Our Lifetime Tour to China

Our good friend Violet,

Greetings from Wallasey,in the County of Cheshire, England. As our Travel Consultant from China Odyssey Tours you are well aware of our travel itinerary which resulted in a fantastic multitude of very happy memories.

My wife Agnes and I would like to share with you our experiences as two independent travellers in your wonderful land. Some friends think that we were adventuresome, but you know the facts, everything was organised by you and to your credit it ran like clockwork. We were lucky when we booked the return flight to Shanghai from Manchester, KLM were excellent and their cabin staff worked continuously throughout the flight. They will be our first choice in future.

Shanghai, Yichang (Yangtze river cruise), Chongqing, Guilin, Xian, Beijing and then Shanghai, six different airports with more than one visit to some of them. Every airport was a delight to use, new ,very clean and cool, all well signposted with fast transits through emigration and security. It must be said that the numerous toilets were the cleanest I have seen anywhere in the world.The internal flights were very comfortable and efficient.

Entry Shanghai

Although our first evening was "free", our guide Edward offered to organise a harbour boat trip to view the city lights and skyline which was absolutely fabulous and not to be missed.. The excursion to the Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden, Yu Yuan Market and Jade Buddha Temple was complemented by an Acrobatic show in the evening.

Strolling along the Bund (waterfront ) is a must is a must at any time, morning, noon or night. The city centre was exciting and like everywhere we visited in China, so safe that it was a pleasure to wander. The Peace hotel, oldest in Shanghai, full of character and art deco, was ideally situated and would be our preference over the more modern hotels.

Completion of the tour and time at home has not dimmed our belief that Edward is one of the best tour guides in China, faultless and so keen to help in such a quiet manner that he is a MUST if and when we return to Shanghai.

Yichang - Three Gorges Dam - Chongqing

Wendy met us at Yichang airport and once again the guide went beyond the call of duty by offering us a guided tour of Yichang city and its interesting museum. She created a considerable impression in the space of a few hours and is to be commended.

One single excuse to visit China can be satisfied by a cruise on the mighty River Yangtze with its magnificent Three Gorges. The East Queen has a deserved reputation of the best boat on the river and I write with some authority having sailed as a Radio Officer on the Empress of England and the Empress of Canada cruising in the early sixties, the end of the era of the great liners. Furthermore ,earlier this year Agnes and I cruised the River Nile on the Ra 11, a 5 star river boat with another excellent reputation.

Shore excursions to the Three Gorges Dam site, an unbelievable boat (peapod) trip up the Shennong Stream and a visit to the Temple at Shibaozhai was the icing on delicious cake. Words cannot describe the atmosphere of our female Chinese guide on the peapod singing a love song as we were drifted down the Shennong Stream with breath taking scenery all around.

Every evening we were entertained by the very talented and beautiful staff singing and dancing, tai chi and passenger driven games. That boat trip was perfect, due in no small part to the ship's hotel manager Garcia, the knowledgeable guides who talked us through the Gorges and a dedicated and wonderful staff. We do not exaggerate!! Try it and see.

Disembarkation took place in the rain at Chongqing, a city which is reputed to be one of the largest in China. The visit to the "old town" was very interesting with an insight into Chinese life in a bygone age. Our video collection was enhanced by some very entertaining Chinese classical music whilst drinking tea in the traditional manner.

Guilin

One hours flight carried us to Guilin to join our son Richard and his wife Sandra.

Oh great ,glorious and gentle Guilin, no longer will we regard you as a "shrinking violet" .We found you more by luck than judgment, but now readers need only exercise a little judgment.

The full day tour to Longsheng Autonomous County can be remembered for the drive through picturesque countryside, climbing the terraced rice paddy hillsides, investigating the villages and homes of ethnic minority groups and lunching by the riverside. And there is more !!! The Yao women are considered to have the longest hair in the world and our guide Susan managed to arrange a visit to one family's house, to witness the hair combing "ritual" and to chat to them about their culture and life.

Susan was "class", normally that would be enough said ,but like Edward in Shanghai she was the hallmark by which all guides throughout the world should be measured. Violet, we are sure that you and Laura are acquainted with Susan and you therefore can appreciate the high standards of service that we were fortunate to receive.

This is an appropriate time to refer to the Sheraton Guilin Hotel which easily lived up to its 5 star billing, and was probably our best hotel in China. The restaurants in Guilin were also to a high standard.

We started everyday with a Western breakfast, and I have to admit that my plates were invariably fuller than those of Agnes. Lunch and Dinner was always in the Chinese style and long may it continue. We have no sympathy for new chopstick users. You can practice, like us lifting small sweets and pieces of paper. I am sure that a fork and spoon would have been supplied if required, but we did not wish to go down that route.

Most of China is a photographer's paradise but it is difficult to find words to describe the cruise up the Li river to the small town of Yangshuo.

