Wild Goose Pagodas, Xi'an

Favorite thing: visit the Wild Goose Great Pagoda.
And do not miss the gardens (8AM to 6 PM)

Fondest memory: Once upon a time, a wise Emperor sent a monk (the ancestor of the VTbackpackers), Xuanzang, to search in India some Sutras of the Buddhist religion.
He traveled for 20 years (what a vacation !) and came back home with his bag full of religious texts and his head full of souvenirs.
When somebody told him how did he do to find the good direction, he answered : 'I followed the wild gooses flights'.

Favorite thing: LITTLE GOOSE PAGODA
The Little Goose Pagoda on the grounds of the Jianfu Temple is called that because it is smaller than the Big One (LOL), although it has more stories. It was completed in 709 A.D. when Buddhism was firmly established in China.
The Little Goose Pagoda lost several stories during an earthquake in the 1500's. It is difficult to tell at first view, it looks complete. It is more delicate looking than the Big Goose, with finer detailing in the brickwork. It, like the Big Goose pagoda, housed Buddhist manuscripts and is a part of a temple complex and monastery.

Favorite thing: Besides the Terracotta Warriors you must see the Wild Goose Pagoda that was built 2000 yrs ago of all brick with no nails,and an internal staircase.Built in one of the theoretical ways that the egyptian tombs were. They say a moun of dirt was made and the brick work begun and slowly the mound of dirt was peeled away to eventually reveal a pagoda. This area has 1000 yr old trees and in the morning taichi is done . Quiet in the middle of the city.

Fondest memory: Lunch at the Terracotta Museum-this area is known for noodles. They had two stations in the dining area with chefs who made needles from scratch. They were great.