We awake this morning in Jaipur, the “Pink City” of Rajasthan, India. This land of Maharajas, palaces, and majestic forts was the seventh destination on our virtual trip around the world. As we load our things into the rental car, we learn that our next destination is to be:
8. Xi’an, China (2006)
We drive back to New Delhi the way we came, carefully passing by caravans of camels used to transport crops and merchandise. Arriving at Indira Gandhi International Airport, we now need to find the best flights or flight combination to Xi’an, China. Using one or more of the flight locators on the Links tab, find the flight(s) between New Delhi, India and Xi’an, China with the least total flight time. Hints: Select either a single date or a range of dates (whichever returns more results), select one-way, select single passenger.
Xi’an is one of the oldest cities in China with over 3,100 years of history. One of the ancient capitals of China under several dynasties, Xi’an was where the famous “Silk Road” ended in the East. The great city wall of Xi’an was originally constructed 2,200 years ago, and much of it remains to tower over the city. Let’s enter the city through the north gate of the wall. Click the photo below to see what happens next!
After the Great Wall of China, the second greatest attraction in all of China is arguably the army of terra cotta warriors found near Xi’an. Upon taking the throne, 13-year old Qin Shi Huang, who later became emperor of China, ordered the construction of his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish; and it was said to contain treasures beyond imagination. Rediscovered in 1974, over 7,000 terra cotta statues were excavated at the site. Each one of these statues (which were originally painted) is unique and distinct. Here at the Qin Terra Cotta Warrior Museum, we (like the excavators and curators of the site) face dual challenges:
Piece It: Just as an artifact excavator has to piece together his finds, piece together a group of terra cotta warriors by clicking on the photo below and completing the puzzle.
Count It: A museum or site curator has to have an accurate and precise count or inventory of his collection. Examine the photo below very carefully and provide a precise count of the statues either fully or partially visible. Categorize by type (warrior or horse) and condition (intact or headless). After you have completed your count, click on the photo to learn about the Terra Cotta Warriors.
After a hard morning of sorting out Terra Cotta Warriors, let’s head out to a local restaurant for lunch. Here in Shaanxi Province, dumplings are the local specialty and favorite. You can sample dumplings stuffed with all varieties of meats, seafood, vegetables, sweets, or other mysterious fillers. Unfortunately, our restaurant can’t make the dumplings fast enough; so let’s give the chef a hand! For this challenge, click on the photo below and play the “Sue Dumpling” game! Your goal is to complete a minimum of three dumplings in one game session while playing no more than five games. By the way, the game instructions are NOT in English. Good Luck!
After our dumpling lunch, we head off to Xi’an’s Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty, the Pagoda was constructed to hold all the Buddhist manuscripts and scriptures brought back to China by a monk named Xuanzang, who spent 17 years on his journey to and from India via the Silk Road. Today, the Pagoda leans about a meter off from straight vertical, and this tilt is visible to the naked eye. It is called the Wild Goose Pagoda because, as legend has it, during a time of famine, a wild goose suddenly fell out of the sky to feed the monks here. The Wild Goose Pagoda is the 8th landmark token in our virtual trip around the world. Find the photo below somewhere in the links on the Links tab of this site to “collect” it.
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Answers to last month’s challenges:
1. Best Road Route from Delhi to Jaipur: Take National Highway 8 South-Southwest
2. Five differences in the Jaipur photo:
3. Jal Mahal Puzzle: Did you complete the puzzle and get a closer look at the Palace?
4. World Jumble Solution:
5. You could find the Ganesha landmark token by following these links:
The Amber Fort>First Courtyard>Lord Ganesh>First Photo on Right
