TO RANTHAMBORE TIGER PRESERVE

We're on the road again. And Ranvir  points out  how the truck drivers decorate their trucks.The tassels and plumes and artificial flowers are a tradition among drivers. If another driver is assigned that truck, they don't remove them.  I've seen the passenger side, alternate driver, sitting cross-legged in the window. It is built into their genes to sit that way. Each of our  bus drivers has a helpful alternate.  He must apprentice for 4 to 5 years. Ranvir tells us that bus drivers get used to air-conditioning and during monsoon, they suffer terribly in their own homes without it.
We see this group of women and a boy in a small town. Colorful, always. One town we went through, the women had to cover their faces outside because of their in-laws, a stricter Muslim sect, but not as strict as those who require the black hijab that completely covers the face.

And, as always, you find the camel, or donkey treading the same road as these huge, fast buses and trucks. Pretty amazing that there are so few accidents.

Before we left for Ranthambore for another long five hour bumpy drive, we visited a museum with hunting and war weapons. They were all under glass and I didn't take any photos. Killing instruments best forgotten anyway. This is probably out of sequence because I improperly divided my pictures while unloading.

I know we stopped at a McDonalds on one of the long drives and I was fascinated with this woman's long, beautiful hair. Inside the restaurant was a group of women who were rewarded for taking skills classes of some sort. They were celebrating with a lunch at McDonalds, something none of them could afford on their own.
I have to cut this short and finish it tomorrow when we reach the Tiger Preserve at Ranthambore. I had good and bad news from my surgeon yesterday. My left shoulder rotator cuff cannot be repaired. I have to have a complete shoulder replacement. But, it can wait a year.  That is the good news.
Ciao

RVER'S, DO THEY CARRY GUNS?

Do RVers carry guns for protection? Since there are millions of RVers out there, that is a loaded question. Pun intended. But, how safe do RVers feel on the road? I gave both of my husband’s service revolvers to my son after he died.  I was uncomfortable with them in the house where a potential assailant could steal it, use it on me, or a grandkid could find it and have an accident no matter how well I’ve hidden it.
One of those revolvers was stolen from my son’s garage. It was, he thought, well hidden. He still has the second one. He doesn’t carry it and doesn’t go to a shooting range, or use it. It has sentimental value to him.

Jim traveled 17,000 miles, across Mexico and through every country in Central America, in his motor home, in 2004, without a gun. It was clear before he started, you don’t carry a weapon or you’ll end up in a jail. Period. He has been a full timer for 18 years and has never felt the need to carry a gun. He does carry a weapon, of sorts. He has an ice pick just above the door. He has a small, narrow, hardwood bat also near the door by the passenger seat. He used to carry a loud noisemaker air horn. He has never felt the need for a more serious weapon.
Having just read about another lone gunman attack, shooting an automatic rifle at an airport yesterday,  makes me think about the lunacy of selling automatic rifles to anyone who wants one. Let’s face it, the supposed screening process does not work which is exactly the way the gun manufacturers like it. (The NRA is now a gun manufacturer in case you didn’t know.)

Jim and I have had one incident where a “weapon” was used. We were parked at a bus station waiting for an early morning shuttle to take me to an airport. We were in Arizona and three drunks came knocking on the door about 10 p.m. waking us up.  Jim opened the small kitchen window and asked what they wanted. They were pretty incoherent and kept up some babble, have you got some…, whatever. I’ve forgotten what they were asking for.  He took out his weapon, his cell phone and said, leave or I’ll call the cops. He had to say it repeatedly and hold up the phone and pretend to press a couple of buttons.  They went away, and awhile later they came back. Jim used the same weapon, they backed off a second time and went away for good.
My weapon of choice at home is a can of bee spray by my bedside, and an air can of loud noise in my car small enough to conceal in my hand. Pepper spray small enough to have on a key chain is available if you work where you have to walk to a dark parking lot at night.
The best weapon, is being careful not to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, but, as we all know, shit happens.
Our good friend, Randy Vining, a fellow full timer,  does carry a weapon. I’ll come back to his story. And, I’d like to hear from other RVers about weapons.

TERRA COTTA SOLDIERS OF XIAN

China’s Terra Cotta Army is considered the eighth wonder of the world.  And, rightly so. Isn’t this an amazing culture?

The Terra Cotta Soldiers face east and remain in the pit from which they came, standing at attention row by row. The building covering the pit is leaking slightly and is inadequate for preserving the soldiers, a problem the Chinese government has recognized and is addressing.

Point and shoot cameras cannot reach the fine details from such an immense area. Light is dim and only natural light is allowed into the building.  When found, the soldiers were  painted to look like they were alive.  The atmosphere has destroyed the color leaving them a dull reddish color.  Even so, we will have a good look at the soldiers. But first a bit of history.

This picture of a picture shows what they looked like before they were fully removed from the ground. The armor looks like bronze or leather, but it is jade. Pit #1 is the largest with 6000 figures of infantry, the first discovery in 1974. Pit #2 holds 2000 Calvary and archers and horses. Each soldier’s face and body are an exact replica of a real human. No two are the same. Pit # 3 was a command center full of dignitaries or politicians. Pit #4  holds the middle army, bronze chariots ½ size, and horse-drawn equipment wagons.

In the museum, this chariot is completely enclosed in a temperature controlled glass case.

This equipment wagon and its work horses is on display in the museum as well.
I was surprised to learn that in 1991 they discovered two nearby tomb mounds,  the graves of a Ching Dynasty emperor and empress buried in separate tombs. They now know there are 73 of these tomb mounds in the area of the soldiers. A few of them have been opened, examined and buried back again. The rest will not be opened until they have the proper technology to care for these treasures. The technology to protect them still does not exist.  The financial costs are enormous but there is wisdom in waiting.
During the intervening years, much has been learned about the Xian area (pronounced shy-ann), the soldiers, and the history of the Ching (also spelled Quing) Dynasty. Xian is in Shanxi Province which is considered the Cradle of Chinese Civilization.
Xian was the first capitol of China during the Ching Dynasty, the first of the thirteen dynasties. The first emperor, Ching Shu Wandi ruled in year 221  before Christ. He unified China. His dynasty only lasted until  206 B.C. He was a tyrant. He burned 250 Confucius Scholars alive. There is a mausoleum to honor them.
The second was the Hun Dynasty.
It was a slave society, a feudal society. When the Hun Emperor was 13 years old, he started to build his tomb. It took 37 years. It was the largest tomb in the world. He died at age 50 in 210 B.C.  The Emperors threw their concubines into the tombs and buried them alive so they could not reveal the site of their burial.
The visit to Xian was as gratifying as the Great Wall.  The public views four pits, but the Imax movie explaining it all, and the well done museum make this an unforgettable visit. And now a funny story.

In the gift shop, we actually got up close to soldier replicas. In the gift shop, we met the farmer who discovered the first pit on his land. He signs books for tourists who buy them, his official job since he can’t  farm his land. He can no longer be photographed because the millions of flashes from cameras have damaged his eyes.
When it was known that President Clinton would visit Xian, the farmer was taught a bit of English to greet them. He learned enough English to say, “How are you?” He was coached that the Clintons will likely say,  fine, thank you, and he should answer, I’m fine too.  But, Clinton said,  “Hello!”  And the farmer said ‘Who are you instead of How are you?  Clinton answered  “I’m Hillary Clinton’s husband.”  And the farmer  said, “Me too.”
The Chinese feel warmly about the Clintons because they visited Xian first instead of Beijing or Shanghai.

These replicas can be purchased and shipped home. These soldiers also come with a replica of the weapons they held in their hands if you want to buy them.