Temple of Heaven Grounds - Beijing
|
AdventureAncient Treasure - from Beijing to Xian.
The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, and the Terracotta Warriors are some the highlight not to be missed. At the Ming's Tomb, don't take pictures or you will be haunted for life ! Been to Hong Kong five times and it's an exciting place. Great for easing into Asian culture. Thing can be dirt cheap to expensive for the rich and Expats. Take a hydrofoil to nearby Macao and try you luck at the casinos or get a small taste of Portugal. |
Li River Cruise - Guilin - UNESCO
|
AttractionsGuilin's Li River is a cruise of a lifetime. Limestone rock formations surround you as you watch the river life go on. Cormorant birds traditionally doing the fishing for villagers
China has so much to see but with the travel boom, the line ups are very different. I'm sure i won't recognize anything if i go back. Places like Shenzen was unheard of back then. Now it's the Silicon valley of China with 10 million people. |
Destinations
Chillin on the Great Wall - Beijing
CHINA "BEFORE"
My experience was many moons/years ago before China became a super power, but this was my experience back in the days
China is a vast country but tough to travel on your own - going by tour is the most efficient way of seeing things. But if that's not your style backpacking can be rewarding but frustrating. Don't expect orderly line ups or piece and quiet. It's everyone for themselves. People are getting very modern and materialistic. Hold your breath in washrooms -try not to drink so much or else you have to go! Some washrooms was merely a trough running by and you can see the next person's deposit as the water flows down. Gross !! Beijing is nice but distances are far for one to see everything. A tour may be ok if you're pressed for time as each main attraction is far from each other in Beijing.
Beijing (Peking) : The Forbidden city is huge and intriguing for both it’s size and it’s history. Make sure you watch the Last Emperor before you go. The Great Wall is timeless and endless. Go beyond the regular tourist area of the wall and you will be rewarded. Ming's tomb is erry. Make sure you don’t take a picture of the tomb or else you will be cursed for life or may DIE. In Tiananmen Square Mao’s body is freaky - it looks waxy and fake in the glass case - sort of like in a wax museum. Note: tour groups get to bud to the front of the line compared to the local who must stand in this huge line. The Summer Palace is a nice retreat with it’s beautifully sculptured gardens, ponds, and weeping willows. The Temple of Heaven is exquisite. Apparently the acoustics are amazing in there. You can whisper at one end of the temple and hear it at the other end. Try it out for yourself!
Xian is nice with it's Terracotta Warriors but no photos. I got my film ripped out of my camera by a guard when i got caught! It’s amazing that no two soldiers had the same face!!
Guilin is beautiful esp along the Li river with the foot hills mushrooming everywhere. Take a cruise and you will be rewarded with one of the most scenic trips in the world. They will cook right on the boat and feed you as you cruise down the river. Hopefully you will still see the old practice of fishing with cormorants birds (they tie string by their neck so they can't swallow the fish). Fisherman, just grabs the catch out of it's month.
Hong Kong has now returned back to China after it's 99 year lease to Britain. With that come uncertainty now. It is now flooded by the Mainlanders and Mandarin is heard just as common as Cantonese now. I've been there about 5 times as i went there every year while living in Japan. It made a nice side trip on my ticket which cost no more. I would go during new years very often as everything is shut down in Japan then. Boy does HK know how to put on a firework show. Hong Kong is hustle bustle esp. on Kowloon side and the Hong Kong side is more businessy. Do not trust buying electronics there. They often sell you grey market items and will never let you inspect the product before you fork over the cash. Note there is no warranty on items bought on the grey market despite what they say. It's sort of like buying thing while on a cruise. If anything goes wrong you ain't going back. Even in stores salespeople watch you like a hawk - to the point you feel uncomfortable looking a simple clothing. No touchy touchy esp in non chain stores. Eating and markets is what it's all about in HK. Factory outlets are not popular as it once was. Most things are now made elsewhere and brand names in markets are fakes from the Mainland. They even grade fakes from A to B grades.
A favorite get a way from the noise is to go to Lantau Island. it's great as you take a boat/ferry and then end in a lush island and then climb up to a big Buddah up on top of a hill. A favorite stop off back is another island famous for seafood restaurant. Go choose your seafood and then have them cook it for you. Prices will vary and may not be cheaper than HK. Another popular side trip is to take the Hydrofoil to Macau (an old Portuguese ruled city). Some European influences in the architecture of the buildings esp in the old town such as the old cathedral facade in the centre. Macau is famous for a few things, casino and gambling, beef jerky and almond cookies and Portuguese foods/snacks. You can do a day trip here or just go later in the day to wander then hang at casino area at night. The ferries run 24/7 to and from HK. The strange thing when i visited HK was they always thought i was a Japanese tourist. Strange. But when i always landed back to Japan soil, I was always so glad as people are so much more polite and everything is orderly and clean in Japan compared to HK.
