October 4 – Singing Sand Dunes – Riding a Camel to Crescent Lake – Xi’an
Honestly I wasn’t sure how I felt about riding a camel across a sand dune because quite frankly I hate getting sand in my shoes. But once again the brilliance of human ingenuity was apparent when we learned that you could buy sand gaiters! Similar to fishing or snow gaiters, they were designed to keep out the unwanted elements, in this case the sand, not so fashionable perhaps but so useful! So I happily paid and happily pulled on neon green gaiters over my shoes and walked into the sand to meet my designated camel out of the 1000+ camels working that day. No names and no time to get to know each other. Our guide pointed to a reclining camel, we climbed on and held onto the bar which was part of the saddle tightly so as to not go tumbling off face first when they stood up! They had the camels in groups of 5 so we had a group of 5 and off we went with our guide walking ahead and leading the way. A camels gait is not very smooth so I took pictures with one hand and kept holding onto the bar with the other.
It was surprisingly peaceful walking along the sand on a camel and although I could imagine the possibility of feeling sea-sick as well as saddle sore if our ride had lasted longer than 30 minutes, I was quite comfortable. I’m not entirely sure if it would have been faster to travel by camel back in the silk road days in terms of speed, but their feet are so much more equipped to handle the shifting sands so they were a welcome and valuable means of transportation. We rode around a large sand dune to arrive at the Crescent Spring Oasis! I can also imagine that any water or greenery would have been a most welcome sight to weary travelers. Just walking from where we dismounted the camels through the sand to the oasis was a workout and I opted not to climb up the steps to the top of the dune to get the overview of the Cresent Spring and travelers rest oasis. Those who did could slide down the hill and hear the singing sands as they ran their hands through the sand, again my dislike of sand in my clothing made this less appealing. However, some from our group did decide to climb and were denied the opportunity to slide down because they were deemed ‘too old’ so they had to walk back down again.
One thing that was amazing to me was that the natural spring at Crescent Springs didn’t get clogged up with sand. We were told that that was because the wind naturally blows the sand away from the springs over the dune so that it allows it to survive in the desert. I wouldn’t want to swim in or drink the spring water but the fact that it exists at all is a natural miracle. Fortunately it was a clear day without any wind so we wandered into the gift shop to look at the good luck blessing tags you could buy and hang on the rails to chime in the wind. I bought one that says ‘happiness and peace’ according to my translation app but some of the others translated as ‘anything is permissible’ which I think might mean anything is possible? Another was translated as ‘time to run’ and a few were just nonsensical in English. I was told I could also bring mine home and still get the blessings so it is now hanging on my wall filling my home with happiness and peace.
October 5 – Terracotta Warriors and Horses at the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang – Xi’an City Wall – Dumpling Banquet and Tang Dynasty music and dance performance.
There are some things you can expect when you are in China during the national holiday – the top one is crowds – and in this regard the Terracotta Soldiers museum did not disappoint. We tried to arrive early and stood in what was supposed to be a line but resembled a crush of humanity trying to get into the lanes up ahead. We were told to stay together and on occasion needed to hold hands or push our way forward to do so. When we finally were able to wind our way through the line up maze to the entrance of Pit #1 we were told that the best view was just about 15 feet in front of us on the other side of all those people and all we had to do was push forward until we reached the barrier and then we could take our time to see the warriors and take as many pictures as we wanted. However, pushing to the best spot along with us were about maybe 200 other people all striving to reach the same view. Everyone was polite enough but the noise was impressive, the area relatively small and the time to savor the experience was not then. So I got to the front, I took my pictures, I did a one breath savor moment before we all shuffled around so everyone could see and then en masse as a tour group we headed for the closest exit while trying to remain together as much as possible. I had heard that the crowds were something to behold during the national holiday but up to this point we hadn’t really been in any noteworthy crowds. So this experience gave me the full national holiday experience!
After Pit #1 we went to the other Pits and the museum to see the soldiers in detail and learn more of their discovery and construction. Scientists continue to learn as they study this amazing artistic feat. Recently I also heard that there is evidence that women and children were involved with the creation of each terracotta soldier and considering how it was such a painstaking process to craft each unique and customized soldier out of wood, clay and paint I wonder if anyone had time for doing anything else in their lives? Our guide shared that the Chinese people are still learning about this dynasty and we also had more to learn but considering the crowds we opted to call it good.
We next were able to visit the Xi’an city wall and walk along its wide expanse. Our guide said that during Covid shut down he would come and bike and walk along the wall to get some exercise. Apparently though it may be a challenge to bike on the cobblestone wall so keep that in mind.
I had no idea how many different dumplings there are with the unique colors, shapes and flavor profile, we even ate a chocolate hedgehog! But what was most impressive about our dumpling banquet was they had it perfectly planned so that when we knew we couldn’t eat any more they were done and the show began. My favorite dumpling was the frog!
The show was spectacular retelling, through music and dance and screens on the side of the stage telling us the story in English, of the first female Tang dynasty empress. The costumes were fantastic as were the live musicians, laser light show and stage scenery! Again, I have to put in a plug for an in person visit, my description is pitifully lacking.
October 6 – Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square – Muslim Quarter – Fly Home
Are you exhausted yet? By this point of the journey I was slowing down but still in awe of the majesty and craftsmanship and history of this area. If you look closely at the group photo you will see that there is a Chinese woman who joined our group and we would occasionally have people come up and want to take photos with an American. I will be returning to Xi’an this next weekend for a birthday celebration and one of my students from there gave me a list of possible things to do, but as I’m discovering, there is always more to see and do in China. Thanks for reading and I wish you adventures exploring new places, thinking new ideas and meeting new people!
