The Gobi, the camel, and the worm.

W

hen I started to do some reading about the Gobi Desert, I got the expected facts. It is the largest desert in Asia, covering parts of northern China and southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the southwest, and by the North China Plain to the southeast.

Terracotta Army.

I

t would be absolutely unthinkable, in my mind, to be in Beijing and not make a trip to nearby Xi'an to see the famed Terracotta Army. So I am going :-)

Discovered only in 1974 by local farmers in the area, it is thought that the figures date back to 210 BC. It did not take long after the initial discovery by the farmers for archeologists to descend on the site and begin excavation.

The figures of the Terracotta Army are buried about 5 meters beneath the ground. To date, three pits of figures have been unearthed. The figures are lined up in military formation with three rows of life-sized soldiers, the vanguards, heading the formation. Officers riding on horse-drawn, wooden chariots follow behind. The remaining rows are made up of soldiers.

Each life-sized officer soldier is outfitted to reflect his rank but the face of each is different....reflecting the various ethnic groups that made up the army. The figures vary in height from 6ft to 6ft 5in in height, according to their role, the tallest being the generals.

Current estimates are that in the three pits containing over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits. Additionally, other pits have been unearthed that contain figures of government officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians as well as a variety of weaponry including bronze swords, spears, and crossbows.

Falconer.

M

y trip to Mongolia promises to be a real memorable experience and not just because of the remoteness of the place but also because it will be to a place where the culture is so different from what I live day to day. So much of Mongolian culture...from the nomadic lifestyle to the food, to the music and to their native dress feel like throwbacks in time....a place that hasn't changed in decades.

Tea time.

I

started collecting Chinese teapots long ago, buying ones here and there over time. To be honest, I've never used them as teapots, just art pieces that I appreciate for their beauty. It wasn't until I renovated my kitchen recently that I've been finally able to display them all. To most Westerners, they're probably very odd looking - nothing like the refined porcelain teapots that the English serve their tea in. I think Chinese pots are more whimsical in design - some are downright ugly but just to the point that they're actually *cute*....at least in my eyes :-)