My experience was many moons/years ago before China became a super power, but this was my experience back in the days
China is a vast country but tough to travel on your own - going by tour is the most efficient way of seeing things. But if that's not your style backpacking can be rewarding but frustrating. Don't expect orderly line ups or piece and quiet. It's everyone for themselves. People are getting very modern and materialistic. Hold your breath in washrooms -try not to drink so much or else you have to go! Some washrooms was merely a trough running by and you can see the next person's deposit as the water flows down. Gross !! Beijing is nice but distances are far for one to see everything. A tour may be ok if you're pressed for time as each main attraction is far from each other in Beijing.
Beijing (Peking) : The Forbidden city is huge and intriguing for both it’s size and it’s history. Make sure you watch the Last Emperor before you go. The Great Wall is timeless and endless. Go beyond the regular tourist area of the wall and you will be rewarded. Ming's tomb is erry. Make sure you don’t take a picture of the tomb or else you will be cursed for life or may DIE. In Tiananmen Square Mao’s body is freaky - it looks waxy and fake in the glass case - sort of like in a wax museum. Note: tour groups get to bud to the front of the line compared to the local who must stand in this huge line. The Summer Palace is a nice retreat with it’s beautifully sculptured gardens, ponds, and weeping willows. The Temple of Heaven is exquisite. Apparently the acoustics are amazing in there. You can whisper at one end of the temple and hear it at the other end. Try it out for yourself!
Xian is nice with it's Terracotta Warriors but no photos. I got my film ripped out of my camera by a guard when i got caught! It’s amazing that no two soldiers had the same face!!
Guilin is beautiful esp along the Li river with the foot hills mushrooming everywhere. Take a cruise and you will be rewarded with one of the most scenic trips in the world. They will cook right on the boat and feed you as you cruise down the river. Hopefully you will still see the old practice of fishing with cormorants birds (they tie string by their neck so they can't swallow the fish). Fisherman, just grabs the catch out of it's month.
Hong Kong has now returned back to China after it's 99 year lease to Britain. With that come uncertainty now. It is now flooded by the Mainlanders and Mandarin is heard just as common as Cantonese now. I've been there about 5 times as i went there every year while living in Japan. It made a nice side trip on my ticket which cost no more. I would go during new years very often as everything is shut down in Japan then. Boy does HK know how to put on a firework show. Hong Kong is hustle bustle esp. on Kowloon side and the Hong Kong side is more businessy. Do not trust buying electronics there. They often sell you grey market items and will never let you inspect the product before you fork over the cash. Note there is no warranty on items bought on the grey market despite what they say. It's sort of like buying thing while on a cruise. If anything goes wrong you ain't going back. Even in stores salespeople watch you like a hawk - to the point you feel uncomfortable looking a simple clothing. No touchy touchy esp in non chain stores. Eating and markets is what it's all about in HK. Factory outlets are not popular as it once was. Most things are now made elsewhere and brand names in markets are fakes from the Mainland. They even grade fakes from A to B grades.
A favorite get a way from the noise is to go to Lantau Island. it's great as you take a boat/ferry and then end in a lush island and then climb up to a big Buddah up on top of a hill. A favorite stop off back is another island famous for seafood restaurant. Go choose your seafood and then have them cook it for you. Prices will vary and may not be cheaper than HK. Another popular side trip is to take the Hydrofoil to Macau (an old Portuguese ruled city). Some European influences in the architecture of the buildings esp in the old town such as the old cathedral facade in the centre. Macau is famous for a few things, casino and gambling, beef jerky and almond cookies and Portuguese foods/snacks. You can do a day trip here or just go later in the day to wander then hang at casino area at night. The ferries run 24/7 to and from HK. The strange thing when i visited HK was they always thought i was a Japanese tourist. Strange. But when i always landed back to Japan soil, I was always so glad as people are so much more polite and everything is orderly and clean in Japan compared to HK.
PLACES VISITED
Beijing
Xian
Guilin
Shenzen
Guangzhou
Hong Kong (5 times)
Macau
Beijing
Xian
Guilin
Shenzen
Guangzhou
Hong Kong (5 times)
Macau