These two ladies had a little Chinese BBQ going in front of their apartment. When they saw Linda and I they were insistent that we joined them for some beef kabobs. The shared language was laughter. A narrow ally off of the main roads became an experience of meeting local Chinese living their daily life.

A friendly neighborhood game of Xiangqi (elephant chess). How it is played I have no idea. Two players moved the pieces while 13 onlookers kibitzed and shouted out their opinions as to what the next move should be. A very spirited game played in the back alleys of the neighborhood.

Today Xi’an is most known for the Terracotta Warriors a short bus ride from the city. Farmers in 1974 discovered terracotta warrior heads while digging water wells. Upon further excavation over 8,000 life sized warriors along with horses and chariots have been found. This was the funerary army to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang who ruled China 2,200 years ago. The wealth of his kingdom gives evidence to the value of transported goods along the Silk Road even then. This 750 foot long hall contains over 6,000 figures.

Each warrior is unique and individual. Although similarly styled no two are alike, each signed by the artisan who created them. Many are left still unexcavated until they perfect ways to preserve the brilliant colors they were painted, the paint being quickly destroyed once exposed to the elements.

A warriors head detail, some remaining paint may still be seen.

This couple was one of several couples all dressed alike taking advantage of the photo concession on the West gate. An excellent setting for a photo op. Incidentally the wall is almost 9 miles in length surrounding the city. We rented bikes and rode around the entire top. At 40-50 feet wide fairly flat it is a great way to see Xi’an from above.

The Muslim Quarter in Xi’an. There is a large population of Persians (Middle Easterners) in Western China. As traders they moved with the caravans carrying goods from the West. As the Eastern terminus of the Silk Road many of the Persians settled there. Xi’an it is a great place to stroll along and sample a huge variety of traditional; Muslim foods such from one of the many stalls lining the streets which specialize in selling cakes, others dried fruit or breads, and many selling barbecued meats on skewers. You can snack your way into gastronomical oblivion.

The Drum Tower in Xi’an. Like the bell tower it was also used for the reporting of time but more importantly it would announce the seasons, phases of the moon, harvesting of crops and other important events that took place through out the year.

The bell tower in Xian. A type of clock where the official timekeeper would ring out the hours.

A sculpture of what appeared to be a bull reflecting the lights of a shopping mall.

After getting settled in to our hotel, Linda and I made our way to Jiaohe about 10 kilometers out of town. Jiaohe was an important stop along the Silk Road for over a thousand years. Built on a flat island in a river it is entirely made of dirt created by a dig and stack method. They dug down to create streets and ground floors of buildings and then stacked the removed dirt to build the upper stories and roofs. Destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th Century, it has been slowly eroding away, melting from the scant amount of rain that falls in the Turpan Depression.

The remains of the “residential district.” At its peak, Jiaohe had a population of over 7,000. Here you can see the niches that once held the wooden roof beams that were looted long ago because of the scarcity of wood in the area.

Linda is checking out the construction of the arched doorway in the temple. You can see that the lower part of the doorway is smooth dirt where it was dug out. Then to the left of the arch you can see a diagonal pattern where dirt was stacked to form the arch.

The interior of the remains of a Buddhist temple. It is one of the better preserved ruins and niches can still be found in the walls where very faint Buddhas can be seen.

A few geese biding their time before they become someones dinner.

We had spent so much time exploring Jiaohe that when we left there were no longer any buses or taxis to be found to take us back to Turpan. Our only option was to hoof it home. A local with a flat bed motorcycle offered us a ride so we negotiated a price of about a dollar to get a ride back to town. Traveling in style to be sure.

A farmer making sure his string beans stay submerged, moist and fresh.

Linda patiently waiting for her freshly baked Uyghur nang flatbread to come out of the oven.

One of our favorite things to do in any country we visit is to hit the local markets and stores and do a little “shopping” Not that we ever buy anything, yet always educational to see what goods are available and what they cost. These bunny ears were rather attractive don’t ya think. Ahhhh, we bought something more practical……. a 10 pack of chop sticks.

The road to Bezeklik is an arid, desolate and lightly traveled route through one of the hottest regions in China. The “Tuk Tuk” 3 wheeled cargo motorcycle is the transporter workhorse of China.

Bezekliks Thousand Buddha Caves is in an oasis tucked into a narrow canyon. Over a 900 year period the caves were carved and painted as the Royal Temple of the Huilhu State. Buddhism declined in the 13th Century when Islam became the religion of choice. Due to the fragile nature of the remaining art in the caves many were closed and photography was not allowed.

Our next stop was to be Tuyuk Village, a small and very remote village in the Tuyugou Valley which tourists rarely visit. Here is the Al-Sahab Kahfi Mazar, the holiest Islamic site in China. For many Muslims a pilgrimage to Tuyuk rivals a pilgrimage to Meca. The Al-Sahab Kahfi Mazar is the green dome on the hill center of photo.

Tuyuk Village has been continuously inhabited for over 3000 years. For the residents, other than the addition of electricity they live their lives pretty much as they have for hundreds of years.