We went to the Xi'an City wall and rode bikes along the top of the wall today. The Xi'an Wall was build about the same time as the section of the Great Wall we saw a few days ago. They did not provide bikes for kids under ten and they wouldn't let them ride on the tandem bikes, so we had four kids that couldn't ride and they required two adults to be with the four kids. It took forever and a little frustrations, but we finally rented five bikes for two hours and paid for the other six to ride the tram car. The prices for the tram were super ridiculous, and they wouldn't let just one adult go with the kids, so we were a little put off when we started the ride. Bri, me and the three older girls got on the bikes and started riding towards the South Gate, we started at the East Gate and rode to the South Gate.
As we were riding, we noticed that there were buildings that were very similar in appearances and pretty evenly spaced. We learned that these building are sentry buildings that the soldiers would use to protect the wall. The reason they were spaced pretty evenly, about every 120 meters, was because they were strategically placed so an arrow could be fired from either tower and protect the wall without any blind spots or un-hittable spots. As we kept riding, the sentry buildings became more spaced. Since the wall is so old, many of the buildings have decayed and rotted away and collapsed before they were restored. So there are only 20 of the original 98 sentry buildings still standing.
We enjoyed the ride and even goofed off a lot. We would ride in circles, race, and attempt no hands or no feet. The girls were laughing, and we were all full of smiles. Luckily we were using energy because it was a little windy and chilly, and if we hadn't been riding the bikes, I'm pretty sure we would have been freezing.
We made it to the Youngning Gate, or the South Gate, and had to get off our bikes to see the gate. Since the husbands had all the littles and were taking the tram to the South Gate, we hurried to see the gate and get back to the bikes, so we could switch with the guys.
While we waited for the Kevin, Jason, and the littles we hung out at a super neat building that was looking at the South Gate. The tram finally arrived and we were all together. The tram driver informs us that we only have 5 minutes until it leaves. That didn't even give the guys enough time to walk to the South Gate. It was super frustrating because they sat and waited for over a half hour before they even left the East Gate, and were not given any time at the South Gate. Bri and I switched with Kevin and Jason and we took the littles back on the tram, and they took the bikes and rode back with the three older girls. Since we were not using energy, we were all so cold on the tram ride back to the East Gate. We couldn't get there fast enough.
The three older girls rode back with Kevin and Jason. They enjoyed the ride back, but I think they were beginning to get hungry and cold. It was so fun to be able to ride on such a historical and ancient place.
As we were getting ready to walk down the stairs back to the bus, the kids notice a row of huge cartoon looking characters and asked if we could walk a little further to see them. The cartoons were these cute helmeted chubby cartoon soldiers each painted a different way and each painted with the words, 'Xi'an City Wall'. All the kids ran to their favorite and begged for a picture with their favorite cartoon Xi'an City Wall character. I found my favorite also, it was the Love Xi'an Wall one, and Kevin and I got a picture with it while flashing the Korean heart hand signs.
As we were walking around seeing the different Xi'an Wall cartoons, a group of Chinese students started to play with the kids using bubbles. The students had these neat bubble containers that had these wands that would open and close causing massive amounts of bubbles. The kids had such a fun time running and chasing after the bubbles and the Chinese students had a great time watching the kids.
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