The visit to Xi an was so exhausting that by the second day we were pretty tired. The visit pointed out the amazing history of the Chinese civilization and its long history of Emporers. After seeing the terra-cotta warriors the remaining sites were of modest interest.

Xi an was once a fortress city, surrounded by a mote and large wall. the wall was a rectangular structure approximately three miles long on each side. It had one entrance gate on each of the sides with a courtyard where enemies could easily be isolated and dispatched if needed.

Some of the ivory carvings for sale were magnificent.

Traditional Chinese roof designs were everywhere.

We did not have time to spend within the old city's walls. This area appeared to be more affluent and Western than the area outside.

The Stephenson clan with Donna.

Guess who?

Here we are with our guide.

We then went to the Great Mosque which was built in the Ming period and is still in use today.Xi an was the capital of the Ming Empire which extended to Persia.

Views of the Great Mosque which was a strange mix of Islamic and traditional Chinese architecture.

Here we partake of a Dim Sum lunch

There were 60 people on the tour. I think the cold weather made everyone hungry.

When the soup game we used it to warm up. It was really getting cold outside.

Peter was told everything was fresh. He decided to order off the menu with his hands.

Here he picks out what he thinks will be the perfect lunch.

Samples of the Dim Sum were on display at the entrance.

The shapes were supposed to be indicative of the tastes. It was easy to relate to the walnut-like dim sum in the center picture (which we did try and did taste like walnuts) but, the ones on the right gave us pause.

The restaurant we ate in was in a fairly new building.

At the airport en route to Beijing.