our train didn't leave xi'an until the evening so another grey day to fill...so off to another pagoda! the small goose pagoda this time. poor lou!
it is set in a lovely park full of lakes, grass, trees, and paved walkways. the
buddhist temple that precedes it has its bell and drum tower intact (bell to get up to, drum to go to bed to) but the halls are souvenir shops, comme d'hab. the pagoda is not and you can climb to the top... we didn't! as i read about the damage the poor pagoda had sustained in its history due to at least three earthquakes, (the top two stories are no more), i realised that maybe i should take the safety warning in the hotel room about earthquakes a bit more seriously! :)
in the same park there is a spanking new museum. the whole place only opened in may of this year. the museum's exterior is inspired by the tang dynasty but the interior is a wonderful, airy, circular and modern space. the exhibits are beautifully set out and labelled in english. i wandered all three levels - jade, relics, buddhas, calligraphy, seals and a model of how xi'an had looked in the tang era while lou idled on the ground floor...so patient with me! :)
then we did the outdoor shops to cheer him up, he can always use another jacket!
lunch at a cantonese buffet which turned out to be a 'music hall' type of place full of flipping flag following tour groups! oops, lynne, bad choice...blame lonely planet!
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