling our stomachs.  Our usual dinner or lunch dishes were  mostly vegetables ( 9 out of 10 ) with one or two meat dishes, man tau (plain pao ) and noodle.

  

biang biang mee a.k.a belt mee famous in Xi'an

from the sound made when the mee dough beats

on the table while making. Nothing spectacular in taste. 

 A king size version of pan mee .

The Chinese character  for biang is a big mouthful !

Savouring famous beef noodle in Lanzhou.

Cannot even find a piece of beef, just soup + noodle

No spoon for soup, so just hold the bowl and

SLURP ! 

Our usual meal with mostly vegetable dishes cooked in

different style. Fresh water carp was quite common, but

we avoided it because of the many y bones. 

Ayatollahwas the 'head of the family', so he must

initiate the dinner by plunging a knife into

the roasted lamb.Beautiful khazak girls accompanied him.

Expected to enjoy eating the roasted lamb, but we were rather disappointed to 

see the meat hand torn into odd shapes. Spoilt our appetite.  

Connie and the Khazak girls.

They performed a dance. before dinner.



THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Day 12 (last day) 9th June 2012

in the morning before departure.

Xi'an city wall.

The City Wall of Xian is the most well-preserved and intact part of the Chinese ancient city walls. It is also the largest and most intact ancient city wall structures in the world. Originally built in the Ming Dynasty(1368-16440), the City Wall was function for military fortification. Now it has become a hot tourist attraction in Xian.



to be continued.

THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Day 11   8th June 2012

Xi 'an  -Terracota army museum

The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum in Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC). The State Council authorized to build a museum on site in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to visit. Xian and the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all travelers' itinerary.


Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigor.

The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back.

No. 2 Pit, found in 1976, is 20 meters northeast of No. 1 Pit. It contained over a thousand warriors and 90 chariots of wood. It was unveiled to the public in 1994.Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976, 25 meters northwest of No. 1 Pit. It looked like to be the command center of the armed forces. It went on display in 1989, with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses.

Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur.

Since Oct. 1st, 2010 the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum have been combined into one large tourist area, Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum Site Park, which also includes three other small sites opened in 2011. The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and the nearby three unopened sites (namely the Museum of Terracotta Acrobatics, the Museum of Terracotta Civil Officials and the Museum of Stone Armor) constitute the so-called Lishan Garden.

The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is a sensational archeological find of all times. It has put Xian on the map for tourists. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world cultural heritages.

 

Connie shook hand with Yang Qi De,one of the farmers that

discovered the pottery figures while digging a well



The statue of Emperor Qin Shi Huang

to be continued

THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Day 11   8th June 2012

-Xi’an museum

Located in the Small Wild Goose Pagoda Scenic Area, Xian Museum has more than 100, 000 fine cultural relics, most of which were unearthed in the important tombs and the capital sites of the Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-221 BC), the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC), the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), and the Tang Dynasty (618-907). More than 2,000 of these articles reflect the outstanding technological achievements of past dynasties. It is a three-storied building, with an underground floor unseen from the outside. The underground exhibition hall features many relics that have been unearthed, showing the history of Xian, the one-time capital of 13 dynasties, its economy, social life, as well as cultural exchange 

The pagoda was cracked by earthquakes on three occasions but miraculously these cracks were closed by later quakes.

The architectural design of the museum follows the traditional Chinese concept of the universe - a round heaven and a square earth. It has been recognized as one of the ten landmark buildings in Xian and offers excellent facilities for the display of precious cultural relics thereby ensuring their full appreciation.







to be continued

THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Day 10    7th June 2012 (evening)

Xi'an City

-Muslim Street

The Muslim Street is a fantastic place to wonder. All shops and restaurants in the street are operated by Muslims. The stalls lines the narrow alleys sell almost everything you can expect. There are a number of stalls selling small items of handicrafts, souvenirs, jewelries, dried fruits, clothings, etc. If you are good at bargaining, you can get some things at a really cheap price.

