Little & Big Wild Goose Pagodas

With everybody recovering from illnesses, we took it a bit easy today. Our first stop was the Little Wild Goose Pagoda. After we got our tickets we entered into a very pretty Japonica tree-lined courtyard. Many of the trees were well over 1000 years old, but the original trunks had rotted away and new trunks sprouted from the old stumps. It made for a nice cool area to wander.

We got a neat little view of the Little Wild Goose Pagoda through the canopy. The pagoda originated in 700AD but was restored in the 1800s. It was part of the imperial gardens from when Xi'An (then known as Chang'An) used to be China's capital.

After the pagoda we came across a very cool bell, which caused fountains to spring into life when rung. Not sure exactly how the mechanism worked, but something to do with the vibrations caused the water to flow (or there is some very clever trickery and a pump somewhere...)

Next we headed into the on site museum and enjoyed looking at many of the old relics dug up around Xi'An. Particularly interesting were the Jade figurines and belt buckles, as well as a fantastic Jade cup around 2000 years old. There was also a scale model of the old walled Chang'An. A bit mind blowing that this city had a population of around 1 million around 1500 years ago. We then chilled outside near a pond before taking a taxi back to the hotel for an afternoon siesta.

Once the outside temperature had cooled enough, we headed for the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. This pagoda is a little better maintained, and also has wind chimes under its eaves. We couldn't get close to this one however as the tourist area was closed for the day.

We had a light dinner before joining the bustling crowds at the street market. The streets are lined with stalls, the trees lit with neon lights, and red Chinese lanterns hanging from the trees - all making for a great atmosphere. We stopped to watch a small performance, enjoyed the artwork and fountains, and had a sneaky little ice cream on the side.

To top the evening off, we were treated to a fountain & laser light show which was spectacular!Читать далее