Day 13,  29 April Yangshuo

We had another early start and took the bus for the roughly two hour journey to Yangshuo.  The scenery was really spectacular with the Karst hills all around.  They are limestone hills formed by earthquakes in Prehistoric times and are only around 600 feet high.  Since limestone is soft it has eroded into interesting shapes, mostly the conical hills seen in many Chinese paintings.  As we drove, Heather told us about her life.  She is a recent convert to Buddhism and spoke enthusiastically about that lifestyle.  She also told us that Chinese don’t keep animals because they don’t believe that the country can support the huge population as well as non working animals.  Water buffalo work in the rice paddies, so they are valuable, but we only saw a couple of dozen cows on all our travels.  The main source of meat is chickens and ducks, but rice and vegetables provide the bulk of the Chinese diet.

The bus ride passed quickly and soon we were at the boat dock in Yangshuo.  We boarded a small tour boat, with a teenage school group, and cruised the Li River for two hours.  The misty conditions added to the mysterious look of the hills.  The current was strong and the downstream part of the trip was peaceful with very little engine noise, but the boat struggled back up stream with the engine making a lot of noise.

Our next stop was lunch, then we went to a market for some free time to shop.  It was pouring with rain by this time and we got very wet, but it was fun exploring the marke

  Luckily we checked in to our hotel, the Jasper, before dinner so we could change our wet clothes.  From dinner we headed to an outdoor theatre by the river where we watched a light show called Illusions.  It was choreographed by the creator of the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremonies.  The surrounding mountains were illuminated at times to provide a backdrop for the almost 600 actors who moved around on boats, poled by local fishermen.  The boats were in darkness while the actors were illuminated so it seemed they were floating.  Local minority cultures were featured, in colourful costumes, with adults and children singing and moving to the music.  It is hard to explain, but it was a true spectacle unlike anything I have seen before.  The show lasted an hour and a half, and we learned that it is performed twice every night and three times in the high season.  The show designer was responsible for the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics.  Rain ponchos were handed out for the show, but luckily we did not need them.

Day 14, April 30. Guilin

This morning we took our bus back to Guilin, where we stopped at the Botanical Gardens for a tour.  We encountered a group of elementary school children who were anxious to try out their English.  ‘I am happy boy.  You happy too?’

Next was lunch, then a factory visit.  We saw how tea is grown and processed - they use the old style hand made way - then we took part in the traditional Chinese tea tasting ceremony.  It was not as elaborate as the Japanese way, but a very personable young man did the honours and we tasted four different qualities and types of tea.  He was rather dismissive of black, or as he called it red, tea and tea bags are not worth considering.  After the tasting we had a chance to buy tea.  Their offerings were very expensive but a few people bought for gifts.

 We then headed to Elephant Trunk Hill, to see the hill shaped like an elephant drinking from the river.  We had a young guide there who spoke little English, but Heather translated.  The gardens were very attractive with more flowers than the Botanical Gardens which had mainly trees and shrubs.  

Our flight to Shanghai was at 10:20, so after dinner we went to the airport.  Once there we found that the flight was delayed about half an hour, so we had quite a long wait.  We flew with Juneyeo Airlines on a plane that seemed older than the other internal flights we have taken.  It was after 1 am when we arrived in Shanghai, where we were met by our new guide, Jane, and taken to the Wyndham Bund East Hotel.  It was three am before we were settled in our very comfortable rooms, so we had no trouble falling asleep!

Day 15, May 1  Shanghai

We didn’t begin our tour until ten am, so we had a reasonable amount of sleep.  We had a good breakfast then set off to see Shanghai.  We looked around the Bund Area then head to take a cruise on the Hangpo river.  It was amazing to see how much building has been done since our last visit in 2006.  Pudong especially has grown up and out, but many areas of old homes and businesses have disappeared in the Old City to be replace by high rises.  We had a really good view from the river.  The boat trip lasted about an hour and a half, then we then went to Pudong for lunch.

  

A short visit to Nanjing Road was next.  It was very crowded because May 1 is a public holiday (Labour Day).  We wandered around but didn’t do any shopping.  People watching was fun.

Next we went to the market near the Yuyan Gardens.  It was unbelievably crowded.  Crossing the bridge was almost impossible, but we followed Jane with her blue flag.  Chris found the crowds too claustrophobic so he stayed with some of the others in a coffee shop.  I went to buy a kite with Kathy, John and Janet.  It was quite an expedition although it lasted less than half an hour.  We kept really close together and made it back to the coffee shop in time for a quick coffee before fighting our way back to the bus to go for dinner.

