8 April 2011

Before departing for Xian, we braved the subway to the Lama Buddhist Temple. It is a huge complex with many beautiful building housing carved and cast Buddha images guarded by monks. The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Fortunes houses an 85-foot buddha carved from a single sandalwood block. There are many worshipers praying and burning incense offerings.

Xian is a city of 9 million with no subway system, so the buses are very congested. Lots of bicycles and scooters everywhere. There are many ways to travel in China from Segway to scooter. They sometimes have their own traveling lane on the road, but many people still use the sidewalk. Those electric scooters come out of nowhere without warning. Due to the huge traffic volume crossing the streets in Beijing and Xian have been a nerve-wracking experience.