The great walls of Xian

We enjoyed a late morning and then visited the Temple of the Immortals.  It is a Taoist temple just a few blocks from the east gate of the old city. Beautiful in its simplicity and surrounded by a Sunday antique market where we saw a lot of really good stuff and even more junk :-).

We climbed the walls of the old city, some 60' tall and easily 40' wide. They form a complete rectangular enclosure that measures 9 miles around. We rented bikes and rode the walls. It took two hours to circle the old city.

The old city is full of new buildings, lots of high rises, and zillions of high end shops-Gucci, Tiffany, Dior, etc. scattered amount the glitz were the historic pagodas, temples, and palaces.

It was a great day although at times unbearably hot. It hit 104^ with a hideout of at least 85%. Amazingly uncomfortable.  And BTW, that's a clear sunny day. The smog is thick. Can't imagine breathing this stuff every day!

We enjoyed lunch at a posh restaurant and strolled to local Walmart. LOL. They had a greeter at the front door-an older Chinese lady with a big smile handing out shopping baskets. Just like home!

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