Author:Christopher Robert Benn from Australia, Oct. 26, 2007

Oct. 12 – Oct. 20, 2007
9 days in total

Hongkong – Guangzhou – Harbin – Guangzhou – Hongkong

· Click for the details of the tour itinerary we took

Miss. Louisa

Details of the tour itinerary we took

Hello Louisa,

How are you? Like a tiger?

Here is my travelogue.

A problem! You have a keen interest in tigers but there are non in your country. Bigger problem. A T.V. report one day comes on telling of a place where there are more tigers than you have ever seen.

What do you do?

This was the dilemma I had earlier this year, and I could not contain my passion for these big cats. I just had to see this place for myself, but how? I searched the internet for a suitable travel agent that could help facilitate my journey within China and I found China Odyssey Tours. Coming from Australia I broke my journey between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, relying on China Odyssey Tours to facilitate my travel to Harbin.

Harbin is the largest city in Hei Long Jiang province, the most northeastern region of China, bordering with Russia. It is a largely rural area where the new China is fast impeding on the older more traditional way of life. It certainly has a feeling of a more relaxed lifestyle than say the larger southern cities. There is much history here, and it shows in the architecture in the city centre. The Russians and other Europeans founded the city and a walk around Centre Street still provides a feeling that you could be in Europe. There are many modern shopping centres, and fast food outlets, souvenir shops as well as smaller stalls where you can delight in locally grown corn.

The most revered landmark is the St Sophia Church. A traditional Russian Orthodox church that has withstood the revolution and time but sadly is a bit weathered now but still worth a look.

I had a visit to Sun Island, an island in the middle of the river. The river is about four kilometers wide, and in Sun Island there is a Japanese garden, an historic Russian village and a pavillion where you can see examples of the ice carving that is a feature of this region. This winter there will be representatives from 22 countries competing in the ice sculpture.

I visited the Siberian Tiger Park situated on the other side of the river, and finally was able to realise my interest for tigers. The park has several areas where a bus can take you through the enclosures where you can get a very close look at the tigers. Some will be so curious that they come right up to the bus and it is then that you can see how great and magnificent these animals are. The tiger park is essentially a breeding facility that has the intention of one day being able to release tigers back into the wild. Being from a country where there are many endangered native animals, I can only wish the Chinese authorities the best success. I will one day have to return to see the progress in future.

While my travel itinery may not be as grand as other travellers, in the limited time I had, China Odyssey Tours were able to make the necessary travel arrangements for me, and their staff were always very helpful. I highly recommend China Odyssey Tours to anyone interested in travelling within China, and I will certainly use them again.

So if there is something that is of interest to you in China, contact China Odyssey Tour and let them help to facilitate your holiday. I hope that my photos will also be of great interest.

End of problem
Chris Benn,
Sydney, Australia. Oct. 26, 2007