For a change we went to a Mongolian Restaurant, where we had a good dinner with grilled chicken and fried rice.  they even served ice cream for dessert and a generous tankard of beer,  We had quite a rush to get to the theatre in time for the Shanghai Acrobat Show, but our driver found a quick way and we made it to our seats with about five minutes to spare.

The show was not the same as the last one we saw on our previous visit, but was just as spectacular.  The finale had six motorcycles speeding around in a metal sphere.  There was a good mix of spectacle and comedy.

Back to the hotel and  to bed.

Day 16,  May 2  Shanghai and home

We packed our suitcases and loaded them onto the bus, then headed to the Shanghai museum.  It was very crowded because it was also a public holiday.  There was no charge to enter the museum, but the queue to get in was really long.  We went into the shop first, then bypassed the queue by going into the museum from there.  We spent a couple of hours admiring the minority costumes and ancient sculptures and pottery.

We had asked our guide, Jane, if we could take the Maglev to the airport, and she arranged for our driver to drop us at the station, then continue to the airport with our luggage.  The Maglev cost 40 yuan, and took eight minutes for the journey at a maximum speed of 301Kph.  We had to wait for the driver to arrive with our cases before we could check in.  

Our flight to Vancouver left slightly late, but we made up the time, so we were in good time for our connection to Toronto.  We were home at about 11pm.

Thoughts on the trip

The air is so polluted that we hardly saw the sun.  We had lots of rain, but it didn’t stop us having a wonderful trip.

The enormous population creates crowds everywhere.  The Great Wall was particularly busy and Shanghai on a National Holiday was incredibly crowded.

Washrooms do not provide toilet paper - we had to carry our own.  Many are not very clean, and we were lucky to find Western style, most were squats.

The cruise ship was quite unlike an ocean going vessel ,but was clean and comfortable.  We had the basic category of cabin but it was spacious and had a balcony.  The food was served buffet style  and was adequate, but not exciting.  We never went hungry, but on the whole tour the food was rather bland.  It was as if they were attempting to adapt Chinese food to what they thought  Westerners  liked.  We would have preferred some spicy dishes.

We are generally independent travellers and this was the first time we had taken a guided tour.  It was very intensive, but we saw the places we had hoped to see in a stress free way.  The others in our group added to the experience.  When we began, we were strangers, but by the end we were a group of friends.  I’m not sure if I would take a guided tour again, but for a country like China it provided an efficient and economical way to travel.

Day 7,  April 23 Chongqing and river cruise

After a really early start, we headed to the airport and were just in time to board our flight to Chongqing, which took just over an hour.  We were provided with a boxed breakfast at the hotel which we ate on the drive, but another snack was served on the plane.  

Our guide, Alan met us and our suitcases were loaded onto a bus which took us to the panda zoo.  Chongqing zoo has eight pandas, including a baby, but only two were visible.  They were eating bamboo and we were able to take lots of photos.  When we left the zoo, we had quite a long drive into the city.  We were surprised to learn that Chongqing is the largest city in China, and is heavily industrialized.  

 Not very much is left of the old city  because most was destroyed in WWII when Chongqing was the temporary capital of China.  We had a very lively young guide called Christina who kept us entertained while we toured an old building.  We were quite surprised to find that they are selling recovered artifacts to fund the restoration of the rest of the building. 

At about 3 pm we headed to our ship, stopping on the way to buy some beer and wine at a supermarket.  Our suitcases were delivered to the ship, but we had to carry our hand luggage quite a way along the dock because our ship - Century Diamond was at the very far end.  We made it safely and checked into our cabin which was a bit larger than I expected.  We have a sofa and desk as well as a king sized bed, more closet space than we need for five days, and a rather compact bathroom with a shower.  We also have a small balcony, just big enough for two chairs.  Our cases arrived quite promptly so we unpacked and relaxed before dinner.

After a buffet style dinner we had a short presentation about the cruise, then we went to bed because we were really tired after getting up at 4:30.  We missed the sail away, which was about 10:30pm.

Day 8, Thursday April 24

We woke up early to find we were well underway, cruising down the Yangtze.  It was quite misty, but we could see quite a few small boats and some other cruise boats around us.  We went for breakfast at eight.  The morning activity was a lecture on Chinese medicine - quite interesting but it didn’t make me want to rush out and try acupuncture!   

