"Lost in Translation" - Marie Richards

A collection of our favorite signs:

"May we remind you: Please be self-restraint and be a good tourist to mold a well mannered imagination."

Yak Yoghourt? Ewwww.

Public shower? Double ewww.

Do not disturb the relics.

Many signs reflected a fear of liability....

"As the lake is very deep, tourists should not swim as he/she wanted. If you go across this rule then have to accept the consequences by yourself."

Dotice the Notice.

Does anyone ever sue the Communist government?

"Xian and onto Beijing" - Tom Triplitt

We had one full day in Xi'an, and it is a city of contrasts, as is all of China.It is an ancient walled city and was once the capital of China. The ancient wall was our first stop. It is most famous for its Terra Cotta Warriors, discovered by a farmer in 1974. Visiting that tourist side is a bit like Disney World, but still impressive when one thinks of how long ago that massive project was done.

Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Horses

On the way to the Terra Cotta Warrior site, we passed by people living in caves which are easy to dig due to the soil conditions, a man relieving himself in his back yard which faces the modern toll road and much modern development.

We then went to an old part of Xi'an and visited a very Chinese-looking Mosque which was begun during the times of the active Silk Road trade when people from other cultures came into China. It is surrounded by an amazing shopping area where we further honed our bargaining skills. I got some great knock-off RayBan Wayfarers for $5. They have better optics that my $60 sunglasses.

Tired Group

Xi'an is famous for its dumplings, so we went out for a 20-course dumpling feast. Note the picture of Kate posing by the giant dumpling. A great time was had by all.

Kate, Tom and Coleman visit the Dumpling

We were up at 5 the next day for our flight to Beijing. We had a great flight and landed to sunshine, blue skies and nice breeze. After dropping off our bags at the hotel we went to the Temple of Heaven. It is huge site where the Emperor went to speak with god. It is a beautiful green space in a bustling city. Kate then took us to her favorite pearl market and we bargained some more. Ask anyone of the trip about the physical shopping experience of the second floor. It is the stuff of nightmares.

Lost!

Found

We met Brittany West '09 for dinner and conversation. Brittany is finishing up a year of intensive language training in Beijing and hopes to get her work visa and work for a local developer as his interpreter.

Meeting Brittany West in Beijing

We then all moaned about going to Beijing Opera after such a long day, but eveyone enjoyed the athleticism of the Monkey King as he defeated the warriors who had come to capture him.

We are looking forward to the Great Wall on Wednesday and meeting Kate's sister, who works for the State Department in Vietnam.

"FU One Time" - Marie Richards

Furman Spirit Pervades China.....

Go FU!

Paladins Everywhere

Even a Purple Bus!

And Purple Dumplings!

"Land of Contrasts" - Marie Richards

China, the land of pagodas and construction cranes.

"Clean Air in Xian" - Kate Kaup

All things are relative. I woke up this morning in Xian, looked out the window at a city covered in brown thick smog, took a deep breath and thought “aaahhh! It feels GREAT to be able to breathe in the air again!” It was a bit tough to breathe in Lhasa given the altitude, but at least the air was crisp and the sky blue. Here in Xian, there is a constant brown haze mixed with the dust of the large-scale construction projects in progress across the city.

"Lhasa with Xian" - Coleman Shouse

We are off to see the “soldiers” this morning. Xian was the first and longest serving capital city of China. There are about 80 burial sites in Xian. As I went outside this morning there was the strong oder of burning coal and the sun was filtered by dense smog. This is a strong contrast from Lhasa where the air is clear and the sun is bright.

As we drove to the Lhasa airport yesterday we stopped in a small natural village and visited the family. They served us tea and allowed us to see the interior of their home. That was a special experience. Somewhat later on the main highway to the airport we stopped at a Buddhist shrine. I spent most of the time watching the activity on the highway. Remember that we were in the middle of nowhere but there were people walking dogs, selling melons with their children helping, small tractors with large trailers, trucks, modified garden tractors with carts, modified motorcycles with carts, cars, buses and bicycles most with carts. All of these modes of transportation safely share the same space. By the way I have seen only one pickup truck since being in China.

The temperature in Xian today will be in the high 80's.

"The Sequel" - Marie Richards

After a brief absence in Tibet,

the Lazy Susan has returned for it's sequel:

"Furman Eats China"