These are the pics from our day at the Great Wall.  What a cool day!

I screwed up a bit, though.  I had my camera on an off setting.  The pics aren’t as good as they could be.  I’ll try to fix some later.

For now, these will do.

At the end of the portion of the Wall that we trekked, we took a wire rope bridge ride to the bottom.  Much faster and saved us about 20 minutes more walking.  That and it was really fun and cool.  Hook up, jump and zoom…to the bottom in seconds.

Once we made it to the bottom and re-joined our group, we headed off to have lunch.  I think it took us about 3 hours to walk the 10 kilometres from Jinshanling to Simitai.  I was ready for a nap afterwards.  We headed back to the hotel and napped for most of the rest of the day.

The next day, Unny stayed in while I went out to see the Marco Polo Bridge.  It’s a bridge described and made famous by Marco Polo’s writings of his journey in China and on the Silk Road.

Later that night, Unny and I took in a Chinese Acrobatic show.  It was a great show.  The acrobats ranged in age from what looked like 12 to 21 or so.  A hugely talented group of young folks.  We thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Finally made it to Xi’an (Jee AHN) to see the Terra Cotta Warriors.  Unny and I spent the last week traveling around Beijing.  We visited the Forbidden City, Baita Zu, the Confucius Temple, the Lama Temple with it’s huge Buddha statue, the Summer Palace, the Beijing Zoo and all of the Pandas and Albino Bengal Tigers, The Temple of Heaven and, of course, Tienanmen Square.  We tooled around the Hutongs and Bei Hai Park as well.  We had a great time.

After 7 days in Beijing, we flew down to Xi’an to see the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and the beginning/end of the Silk Road.

The night we arrived, we were exhausted.  I was down with a cold from Jinshanling and Simitai.  We both just passed out.

The next day, we arose early and headed out of the city to see the Soldiers.  It’s about a 35 minute drive from Xi’an to the Qin Terra Cotta Warrior and Horse Soldier Museum.  Nice little drive through the country.

We had an “English speaking” tour guide who spoke English.  Just not so well.  He guided us around but didn’t really provide much detail and couldn’t really articulate much for us.  So we just took it in and read the literature ourselves.

Near the end of the main Museum Hall, you pass through a book store.  A small, ancient looking Chinese guy is sitting there surrounded by books and postcards about the Terra Cotta Warriors.  He’s one of the Seven Farmers who found the Warriors while digging a well.

We purchased one of the books and a packet of postcards and he signed the book for us.  It’s kind of funny, though.  As they call him “the founder of the Warrior Museum.”  Meaning simply that he’s the guy who found the Warriors.  Not the actual FOUNDER of the Museum.  I got a good little chuckle out of that.

He signed our book and posed for a couple of photos with us.  We told him; “Xie Xie” and shook his hand.  He was quite proud and signed our book with huge Chinese characters.  He signed his name and “Founder of the Warrior Museum” on the inside of the book.

We moved on our way and continued through the Museum to the brass  chariot and horses.  They’ve only found one set of these Chariots and horses.  Though they speculate that there are three more.  One for each of the four cardinal directions.  The one that they found was painted White which (I think) designates South in Chinese mythology/symbolism.  Eventually, as they continue to excavate the site of the Warriors, they expect to find three more spread out in the other three directions.

No timeline, though.  They’ll get around to it as they get around to it.  China doesn’t seem in much hurry to do anything in so  far as these antiquities are concerned.  I reckon they figure that they’re under there and aren’t going anywhere and they’ll get around to finding them eventually.

They take a long term view of the whole thing.

Of course, I took hundreds of photos.  These are 95 or so of them.  I didn’t resize them.  So they may take a bit of time to open if you are on a slow network.

The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 in the eastern suburbs of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province by local farmers drilling a water well 1.5 miles east of Lishan (a mountain).^[2] This discovery prompted archaeologists to go to Shaanxi Province, China to investigate. The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang, “shi huang” means the first emperor) in 210-209 BC. (He declared himself the first emperor of China in 221 BC.) Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huang Di in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as “Qin’s Armies.”

