A Visit from a Friend

My friend from Minnesota arrived last Saturday and we have been "on the go!"  After showing her around Xi'an we hired a taxi to explore some villages and the Famen Buddist Temple about 1 hour from Xi'an and it was incredible.  We then flew to Beijing for a few days of hiking and sight seeing ... Everything looked a little different in the winter and the day after we left bad smog and a snow storm hit so we were lucky. 

From Beijing we went to Shanghai and enjoyed the BIG modern city of skyscrapers, walked along the Bund, visited markets and parks and a great museum.  We are now in tropical Sanya and had fun on monkey island, the beach, and walking along the river.  Today we are headed to "The end of the earth" according to ancient Chinese tradition, and exploring another beach. Hot and very relaxing.  Yea!

A friend from America arrived Saturday morning and we've been on the go exploring Xi'an and the surrounding area.  We began with some of my favorite spots around Xi'an and of course the Terracotta Warriors.  We then went to Huaqing Palace and Hot Spring situated at the northern foot of Mt. Lishan.  The Hot Spring is famed for both its dainty spring scenery and the romantic love story of Emperor Xuanzong (685-762) and Yang Guifei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).  The palace has a history of 3,000 years and the hot spring a history of 6,000 years!  Even though it's winter, it was still very beautiful.  I will plan to go back later this spring when everything is blooming and maybe even soak in the hot spring. 

The Famen Temple is 120 kilometers west of Xi'an and dates back to the Han Dynasty and is regarded as the ancestor of pagoda temples.  It has not only been home to Buddhist Monks, but also provided shelter to the homeless caused by the war at the end of Sui Dynasty.  We had blue skies and a warm day to explore the vast area.  

Huaging Palace and Hot Spring

Famen Temple