I was part of a group of 32 people from Texas, on a 9+ day adventure in China.
Flights
Air China flight Houston to Beijing on a Boeing 777-300ER, departing at 1am and flying 14.5 hours overnight. The business class seats recline fully flat, turning into a bed for quality sleep. Most of the flight was over land; the plane flew northwest through Alaska, then over Russia, and entering China.
Xian
Terracotta Warriors and Horses, discovered by a farmer who was digging for water.
Wild Goose Pagoda, a temple for Buddhists.
Ancient City Wall, which divides Xian into its inner and outer parts. I got to bike on top of the wall.
Jade Presentation
Shaanxi History Museum
Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show
More Xian pictures
Guilin
We stayed at the Grand Bravo Hotel in Guilin. This hotel looks like a palace.
Li River cruise Guilin to Yangshuo. Nice scenic landscapes along the Li River; lots of green on the land and the river had a green shade - very appropriate since it was St Patrick's Day. On the cruise, they had bottle of snake wine. I did not drink it as it looked too scary; instead I had the Cherry wine, a sweet red wine.
After the cruise arrived in Yangshuo, some of us got foot massages (which ended up being near full body massge) and then we did a bike ride. I definitely got a taste of dealing with China traffic. We biked to a farm and got to meet local farmers.
Reed Flute Cave, consists of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by colored lights. One rock formation is shaped like a lion. There is another formation that reflects in the water - it is called the New York skyline.
Some of us climbed to the top of Fubo Hill (over 300 steps), where we enjoyed nice views of the city.
Visit to a local tea farm, where got to pick tea leaves then had a sampling of Chinese teas.
Shanghai
Canal ride in Suzhou, the Venice of the Orient.
Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The unique feature of the TV Tower is the 2 pearl shaped structures. The observation deck is in the higher pearl, giving nice views of Shanghai on a clear day. There is also a glass floor for the thrill seekers.
Maglev train, a bullet train that goes from the Shanghai airport to downtown Shanghai in 7 minutes (compared to 30-45 minutes by bus). Top speed was 301 km/h, or 187 mph. While the train is moving at top speed, when another train is passing by on the other track you can feel the train shake.
Yuyuan Market and Garden
ERA - Intersection of Time show
Beijing
Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City. The emperor controlled who had access, and most citizens were forbidden from entry hence the name Forbidden City. It is now a large palace complex.
Great Wall of China, near Badaling. More than 2000 years old and spanning 4100 miles, the Great Wall is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The wall was originally built as a fortress during battles. It is a great place for a workout; steps can be very steep.
Summer Palace, which was a park retreat place for emperors and is now used for tourists to walk around or relax. It consists of temples and mansions surrounding Kunming Lake. We took a dragon boat ride across the lake.
We did a Pedicab Tour (a bike with carriage) through Hutong neighborhoods. Hutong symbolizes ancient China where people lived. We also had lunch with a Chinese family at their home.
Panda House
Sacred Road
Olympic Site
Peking Duck dinner
Flights
Air China flight Houston to Beijing on a Boeing 777-300ER, departing at 1am and flying 14.5 hours overnight. The business class seats recline fully flat, turning into a bed for quality sleep. Most of the flight was over land; the plane flew northwest through Alaska, then over Russia, and entering China.
Xian
Terracotta Warriors and Horses, discovered by a farmer who was digging for water.
Wild Goose Pagoda, a temple for Buddhists.
Ancient City Wall, which divides Xian into its inner and outer parts. I got to bike on top of the wall.
Jade Presentation
Shaanxi History Museum
Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show
More Xian pictures
Guilin
We stayed at the Grand Bravo Hotel in Guilin. This hotel looks like a palace.
Li River cruise Guilin to Yangshuo. Nice scenic landscapes along the Li River; lots of green on the land and the river had a green shade - very appropriate since it was St Patrick's Day. On the cruise, they had bottle of snake wine. I did not drink it as it looked too scary; instead I had the Cherry wine, a sweet red wine.
After the cruise arrived in Yangshuo, some of us got foot massages (which ended up being near full body massge) and then we did a bike ride. I definitely got a taste of dealing with China traffic. We biked to a farm and got to meet local farmers.
Reed Flute Cave, consists of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by colored lights. One rock formation is shaped like a lion. There is another formation that reflects in the water - it is called the New York skyline.
Some of us climbed to the top of Fubo Hill (over 300 steps), where we enjoyed nice views of the city.
Visit to a local tea farm, where got to pick tea leaves then had a sampling of Chinese teas.
Shanghai
Canal ride in Suzhou, the Venice of the Orient.
Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The unique feature of the TV Tower is the 2 pearl shaped structures. The observation deck is in the higher pearl, giving nice views of Shanghai on a clear day. There is also a glass floor for the thrill seekers.
Maglev train, a bullet train that goes from the Shanghai airport to downtown Shanghai in 7 minutes (compared to 30-45 minutes by bus). Top speed was 301 km/h, or 187 mph. While the train is moving at top speed, when another train is passing by on the other track you can feel the train shake.
Yuyuan Market and Garden
ERA - Intersection of Time show
Beijing
Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City. The emperor controlled who had access, and most citizens were forbidden from entry hence the name Forbidden City. It is now a large palace complex.
Great Wall of China, near Badaling. More than 2000 years old and spanning 4100 miles, the Great Wall is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The wall was originally built as a fortress during battles. It is a great place for a workout; steps can be very steep.
Summer Palace, which was a park retreat place for emperors and is now used for tourists to walk around or relax. It consists of temples and mansions surrounding Kunming Lake. We took a dragon boat ride across the lake.
We did a Pedicab Tour (a bike with carriage) through Hutong neighborhoods. Hutong symbolizes ancient China where people lived. We also had lunch with a Chinese family at their home.
Panda House
Sacred Road
Olympic Site
Peking Duck dinner
