summer2009 roadtrip day 4

西安(XiAn): foreign bookstore, 碑林 (Forest of Stone Engravings)
黄陵(HuangLing): 黄帝陵 (Emperor Huang's Grave)
洛川(LuoChuan): hotel

# # # boooooooks # # #
Felt like I had slept in today, but actually got up around 9AM. Hm.

Headed to the foreign/english book store and got 'The Strangler' by William Landay because I like stories with brothers...and it actually seems to have a promising mystery to it. As expected, the brother dynamics are really interesting and characters are well fleshed-out. Writing style is also kinda unique and not too pretentious.

Jeff got two volumes of the complete Sherlock Holmes stories. He is gonna have to share.


# # # ancient handwriting is just as bad # # #
Next, visited Forest of Stone Engravings (god English names sound so lame). It was a temple/gallery some emperor had set up to collect and display engraved stone tablets he's collected. Saw lots of interesting scripts people used to carve their poems/essays in.
( # photos # )

Bought a book with collections of what's carved on most of the tablets. Ended up buying a script brush too.
This has renewed my willingness to pick up/relearn Chinese...Traditional Chinese. I'm kinda masochistic like that.

Also took lots of pictures of the architecture for that wuxia story I'm working on writing/illustrating. ...knowing me it'll take me another 10 years to finish plotting it...
( # photos # )

Jeff got his own personal stamp thing. His Chinese name is so gorgeous/special I'm still extremely envious.


# # # kthxbai # # #
Spent rest of today driving as well.

Was headed for the grave site of the first "Emperor" of China, 黄帝(HuangDi aka Yellow Emperor), but there were no good hotels and we ended up just taking two photos. Mom mentioned nothing was dug up for exhibition anyways so...

Staying at a hotel in LuoChuan instead. Not that much better but the bathrooms are passable at least.