After lunch we an excursion to the Shibaozhai pagoda, a very steep climb, then  the Captain’s reception was held before dinner  - Chinese champagne flowed quite freely and some of the crew did some exhibition dancing then encouraged passengers to join in for line dancing.  Chris went to the crew talent show after dinner, but I had an early night.

Day 9, Friday April 25

Breakfast was early to allow for those who were going on the optional tour at 8 am.  We decided to skip that in favour of a leisurely morning.  About 11:30 am we entered the Qutang Gorge, the first of the three gorges.  We went up on deck and listened to a commentary in four languages about the gorge.  It was spectacular, but the misty conditions made photography difficult.  After lunch we entered the second gorge, the Wu Gorge. This is the longest of the three.  There were several abandoned villages along the shore.  Our guide said that people who had been displaced by the flooding had chosen to move away instead of occupying the housing built for them.

In the afternoon we had an excursion to the Goddess Stream.  We boarded small boats, about 25 people in each boat and traveled 15Km down the ‘stream’ which wound through a smaller gorge with rocky and tree covered sides.  The high sides were really spectacular, but it was hard to take photos because of the height and the narrow channel.  We arrived at the furthest navigable spot and got our for a short visit while the guides from the boats entertained us with some traditional songs and dances.  Our guide lived in a village that had been built when their original homes were flooded by the dam construction.  They have to walk down a steep mountain path to take a boat to work, and after elementary school the children have to do the same for middle and high school.  She told us that they were happy with their new homes, which have new furniture and are more modern than their old ones.  We wondered who translated the signage on the small boats!  

After a short break we went back on the boats to rejoin our ship.  By 10:30 pm we were waiting to enter the first lock of the Three Gorges project.  The ships were packed in closely, at least four cruise ships and two coal barges that we could see.  The lock gates closed and we began to go down.  This was just the first of the five locks, but we didn’t stay up to see the others, because we were told that it took four hours to go through all the locks.

Day 10,  April 26

When we awoke, the ship was moored.  We had breakfast and some of our table mates went on an optional tour, but we decided to stay aboard.  We watched a movie about the wild life of China, then stayed in the lounge an chatted for a while.  After lunch we are going on a tour of the Three Gorges Dam.

When we arrived at the dam site it was pouring with rain.  We went into a building where there was a display of the building process.  Our guide, Wendy (she said the bus driver was called Peter Pan), told us how many people had been involved in the construction, and how the main reason was to control the annual flooding which has killed thousands of people.  A town was built to accommodate the workers, I think she said 300,000 at the maximum, with dormitories, shops a gym, bank, medical facilities etc.  There were workers from many countries.  Now only about 3,000 are left, because construction is complete apart from the boat elevator which will provide a faster way for small boats to avoid the five locks.  

We ascended by escalators to the top viewing area, but it was so cloudy and wet that we didn’t get a very good view.  We walked down ramps back to the buses and returned to the ship.  We had to hurry back because our ship had to leave to meet its assigned time at the next lock. 

We made it in time to the next lock, a single one, and entered just before dinner.  After dinner there was a guest talent show.  Our group did a silly skit, which was quite well received, then others performed.  It was all quite entertaining.

Day 11, Sunday April 27

We were up early because we were supposed to have a tour of a museum at 7:45, but we discovered that the boat was stationary and had been since 1:30am.  A boat had become stuck ahead of us, and the Yangtze traffic control had stopped all shipping.  We were surrounded by commercial ships and barges, all waiting to move.   We eventually started moving downstream around 3 pm, and arrived in Jangshuou in time to go to the museum at 6 pm.  It was a small museum, but very well laid out, and it had many items from graves that were over 2000 years old.  They were extremely well preserved, especially the body of a man whose hair and teeth were recognizable.  Other artifacts included grave furniture and protectors.

  

We returned to the ship in time for the farewell banquet.  The tables were nicely set with red cloth napkins and flowers and the waitresses were dressed in special outfits.  This meal was the only one with table service instead of buffet.  We were handed a glass of champagne when we went in, and the captain and officers greeted us.  We enjoyed the change of food - there were battered shrimp and some more interesting dishes than usual.  After dinner we had to pack for an early start.

Day 12, Monday April 28

Since we had been delayed on the river, we did not have time to sail to Wuhan, because it would take at least 15 hours, so we were collected in a bus instead.  This time our guide,  was an older woman and she had some interesting things to tell us about the Cultural Revolution (when she finished high school, she was sent to work on a farm for two years before she went to university.)  She spoke very highly of Mao, who she referred to as ‘Late Chairman Mao’ and thought that most of what he did was beneficial to China.

