We signed up for a tour to the Terracotta Warriors through the youth hostel. On the way, we stopped at a museum to see an excavation of a village from 6,000 years ago. There were some really interesting exhibits.
After the museum, the group stopped at a restaurant for lunch. As we had found a great supermarket the day before and bought a whole bunch of fresh fruit, rolls, cheese and vegetables, we chose to eat our own lunch out in the sun. Kelly had picked up some green beans that she enjoys eating raw. I washed them thoroughly and she was happy to munch away on them at lunch. We had several Chinese people stop to tell her that she could not eat the beans raw as they would damage her hands. We're still not sure how raw beans can damage someone's hands and Kelly's seem to be fine, but they sure were adamant that the beans should be cooked before being eaten.
We arrived at the Terracotta Warriors complex and were just blown away by the magnitude of the site. It is absolutely incredible how something that huge could be completely buried for so long. The excavation pit seemed to go on forever.
The pieces were so neat to see. Each one was different and created to resemble an actual soldier. We even got to see the farmer who's land the warriors were discovered under. He no longer allows photographs to be taken of himself, but now that someone has taught him how to sign his name, he will autograph a book if purchased. Considering the magnitude of the find, I think he got quite the bum-wrap for his land.
Owen was one of our youth hostel mates on the tour who kept us entertained all the time. He and Dean were happy to pose in front of a sign that seemed to describe them well.
There are several buildings that make up the Terracotta Warriors complex. This one houses some bronze chariots and horses that were also discovered on the farm.
Campbell and Dean just had to try on some hats in the gift shop. All in all, we had a fabulous day and really enjoyed our tour.
