J
an and I woke up early enough to grab breakfast at the hotel before meeting up with everyone. The first destination on our sightseeing agenda was the Shaanxi Historical Museum. We headed out to catch the same bus that we took the previous night to the Tang Dynasty Theme Park as the Historical Museum is located very nearby.As we arrived at the bus stop, Jenny reminded us that we would be boarding Bus 606. I saw the bus arriving on the main road rather than on the service road that the buses normally pull into. I followed Jenny out to the main road to board the bus. The others followed. Once we all boarded, we took a headcount and realized that Mairead and Jan were not on board. Jenny instructed us to ride to our destination....she asked the conductor to let us know which stop to get off at. She then left the bus to double back and look for our missing tour mates. We made it to our destination safely and a few short minutes later, Mairead and Jan arrived on another Bus 606. They had accidentally boarded one of the buses that had pulled into the service road but very quickly realized their mistake and got off. They then boarded another Bus 606.
So, while we were all at our destination bus stop, Jenny was somewhere in Xi’an looking for Mairead and Jan. I had her cell number and I knew my phone would work so I decided to call her and let her know we were all safe. I was certain the poor thing was worried to death. It took a bit of effort to figure out how to place the call as Jenny had given us her phone number but without the country code. Luckily, someone had their guidebook with them and a quick look up and I was able to place the call. I told her we were at the designated spot waiting for her. I could hear the relief in her voice. It took her a awhile to get to us as she was arriving by taxi but we waited and soon enough, she showed up.
Though a small museum, the Shaanxi History Museum is actually very well laid out. Galleries showcase collections by dynastic period so as you tour the museum, you see the progression in Chinese arts over time.
The first gallery focused on the bronzes which dated back to more than 10,000 years BC in age!
A few other items captivated me starting with these tiny solid gold dragons….so well crafted that you can actually see the scales on the dragon. They were absolutely stunning! I snapped a photo of Robbie to provide size perspective.
There was also a Ming Dynasty Honor Guard of 300 strong. Each guard was crafted out of pottery and stood no more than a few inches tall. Considering the fragility of pottery, it’s astonishing that they have survived intact all these years!
Lastly, the painted statues of the ladies from the Tang Dynasty - always with chubby faces that seem to reflect contentment. So, so cute!
After lunch, we all split and went our separate ways. Jan and I decided to head back to the Wild Goose Pagoda. Bernd and Dean joined us for the short walk back to the theme park. While Jan and I plunked down RMB to go inside the grounds of the pagoda, the guys opted to forego the visit. It was a blisteringly hot day and the trees on the grounds of the pagoda were far and few between. Jan and I started to wilt.
We went quickly from one pavilion to another – mainly so we could be in the shade. I don’t know if it was the heat or lack of interest or maybe that we had seen our share of pavilions but we were both ready to leave after a few minutes. We were not hardy tourists that day!
We did make it to the Pagoda itself and Jenny had told us that we could climb it. We tried to enter but were turned away because we had not purchased the separate ticket to enter the Pagoda. It never occurred to us that we would have to buy a separate ticket and I didn’t recall seeing a sign at the ticket counter telling us did nor did anyone no one at the ticket counter tell us. We debated for a few seconds as to whether or not to get the ticket but we really couldn’t be bothered to go up the Pagoda so we walked on.

While Jan sought shelter under some trees, I quickly dashed over to another part of the grounds to see if there was anything worth seeing. Just more pavilions. By the time I made it back to Jan, I was ready to leave and so was she so that’s what we did.
On the way out, I had to have my photo taken in front of the many bronze statue strewn about the park. The statues are cast in the figures of characters from the Tang Dynasty. I picked the one that I nicknamed "Tang Dynasty Warrior Princess" - very befitting of me, don't you think: :-)
As we walked back to the bus stop, we decided our next destinations would be the Bell and Drum Towers which are both located a stone’s throw away from our hotel.
By the time we made it to the Bell Tower, it was nearing the top of the hour. We entered in and walked around a bit, keeping an eye on Jan’s watch. I took the opportunity to snap a few photos. The hour came and went and didn’t hear any bells. Granted we really didn’t know what we were suppose to hear. :-) At about quarter past the hour, we decided that there wasn’t a bell performance that day and so we quickly left and scurried over to the Drum Tower. Later on, we would find out that there was in fact a performance, that it was held inside the tower and that we hadn’t walked around the tower enough to find the entrance. Oh well.
We made it to the Drum Tower a few minutes before half past and this time, Jan found the entrance. She waved me in.
I tried to take a spot, standing, up front so I could shoot video. Wouldn’t you know that some guy would walk directly in front of my camera and another would stand so close to the stage, he might as well have been on it! Sheesh, how rude can you be? No matter, I was still able to capture video that will remind me of the short performance which showcased Chinese drumming skills.
Back at the hotel, we once again faced our temperamental door card reader. I prayed to the Door God but to no avail. The damn thing would not open on first, second or even third tries. Somewhere around 20 or so tries, it finally works. Again, Jan and I lost it in a fit of giggles. After all, how difficult can it be for two adult women to open a door?
As soon as we got in the room, it was bed for both of us. It had been another long day and we were both definitely worn out but what a great day it had been! I'm really loving this city! Tomorrow we would be seeing one of the most famous heritage landmarks of China – the Terracotta Warriors and we both wanted to make sure we were fully rested!