The material to make the terracotta warriors originated on Mount Lishan. In addition to the warriors, an entire man-made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.

According to historian Sima Qian (145-90 BC), construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and involved 700,000 workers. Qin Shi Huang was 13 when construction began. He specifically stated that no two soldiers were to be made alike, which is most likely why he had construction started at that young age. Sima Qian, in his most famous work, Shiji, completed a century after the mausoleum completion, wrote that the First Emperor was buried with palaces, scenic towers, officials, valuable utensils and “wonderful objects,” with 100 rivers fashioned in mercury and above this heavenly bodies below which he wrote were “the features of the earth.” Some translations of this passage refer to “models” or “imitations,” but he does not use those words.^[3]

Enjoy.  We certainly enjoyed seeing them live.

Gate of Heavenly Piece with Mao and a Chicom Soldier in the background

Christmas Eve 2009

Unny and I explored the Forbidden City and wandered around Tienanmen Square.

We’re in Xi’an now.

Don’t have a lot of time to go through and edit pics and such.  Trying to get out and see the Terra Cotta Warriors and such.

So here’s a quick pic of Unny at the Gate of Heavenly Peace with Mao Zedong.

1. 1417

   1417 – Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) is a symbol of China. It was built in 1417, originally called Cheng Tian Men (Gate of Heavenly Succession), meaning that emperors obeyed the order of Heaven in ruling the country. From China Travel Service-Destination beijing tour beijing guide beijing travel … – Related web pages www.chinats.com/beijing/beijing10.htm

2. 1651

   1651 – An impressive 110 feet tall, Heavenly Peace is the main entrance to Forbidden City, which has been renamed the Palace Museum. Once the walled estate of emperors, only the Emperor himself was permitted to use Tian An Men — guards kept everyone else out. From GameFAQs: Mario is Missing! (SNES) FAQ by Raging_DemonTEN – Related web pages www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/file/588464/9516

3. 1919

   May 4, 1919 – sity on May 4, 1919, to discuss a course of action. What could be done about their government’s unpopular decision to cave in to the Treaty of Versailles? Naively, they expected the Western democracies to respect the sovereignty of their nation rather than indulge …sity on May 4, 1919, to discuss a course of action. What could be done about their government’s unpopular decision to cave in to the Treaty of Versailles? Naively, they expected the Western democracies to respect the sovereignty of their nation rather than indulge in Great Power scheming. Determined to express their frustration at their government’s capitulation, about three thousand Beijing students assembled in the large forecourt of the Forbidden City directly north of … Show more Show less From Quelling the People – Related web pages books.google.com/books?id=xVCqntzw8XMC&pg=PA18 …

4. 1949

   Oct 1, 1949 – Mr Li, then a relatively junior reporter, joined several hundred of the most influential figures of 20th-century China on October 1, 1949, to climb Tiananmen — the Gate of Heavenly Peace — at the entrance to the palace of the emperors. Mr Li, his skin mottled …Mr Li, then a relatively junior reporter, joined several hundred of the most influential figures of 20th-century China on October 1, 1949, to climb Tiananmen — the Gate of Heavenly Peace — at the entrance to the palace of the emperors. Mr Li, his skin mottled with age and his white hair combed carefully back from his temples, is so slight that he is almost engulfed by his armchair. He pulls himself to his feet to greet a rare visitor to the sprawling apartment that was given to … Show more Show less From Retired reporter Li Pu recalls Mao founding People’s Republic of China – … – Related web pages www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia …

5. 1966

   Oct 2, 1966 – Many of those standing proudly on the tribunal under the arching eaves of the Gate of Heavenly Peace must have trembled a little at the harsh tones of their new master. They had come a long way through many battles and over many weary roads to be thus denounced in pub- lic. … From Lin Piao Stridently Dominates Bizarre Peking Celebration – Related web pages pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/485881272 …

