Xi'an

Xi'an is out in the middle of nowhere, yet when you arrive by plane you are greeted with a brand new airport 45 km from town. The Chinese government is doing much to develop this area as a major tourism site as well as a high tech mecca. The major industries in Xi'an are now agriculture, textiles, tourism and high-tech.

In ancient time, Xi'an was called Chang'an and was the start of the Silk Road to the west. Aside from being the start of the "Silk Road", Xi'an is the home of the famous Terra-cotta Warriors. We spent two nights hear and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the warriors. Pictures do not do them justice. We started our visit with a tour of the Wild Goose Pagoda followed by a delightful sampling of dumplings this region is famous for. After dinner we were treated to the Tang Dynasty stage show. All I remember about the show was that the table next too us was quite loud. The next day we visited the City Wall, then to a factory that made Terra-cotta replicas (an opportunity to help the local economy) and then on to the site of the Terra-cotta Warriors. Afterward we visited the Huaqing Hot Springs followed by a much appreciated massage.