We were pleased to get a glimpse of the countryside as we drove along.  There were many newish houses along the way and our guide told us they were farmers’ homes.  The government built them to move the farmers from remote spots into a area where more services could be provided for them, like medical services, schools and shops. The crops they grow included rice, rape seed and wheat.

We went to a rather nice banquet hall for lunch and were quite impressed with the quality and variety.  Afterwards we toured the city in the bus.  The driver was from Jangshuou and didn't know his way around.  We tried to cross a bridge but the entrance was too low for the bus to pass.  To get back on track we had to go the wrong way down a one way street - quite an experience.  We got out of the bus to walk along a shopping street, but had little time to do anything there.  We had dinner at the airport, then waited for the flight to Guilin which was at 8:20 pm.

We were met in Guilin and taken to our hotel on a bus by our guide, Heather.  Now we are settled in, but only for one night.  Tomorrow we go to Yangshuou

China Diary Part 1

Day 1  April 16-17

We left Toronto on time at 3 pm to begin the 13 hour flight to Beijing.  We watched some movies and slept on the way so the journey passed quite easily.

When we arrived we had to take a train to the baggage pickup.  Eventually our cases arrived and we met our guide Velma outside.  Our luggage went on one bus, and we took another.  Unfortunately we arrived in rush hour, so the traffic was very slow, but we arrived at our hotel just after 7pm.  Beijing time is 12 hours ahead of Toronto.  We had booked a small group tour, which could have had up to 25 people, but we were pleased that there were only 13 in our party.

Our rooms were very clean and well equipped, and we had time for a quick change before dinner.  The food was tasty, but mostly unidentifiable.  It was put out on a lazy Susan and we helped ourselves.  There were a couple of meat dishes and many vegetables - beans, tofu, lotus root in batter, pumpkin and something like watercress.  We were quite tired, so we headed straight to bed after dinner.

Day 2  April 18, Beijing

We didn’t sleep too well, but were up bright and early for breakfast , which had a good selection of Western food as well as Chinese dishes.  We met Velma at 9:30 and set off in the van for the Temple of Heaven.  We walked through the complex and saw the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest built in 1420, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Round Altar where the Emperor sacrificed to the Gods.  The number nine was only allowed to be used by the Emperor, and this number is repeated many times in the area.  The doors have 81 nails (like studs) in a 9x9pattern, and the Round altar has a ring of nine stones around it, the eighteen around them, then 27 and right up to 81. This whole area was restored before the Olympics.    

From there we went to lunch, then in the afternoon visited Tiananmen Square, which is far larger than we expected.  The Mausoleum of Chairman Mao, is in the square, as is the Monument to the People’s Heroes.  Mao proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China from the Ming Dynasty Gate on October 1, 1949.  

The Forbidden City was our next stop.  This area was completed in 1420, and is also known as the Palace Museum.  There are five bridges crossing the Golden Water at the entrance to the complex.  It was the exclusive domain of the Emperors and the court until the abdication in 1912.  It was opened to the public in 1949.  There are 9,999.5 rooms in the complex - we didn’t find out what constitutes a half room!  

By the time we went for dinner we had walked more than 8 Km and up and down many steps.  After dinner we went to the Beijing Opera - an interesting experience but not one that I would be in a hurry to repeat!  The costumes were fascinating and the combination of martial arts and dance was surprising, but the singing was a discordant assault on the ears.

Day 3  April 19, The Great Wall

We set off bright and early for the Great Wall, Badalang.  The day was quite overcast and as the two hour drive continued it began to rain.  It was quite wet when we arrived at the wall, but that hadn't deterred the hundreds of visitors there.  We had expected that most of the people there would be tourists, but the ones we saw were mostly Chinese.  We walked up quite a steep section and had to be careful because it was very slippery underfoot.  The rain eventually  stopped and we had a better view of the structure and the surrounding scenery.   

After lunch the sun came out and we had a pleasant afternoon visiting the Ming Tombs.  After dinner we went back to the hotel and had an early night.

Day 4  April 20, Beijing

We began with a visit to the Summer Palace Gardens.  The weather was fine and I think it had brought most of the population to the gardens.  It was a mass of humanity, strolling, photographing, boating on the lake and admiring the scenery.  Many families were in evidence, and we commented that with so many babies and young children, we heard no crying or whining, and no uncontrolled children running around.