6. 1976

   Feb 24, 1976 – PEKING – An old campaigner far from home pressed the flesh of the proletariat in Peking today. Richard Nixon swept through the Gale of Heavenly Peace, shaking hands, tweaking babies and inviting one and all to come visit him in America. what do you want him to be when he grows the … From Nixon politicks at Gate of Heavenly Peace . – Related web pages news.google.com/newspapers?id=2nQuAAAAIBAJ …

7. 1989

   May 27, 1989 – Article: Battering at the gate of heavenly peace. (Tiananmen, includes related articles on economic reform, Chinese army, 1919 revolution and reaction in Hong Kong) … find The Economist (US) articles. Battering at the Gate of Heavenly Peace WHATEVER its resolution, the drama that has … From … : Battering at the gate of heavenly peace. (Tiananmen, includes related … – Related web pages www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-7635807.html?refid …

8. 1995

   Oct 13, 1995 – The most objective study so far of the political storms that swept across China in 1989, “The Gate of Heavenly Peace” has drawn fire both from both the Tiananmen Square dissidents (who say it discredits the movement) and the Chinese government, notes reviewer Emily Mitchell. … From MOVIES . . . THE GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE – Related web pages www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,4898 …

9. 1996

   May 18, 1996 – By KEVIN THOMAS TIMES STAFF WRITER. In watching Richard Gordon and Carma Hinton’s superb three-hour documentary “The Gate of Heavenly Peace,” you have to wonder whether Mao Tse-tung would have created Beijing’s vast Tiananmen Square if he could have foretold the bloody massacre that … From The Gate of Heavenly Peace – Related web pages www.chicagotribune.com/topic/cl-movie960518-3 …

   1999

   Sep 27, 1999 – By MA FENG. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that I would be on hand to witness the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China. I had arrived in Beijing from Shanxi province in April 1949, two months after the city had been “liberated,” to attend the first national youth … From TIMEasia.com | Visions of China: Gate of Heavenly Peace | 9/27/99 – Related web pages www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/99/0927 …

So….NO!  Unny and I aren’t ignoring all of you.

See ya in 4 days!

We’re off to Xi’an.

Yee Haw!!!

Well now…

A moron claiming ties to al Qaeda has been caught attempting to blow his dumbass up on a Northwest Airlines flight out of Detroit with a bomb strapped to his leg.  Abdul Mudallad, a 23-year-old Nigerian national, is the idiot here.  May Allah slap his ass down and provide him with 70 Virgin vipers to eat at his innards for eternity.

This cake eatin’ fool actually made it through security with something strapped to his leg.  I mean really…

Mr. Mudallad suffered 3rd-degree burns when the device detonated on approach to Detroit, according to Mr. King. He said none of the other passengers was seriously injured.

The man told investigators that he was given the device by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, where he was also given instructions on how to detonate it, the U.S. official said.

“This guy claims he is tied to al Qaeda, specifically in Yemen,” the official said. “He claims he was on orders from al Qaeda in Yemen.”

How did he make it through security.  When I go through security in the US, they all but make me strip down and prance around in circles naked.

As for al Qaeda.  Are they that stupid?  Or did they get this guy out of the looney bin or a homeless shelter?

Al Qaeda is scraping the bottom of the barrel these days.

Osama must have sent out a memo.  “Give me your lame, blind, crippled and crazy!  We’ll send ‘em all through the airports with bombs strapped to their legs!”

Hey, one of the fuckin’ retards is bound to make it through to detonation.

Now.  Not only are they demented, evil fucks, but, they’re a bunch of retarded fucks as well.

That said, I can’t decide who are the bigger bunch of worthless shitbags~ al Qaeda and their evil minions or TSA and their evil donut eatin’ minions.   TSA and their merry band of miscreants actually let this guy pass through security and get on an airplane with a bomb strapped to his leg.  Now, TSA HQ is going send out a Memo to it’s bunch of retards to up the ante and start scrutinizing little old white women even harder.   I say we shoot the whole lot.