The restaurants in the streets are all Muslim ones, and a variety of Muslim food and snacks can be tried here, including the locals' favourites - roasted beef, roasted fish, and pancakes. Food served is diverse and complex but are very cheap. (We dare not try for fear of food poisoning.)



-Bell and Drum Towers (Zhonggu lou)

They are located at the end of Muslim Street.
As in many cities or towns in China, there are a bell tower and a drum tower in Xi'an to mark the center of this city.  The bell and drum tower is one of the smaller highlights for a visit to the city. It has been considered a symbolic construction of Xi'an old city and is a nice way to fill out a day of sight-seeing.
In ancient China , the bell was usually used to give the correct time or give an alarm of fire.

                                                                 The bell tower behind Connie

                                      Connie is sitting at a piramid fountain between the two towers.

                                                                  The drum tower

to be continued.

THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Day 10   7th June 2012 (Afternoon)

Baoji - Xi'an

-Famen temple

Famen Temple is located in Famen Town, Fufeng County, about 110 kilometers west of Xian City and 90 kilometers east of Baoji City. Initially established at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Famen Temple was given its name in the Tang Dynasty. With more than 1,700 years history, it is taken as the grandfather of temples and pagodas in Central China.  Famen Temple became an imperial temple and a holy place for Buddhism. Famen Temple in the Song Dynasty reached its largest scale, and during the period of the Republican China, the temple received its most comprehensive reconstruction. In 1981, a mysterious underground palace was re-awoken after 1,113 years, when the provincial government decided to rebuild the Stupa. A great number of valuable relics and treasures were unearthed, offering us important data to study the society of the Tang Dynasty. Famen Temple houses ten unmissable major sites, including the real finger bone of Sakyamuni, the most ancient Stupa underground palace, Tang Dynasty Mandala, 13 hawksbill coins, an imperial tea set, a Buddhist ritual apparatus, including a tin staff, 13 pieces of colour porcelain, more than 700 pieces of silk article and Buddhist relic boxes.
Statues and structures of modern architecture were recently added to enhance tourism.


to be continued

THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Day 9  6th June 2012

Lanzhou -  Tianshui , a 2 hour journey.  After lunch we visited the Fuxi Temple.

Fuxi Temple has numerous courts and four compounds. Ten historic buildings in the temple include the theatrical stage, archways, the main gate, the instrumental gate, Congenital Temple, Taiji Temple, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and Laihe Hall. Six new buildings include Waiting Rooms, the Tablet Gallery and exhibition halls. There are about 76 buildings.Fuxi Temple is a large and well preserved Ming Dynasty architectural complex. It was built about the year 1490 to worship the god Fuxi who was believed to be one of the ancestors of all Chinese.

-Maiji mountain  grottoes


Located 45 kilometers (about 28 miles) southeast of Tianshui City in Gansu Province, Maiji Mountain rises up abruptly 142 meters (about 155 yards) from the landscape. The people named the mountain 'Maiji' because it resembles a stack of wheat straw (mai meaning wheat, and ji meaning stack).

On the sheer cliff that marks the southwest side of Maiji Mountain, people have laboured for centuries carving niches and caves, giving rise to what is known today as the Maiji Caves. Inside the caves are clay statues, whose heights vary from 20 centimeters to 15 meters. Besides 194 Buddhist caves and niches, containing more than 7, 200 clay statues, there are also murals of over 1, 300 square meters in the Maiji Caves as well. These statues are works of art that reflect ancient craftsmanship and dedication to the Buddhist ideal. Rarely can one find caves and statues carved over sheer cliffs in China, and this is one of the most distinguishing features of Maiji Caves. Being carved on the cliff, these caves are connected by plank roads that hang precariously along the face of the cliff. Visitors can only reach each cave by using these plank roads, which offers a breathtaking experience.

to be continued