Identity Parade

Day 35: Xi'an (CN). “Oh, for a moment I thought those two were the same”, I said, trying to feign disappointment, “But if you look very closely, that ones moustache is slightly longer then the other ones and his hair is brushed a little differently”. I had to concede defeat: The archaeologists were right. There were 8,000 life size Terracotta Warriors stood before us and each one one had been lovingly crafted to be unique. Each one had its own individual facial expression – you could even say its own personality. Absolutely unbelievable!

It was my birthday, and this was the best birthday present I could ever have wished for. The opportunity to see first hand the remarkable excavations that had been uncovered in the eastern outer suburbs of Xi'an. Started in 246 BC, the army was crafted for, and buried with the the First Emperor of Qin to help him rule another empire in the afterlife. It is said that a workforce of some 700,000 worked on the construction of Qin's mausoleum over a period of about 35 years, many of which were executed and buried alongside the emperor so that their secrets would never be told.

Just like our visit to the Great Wall a few days previously, nothing could have prepared us for these sights. Sure, we'd seen the pictures in books and on the TV before we arrived, but it was the sheer scale of these sights that was really knocking our socks off.

In keeping with the day's theme, dinner and drinks were at the Park Qin, a Terracotta Army themed bar where a Chinese version of Eric Clapton belted out 'Wonderful Tonight' in between the piped Country & Western music whilst we were looked over by life-size terracotta statues wearing beanies, shades and sporting wispy beards. I know what you're thinking...but in a strange kind of way, it actually seemed to work (or maybe I had just had one too many birthday beers!) As 'Eric' took a break, I caught up with my emails and was completely overwhelmed by the kind words and birthday wishes I had received from our friends all over the world. And then I got to thinking – if only those people could have been with us that evening – then it would have been the best birthday ever imaginable.

So guys, if anyone fancies a Chinese - I know a super place, just off the South Gate. If you could join us, it really would be Wonderful Tonight!

Day 35: Total Mileage to Date: 9,171: Number of Time Zones Crossed: 9; Number of Countries Visited: 8; Number of Transport Modes Used: 17, Maximum Temperature Encountered: +15C, Minimum Temperature Encountered: -32C.