Violet, we declined your offer of a bicycle ride to the Moon Hill and the Big Banyan Tree Park by taking the equivalent of motorized golf buggy. There is no truth in the rumour that the sacrifice that Richard and I made on the Li cruise to improve international relations had anything to do with it. During lunch on the river boat a group of Indonesian tourists requested a trade, a bottle of beer for a bottle of water, we thought this fair, and exchanged all the water we could get our hands on. Afterwards we felt good that we had aided our fellow travellers! We also enjoyed the visit to the farmer's house later and returning to the Hotel before dining out in a quaint and interesting restaurant.

The 90 minute drive back to Guilin the following morning enabled us to marvel at the countryside panorama that unfolded before us. Lunch, a visit to Elephant Trunk Hill and then the Reed Flute Cave. The illuminated stalagmites and stalactites must rate amongst the most spectacular in the world.

Our reluctance to leave Guilin and our friends is captured in this photograph as we symbolically say, not good-bye but cheerio.

Xian

The Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza Hotel ran a close second to the Sheraton and had a marvellous view over the walls of the ancient city of Xi'an.

The visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses was exciting, interesting and educational and very heavy on my camera's cassette and memory stick, truly a photographer's paradise.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was everything that the travel guide books had promised and added a new meaning to those old "Monkey Films".

Savory dumpling dinners are different and not necessarily to everyone's taste, but a must on a visit to China.

The Shanxi Provincial Museum visit demonstrated the richness of Chinese culture by the display of so many rare treasures. It was an academic's playground and sweet shop rolled into one.

Our guide Nancy escorted us to The Tang Dynasty Show ,and photographers will be delighted to know that there were no restrictions on cameras at the Shanghai Acrobatic Show, The Tang Dynasty Show in Xi'an and the Peking Opera in Beijing.

The City Walls and Gate Towers acted as a magnificent backdrop to the Bell Tower.

This must rate as one of the world's largest time-pieces and the "morning bell" we received the following day via the bed-side telephone, heralded our visit to the Hanyang Tombs of Emperor Jing and his Empress. The tomb is impressive and the site gigantic but our impression was of much more to be unearthed and discovered. The adjoining museum was relatively new and full of local treasures.

At the airport, we bade farewell to Richard and Sandra who were proceeding home to Kuala Lumpar via Shanghai, and we continued to Beijing.

Beijing - the Capital of China

Some might say, especially the Chinese, that if you haven't walked through the Forbidden City and marveled at its beauty , then you have not lived, and we are not going to disagree with them.

Aaron, who was a fund of knowledge, then, took us to The Temple of Heaven. Dinner was followed by a visit to the Peking Opera.

The next day we "did" The Great Wall and although I can resist the keyboard, the lure of an image is too great.

How many cities can boast of the largest square, the largest palace complex and the longest wall?

The limitations of longevity were demonstrated by a visit to the Ding Tomb of Emperor Wan Li and his two wives.

Violet ,we are reminded of a phrase on your website about being "People of the World ", when we consider the Sacred Road with its many similarities to other ancient civilizations around the world with their Sacred Ways, Guardian Animals and high ranking officials who served their Emperor, King, Pharoah or Leader in the next world.

I suggest that anyone who has not been fortunate to visit these "gardens" should bury (sorry) their head in a good travel book.

If you have not stood in the centre of Tiananmen and contemplated the country which is China, then you have missed something special..

Aaron ( named apparently after a Hong Kong pop-singer) was our guide in Beijing and his next duty was to talk us through the Forbidden City.

I have intentionally left unnamed the above three thrones in the Imperial Palace but words such as Supreme Harmony, Celestial Purity, Terrestial Tranquility, Mental Cultivation, Ancestry Worship and the one we fancy ;Longevity both Tranquil and Joyful ,might spring to mind.

The evening was rounded off with a Peking Duck Banquet, and with a little assistance from the waitress we mastered the skill of folding the pancake with 3 slices of duck and an appropriate amount of sauce inside. A culinary delight, very tasty and once again a must, especially in Beijing.

The following morning Aaron handed us over into the care of Alisia for our visit to the Hutongs by rickshaw.

The old houses and narrow alleyways contrasted vividly with the wide motorways and new skyscrapers of the city, but it did not surprise us to find a fantastic park with gardens and pavilions within walking distance.

Lunch was eaten ,at the house and in the company of an old local family. The conversation was interesting with Alisia acting as interpreter and the household obviously took great pride in preparing and presenting food which would have done credit to the best of restaurants.

That afternoon we departed for Shanghai and a second visit to the Peace Hotel for an overnight stay before returning to Manchester via Amsterdam.

Back to Shanghai and Exit

Maybe our love for Shanghai results from its twinning with Liverpool since 1993. Liverpool boasts one of the oldest China towns in Europe and the two cities are linked by similar waterfronts and maritime interests.

Finally, a few fond thoughts of Eddie and Jennie from Sacramento ,U.S.A., our table companions and good friends on the East Queen, and of course Violet in Guilin who had put so much effort into making it a memorable holiday.

One last stroll along the Bund and then sadly "cheerio", and home.

Violet, we will recommend China to our friends and anyone else who cares to listen, and they should "go", or is it "come" soon. I know that you will appreciate that we have made this a "nuts and bolts" travelogue even though we have hundreds of tourist photographs and video with exciting sounds.