The hell of it, though, is that now TSA is going to start making everyone take off their pants at Security Checkpoints.  That could be good or bad.  Before ya know it, we’ll all be buck nekkid walkin’ through the airports.  They’ll start issuing Speedos at the TSA pre-checkpoints.

Strip down and enjoy your flight.

Just woke up to the sound of drunken merriment by 5 or 6 Americans.

They’re a bunch of English teachers from Seoul taking the holidays in China.

They’d brought a bottle of Maker’s Mark with them from the Inchon International Airport and gave me the honor of the last swig.

I had earlier been searching the liquor stores all over Beijing for a bottle and was disappointed to find none.  Not that I expected to find it here.

But some young Americans saved me.

Just finished it.  Climbed the Great Wall at Jinahanling and Simitai.

We awakened at O’dark thirty (0500).  I know that’s difficult for some to believe.  Our driver arrived at about 0620 to pick us up from our Hostel–City Walls.  We met up with another group and switched buses.  Then we were off.  It’s about a 3 hour drive out to Jinshanling.  We arrived a bit before 10 AM.  When we got off the bus, it was C O L D!  The wind was blowing hard.  I thought to myself; “Dave, was this a mistake.  You are cold already and you’re only ten seconds off the bus. “  Time to suck it up.  Poor little Unny was vibrating.  She was shivering so hard.

We walked up to the entrance and gave them our tickets.  Then we started our climb.  Immediately, it’s a grueling climb.  Stairs and pathways and causeways that are half ruin.  Climbing straight up at almost 90 degree angles at some points.  We took the first rise and were met by an amazing site.  The wall stretching off into the horizon.  On one side is inner Mongolia, the other side is China proper.  China now claims inner Mongolia as her own.  Only outer Mongolia is part of the nation.

It was hell and exhilarating.   It was cold and windy.   The temp was around 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit.  Even so, by the time we were finished I had sweated through two layers of shirts and made all of my electronics (iPhone and iPod) soaking wet.

I decided to make this my birthday present.  To climb that portion of the great wall.  It’s about a 10 kilometer hike up and down some serious mountains and hills.  At one point, I thought that maybe I should just lay down and let them bury me with the peasants who had been buried under the wall as it was being built, but, Unny kept going.  So I followed her lead.

She’s a tough little gal.  It was her first experience in the cold.  She toughed it out.  Impressive.

There are several sections of the Great Wall.  The most famous being Badaling.  Badaling is where all of the tourists go to see the wall.  If you want to see it in various states or disrepair or a more authentic part of the Great Wall, you have to get out of Beijing and hit Mutianyu or Simitai or Jinshanling.  I’d done the Badaling thing back in ‘06.  This time, I wanted to see the “real” Great Wall.

I froze up there and I think my legs are going to fall off in the morning but it was well worth it.

I tried to call my Momma but no service out there in the wilds.

It was a great birthday present and as is my habit, I took hundreds of pictures.

What a cool day. I loved it.  I am happy as can be with this day.

Simitai

I’m sitting here in Beijing and I can’t beleive it.

The Mighty Blue Machine has gone on a 12-0 run to start the season and hit a new level of Excellence–2000 WINS!

Congratulations to UK Basketball.  All who have come, those present now and all who will come along in the future.

Go Big Blue!

1976 — Upset over two turnovers in a Big Ten game, Knight grabs sophomore Jim Wisman by the jersey and jerks him into his seat.

1979 — Knight is charged and later convicted in absentia for hitting a policeman before practice at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.

1980 — Playfully fires a blank shot at a reporter. A week later, Knight and his wife take turns chiding an Assembly Hall crowd for not cheering enough during a game.

1981 — Uses his weekly program to show films of a “sucker punch” involving Isiah Thomas and Purdue’s Roosevelt Barnes, which he said proved Thomas’ innocence. Brought a donkey wearing a Purdue cap onto his TV show. In Philadelphia for the Final Four, Knight gets into a shoving match with an LSU fan, who says the coach stuffed him into a garbage can.

