Qin Terra Cotta Army Museum, Part I

Before I’ve even typed the first sentence, I know I’m going to need more than one post to fully describe the visit to “Terra-cotta Warrior and Horses Museum,” which is what one of the entrance signs proclaimed. The walk in (and out) is a long one, even if you opt for...

Next stop: Xi’an!

This first photo was taken just minutes before I fell, hard, on the cracked sidewalk outside the train/subway station. My purse, camera, suitcase, and body all went sprawling helter-skelter on the concrete. I counted my blessings that nothing was broken, on me, or my...

Hot days of Han Summers

On our way to the train station to leave Beijing, we detoured slightly to tour The Summer Palace. This is where the Han dynasty empress hung out six or seven months a year. We walked The Longest Corridor, which is 760 meters long, about 3/4 of a kilometer, and skirts...

Hutong Rickshaw Ride

Hutong means alley, but today the word is used to designate the entire backstreet, or traditional living area. I suppose that makes the Chinese “Hutong” the equivalent of the Korean “Hanok.” Miriam and I shared a little two-seater carriage pulled by a guy pedaling an...

PANDA-monium!

I may have mentioned (maybe once or twice) that our guide was exceptionally good at his job. On our third morning in Beijing, we left the hotel at 8 a.m. and hightailed it straight to Beijing Zoo, for three very good reasons, according to our guide. 1) The zoo opens...