Teracotta Warriors

I'm glad to have seen these guys when I did. The fascinating thing is that the dig is still ongoing, and at such a careful rate that they aren't expected to be fully unearthed for at least another century. And there are a suspected few hundred square km's of yet undiscovered treasures. We did the tour thing for the first time... a bit hectic but we only had to go to one greenstone shop, so it was ok really. A really misty surreal day lent atmosphere to the experience. Not as atmospheric, at least not in the same way, were the km's upon km's of tourist shops and malls leading up to the pits. They sold everything from life-size to miniature warrior replicas, food, clothes, goats and junk. I suspect this area will become the new centre of Xi'an, rivalling the beautiful city surrounded by ancient city walls. See them soon, while you can still do so easily!