We walked in the gardens, admired the statuary and enjoyed the peonies which were in full bloom.  This palace was rebuilt in the early 20th Century after it was destroyed in a war.  It is very colourful particularly the Long Corridor which was built so the Empress could walk by the lake protected from the elements.  There are paintings on the ceiling all the way along and they must be constantly refreshed because most of them looked quite new.  

Our first stop after lunch was at the Olympic Park where we saw the Bird’s Nest, Water Cube and various other facilities.  We had ample time to walk around and take photos, and observe more Chinese families at leisure.  They were strolling around the grounds, shopping at the souvenir stalls and buying street food.  

It was a real contrast to go from there to the Hutongs - the old section of the city, where we took a rickshaw ride around the narrow streets.  Cars were using the same streets and we had several encounters with several cars trying to turn onto the same street at the same time while the group of rickshaws were there too.  No one was prepared to give way, and there was plenty of horn blowing and shouting.  Somehow it was resolved and we went on our way to visit a courtyard compound.  A young woman explained that her family owned the four houses from 1950, when her grandfather bought them.  He was an artist and had become quite wealthy, but when the cultural revolution happened three of the houses were taken from them and other families moved in.  They were left with the one house which was 500 years old.  After the revolution the other houses were returned to the family, but her grandfather died soon after. 

Dinner that night was at a very nice restaurant where we had Peking duck, then we were off to our hotel and another early night after a busy day.

Day 5, April 21  Xi’an

We were up early for breakfast. and boarded our flight to Xi’an.  the flight took about an hour and a half and we were very surprised to be served lunch.  We flew with East China Airlines and the plane seemed almost new. We arrived in Xi’an and were greeted by our new guide, Lei.  We drove through light rain to our hotel, the Days Hotel and Suites. 

We had an hour to relax, then met Lei to visit the walls which circled the old city and are eight miles long.  We entered through one of the four gates, which led to a courtyard which was intended as a trap.  Enemies would be allowed to enter, then the entrance and exit would be closed, trapping the enemy in the courtyard.  Archers could then fire on them from the walls above.  

Since it was still raining, we didn’t stay long on the walls, just walked around for twenty minutes, then went to see the Moslem Street.  Moslems have been in Xi’an for centuries, and originally inter married with the Chinese.  They kept their faith, and now the community numbers in the thousands.  The Moslem Street has little shops, mostly selling food, much of it prepared out on the street.  We enjoyed strolling around watching the different activities and enjoying the colour and sounds. 

We headed to the Han Dynasty Centre where we enjoyed a dumpling banquet in a dinner theatre.  The different dumplings kept appearing, some formed into interesting shapes.  My favourite were the mouse and the monkey face.  After eating dinner we watched a very colourful show of music and dancing from the Han era.  

We were back at the hotel by 9:30, quite tired after another busy day.

Day 6. April 22 Xi’an Terracotta Warriors

Another early start!  We met in the lobby at 8:30, after a good breakfast in very civilized surroundings.   Our first stop was to see the leaning pagoda - an ancient structure that was affected by subsidence, but has now been stabilized.  It is a monastery which avoided destruction during the cultural revolution, although the monks were dispersed and only returned when the revolution was over.  We then went to the Shaanixi Museum.  It was quite crowded but we saw many interesting exhibits, some dating from several centuries BC. 

After lunch we drove to the museum to see the Terracotta Warriors.  We were amazed to see how many soldiers and horses were arrayed in Pit 1.  Lei, our guide explained how the site was discovered by farmers digging a well.  I didn’t realize that the soldiers had been smashed when the roof collapsed over the centuries and the army as it stands at present has been reconstructed painstakingly.  This work is still continuing and we saw people working on it.  We saw the most complete figure which was recovered intact except for a crack in one foot.  The detail was amazing - finger nails, eyebrows and a moustache could be seen, as well as the pattern on the soles of his shoes.   

We were back in the hotel by 7:30, but we have to pack for an early start tomorrow.  We are meeting at 5:30 am to go to the airport for our flight to Chongqing to take the Yangtze River cruise.

Our China Trip, April16 - May 2, 2014

We are looking forward to our trip to China, although not to the 14 hour overnight journey to get there.  We will be arriving in Beijing on April 17th, and from there we will travel to Xi'an, Chongqing where we will embark upon a four night Yangtze cruise, then visit Guillin, Yangshuo and end our visit in Shanghai before returning to Canada.