Not a 2 Year Vacation – Part II (Xi’an and Guoliangcun)

Back to Mike’s parents’ visit. They wanted to see the Terra Cotta warriors, so we started in Xi’an. Flights were just as cheap as train tickets, so we took a flight there. We read that a recommended attraction, the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi (Han Yangling), was on the way from the airport to the city, so it became our first stop. It was an extremely impressive archaeological site with much fewer tourists than other major sites.  The main attractions are several burial pits that have been excavated and renovations of the gates and walls.   There is enough history here to spend a few hours, and it is impressive, but its not a bucket list item that you will regret skipping.  There was also a museum, but we missed it. As usual there was some confusion about the location, and as it turns out the museum was at a separate site nearby.

 “The contents of his tomb are particularly interesting, as they reveal more about daily life than martial preoccupations – a total contrast with the Terracotta Army. ”
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/shaanxi-sh-nxi/around-xi-an/sights/cemeteries-memorials-tombs/tomb-emperor-jingdi#ixzz3KtZYz5aw

One of the pits

Figurines

Not a 2-Year Vacation – Part 1

Written at the end of October

The Kendalls in Hangzhou

Mikes parents used to tell people we were on a two year vacation, living and traveling in China. They just left after a two week visit, and we changed their minds. “I will never tell anyone that again!” (Mike’s mom at the halfway point) I’m really not sure what kind of impression we are leaving people with when reading this blog. We know we are extremely lucky to be where we are, given this opportunity to be doing what were doing. We know we are growing as people, strengthening our marriage, and learning so much about an area of the world we knew so little about before living here. Its awesome and a fantastic experience, but it’s not always as glamorous as it may sound. We unintentionally showed my in-laws a very accurate picture into our lives here in China. The first few days were very normal. Mike had his thesis proposal due, so he was busy at his computer. We took them to the local farmers’ market (which doubles as a fish market), and had lunch at a pretty touristy street nearby. They seemed awestruck by the newness of it all, but the thousand yard stare in Mike’s dad’s eyes might also have been jetlag. We showed off many of the beautiful places in Hangzhou, shared experiences with them, and introduced our friends. We took them to eat great Chinese food and very specific restaurants we picked out. Mike’s mom commented on how friendly the people were (they were!) along with how generally happy they seemed. Mike and I recently returned from Japan, so we agreed. The food was good and the people were nice.