1983 — Knight criticizes Big Ten officiating by standing at midcourt and cursing at Big Ten Commissioner Wayne Duke, who is in the press box. Two days later, Knight assails the referees for the “worst officiating I have seen in 12 years.”

1985 — Tosses a chair across the court during a game against Purdue, prompting his ejection and a one-game suspension.

1986 — Receives technical foul for shouting at the officials during a game against Illinois, then kicks a megaphone and admonishes Indiana cheerleaders for disrupting a free-throw attempt by Steve Alford.

1987 — Bangs fist on the scorer’s table after being assessed a technical foul during a game against LSU. NCAA fines university $10,000, and Knight receives a reprimand. Refuses to let his team finish an exhibition game against the Soviet Union after he was ejected for arguing with a referee. He’s later reprimanded by the university.

1988 — In an NBC interview with Connie Chung, who asked how he handles stress, Knight says: “I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” He explains he was talking about something beyond one’s control, not the act of rape.

1991 — Asks not to be renominated to the Basketball Hall of Fame, calling the voters’ rejection of him in 1987 a “slap in the face.” Nevertheless, he was elected and inducted into the Hall. Publicly feuds with Illinois coach Lou Henson, who called him a “classic bully” who thrived on intimidation. Bars a female Associated Press reporter from the locker room, saying it was inappropriate for her to be there and also against university policy. All reporters subsequently were barred from the locker room.

1992 — Gives a mock whipping to Calbert Cheaney, a black player, during practice for the NCAA West Regional, offending several black leaders. Knight denies any racial connotations and notes the bullwhip was given to him by the players.

1993 — Is suspended for one game after a sideline tirade in a 101-82 victory over Notre Dame in which he screams at his player son, Pat, and kicks at him. When fans behind the Indiana bench boo, Knight turns and responds with an obscenity.

1994 — Head-butts Sherron Wilkerson while screaming at him on the bench but says it was unintentional. After the next game, the Hoosiers’ home finale against Wisconsin, Knight takes the public address microphone and recites a profane verse directed at his critics.

1995 — Is reprimanded and fined $30,000 by the NCAA for an outburst at a news conference at NCAA tournament. Upset that an NCAA media liaison erroneously says he would not attend the news conference, Knight lashes out at him.

1998 — Is fined $10,000 by the Big Ten for berating referee Ted Valentine, whose officiating Knight calls “the greatest travesty” he had seen in his coaching career. Knight receives three technical fouls and is ejected by Valentine during the second half of a loss to Illinois.

1999 — Is investigated for possible battery after allegedly choking a man at a restaurant. The man reportedly confronted Knight as he was leaving, contending he heard Knight make a racist remark. Prosecutor refuses to file charges. Assistant Ron Felling is fired after Knight allegedly throws him out of a chair after hearing him criticize the program.

2000 — Is investigated in March by university after former player Neil Reed says Knight choked him at a practice in 1997. In May, Knight’s suspended for three games, ordered to pay a $30,000 fine and barred from having physical contact with a player or university employee by IU President Myles Brand after an investigation found a pattern of inappropriate behavior. Is accused on Sept. 7 of grabbing a student by the arm, cursing and lecturing him about manners after the coach was addressed “Hey, Knight, what’s up?” Three days later, Knight’s fired for violating “zero-tolerance” policy and for what university President Myles Brand calls a “pattern of unacceptable behavior.”

2001 — General manager at the Compaq Center in Houston says Knight, now coach at Texas Tech, offered to fight him over remarks the coach made about the arena’s locker room — it “would have been very, very cramped with four midgets.”

2003 — Launches into a profanity-filled tirade after an ESPN reporter asks about his relationship with former player Steve Alford, who also was participating in the interview. Alford’s Iowa team was playing Texas Tech in Dallas. Knight later apologized.

