I got up early and went on an organised tour through my hostel to see the TW. I wasnt quite sure what to expect but I as pleasantly surprised although I think the tour made a meal of the day by taking us to a factory where they make TW for sale and other stuff - I got the impression we only went to try and get us the tourists, to buy all their overpriced stuff. Not this chick!
There are about 4 pits and the first one, comprising of some 1000 figures is the one you will have seen on the telly and the one that is the most impressive. When the TW are first unearthed they have colour which soon disappears when they are dug out so all were a grey colour and had all been restored. There were all sorts - foot soldiers, horses, generals etc . It was very interesting although I think an hour or so here would have sufficed rather than a whole day tour. All I thought was what a nutty emporer/leader who would want to create 1000's of toy clay figures simply to protect his tomb after he was dead?
It turned out they took 4 decades to complete with 1000's of craftsmen invloved. They were meant to be a big secret and there is no written record of them. After they finished building his tomb it turns out this emporer guy killed all those that worked on the TW - nice chap huh!
Went back to the hostel via another tourist site called the Goose Pagoda which was just a big pagoda. Nice but thats about it and then walked back to the hostel with some friends I had made on the tour.
When i got back to the hostel I was pleasantly surprised to see the 2 travel companions I had first met in Beijing - the 2 sisters which was a welcome site as they have become my friends away from home. We are hoping to hook up again in Chengdu