2004 — Gets into a loud verbal spat with Texas Tech’s chancellor at an upscale Lubbock grocery store. Is reprimanded — but not suspended — by the university.

2006 — Approaches Michael Prince, using his hand to push his chin, apparently in an effort to get him to look up while talking to Knight during a timeout.

Mister Integrity!  I wish the old bastard would try to choke me.  I knock his old ass into next week.

This is the chump who wants to talk about integrity.  Please tell me he was talking about himself.

Hey Knight!  YOU ARE A LOSER!

1962: Trips guidance counselor in hallway while coaching Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) High School. County school board declines action; Knight praises “good no-call.”

1974: Pulls gun on Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall with 6:28 left in game. Hall, initially outraged, apologizes afterward when Knight shows him gun had only one bullet in chamber.

1974: Meets with 17-year-old Larry Bird on Indiana campus at 4:16 p.m. CT. Bird sprints off-campus and arrives at Indiana State on foot at 4:19 p.m. CT.

1975: Breaks top scorer Scott May’s right arm at halftime vs. Purdue, then convinces him to play second half to display “toughness.” May is largely ineffective but Indiana wins 72-69.

1978: Attacks and knocks out Indiana’s sports information director during an otherwise non-physical disagreement over sports information.

1979: Arrested for assaulting police officer at Pan American Games in Puerto Rico. “If hitting a cop in a third-rate island nation is an issue,” Knight famously says, “then I’m visiting the wrong country.”

1981: Stuffs LSU fan into garbage can at hotel. Knight says he would’ve thrown him into parking lot but did not want to violate stringent municipal anti-littering laws.

1982: Yells maniacally at ESPN’s Dick Vitale, but, as luck would have it, at that very moment Vitale is also yelling maniacally and does not hear a word that Knight says.

1985: Kicks megaphone during Illinois game. Megaphone is removed from arena immediately.

1985: Tosses chair across court during Purdue game because he’s tired of sitting in it. Suspended one game.

1993: Kicks at his son Pat during victory over Notre Dame and responds to booing fans with a Redd Foxx impersonation. Suspended one game.

1993: Disgusted by team’s 22 turnovers in road loss to Illinois, robs a string of convenience marts in tri-state area. Suspended one game.

1994: Bangs fist on scorer’s table vs. Ohio State after rereading Chapter 17 of “A Season on the Brink.”

1994: While viewing “Hoosiers” in Bloomington, Ind., theater, stomps on patron two rows behind him who is talking during crucial town hall meeting to decide coach Dale’s fate.

1994: Accidentally head-butts Sherron Wilkerson while screaming at him on bench; says he only meant to scratch his eyes out.

1997: Accidentally chokes Neil Reed in practice while demonstrating proper defensive footwork.

1999: Accidentally throws assistant Ron Felling out of a chair, then — after allowing Felling back onto the chair — fires him.

1999: Throws a vase at a university secretary; says he was aiming for the university president.

1999: Allegedly chokes man at restaurant who beats Knight to the kitchen’s last order of cheddar ‘n’ chives potato skins.

2000: Accidentally grabs, curses and lectures student who had addressed the coach, “Hey, what’s up Knight?”

2000: Heaves ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap into Hudson River after Schaap asks about alleged 1947 dodge-ball incident.

2004: Has loud spat with Texas Tech chancellor David Smith at Lubbock grocery store, near the frozen-food aisle. Smith leaves with no groceries.

2005: During “Knight School” taping, cold cocks ESPN makeup artist who tries to apply blush to his left cheek. He then knees ESPN audio engineer who asks for a second take of profanity-laced tirade.

2005: Cracks open the head of a mannequin with a baseball bat while shopping at Sports Authority. Charges dismissed after he explains he mistook the mannequin for a former Big Ten referee.

2006: Improves Michael Prince’s chin posture.

HEY KNIGHT, BEEN CAUGHT SHOPLIFTING LATELY!?!?!