Our Great Time in China

Hi Jack,

Apologies for the late reply. We have been very busy of late. I promised to send you some photos and comments on our trip so, here they are:

I want to thank you for arranging our travels within China. Everything came together without a hitch and Christine and I had a most wonderful time in China. Now what can I say about China except wow! We witnessed some of the most amazing sights and performances, indeed too numerous to list, stretching from Yangshuo in the South to the Great Wall in the North.

For those planning to go to Guilin, make sure you spend a few nights in Yangshuo. The Liu SanJie performance is not to be missed. Bring along your camera - the backdrop of karst landscape is a sight to behold. Bamboo rafting along the river is fantastic, especially so if you ask to have a go. And get the noisiest rafter you can find. We enjoyed the antics and singing that accompanied us down river. Sadly though, you can't avoid being pestered by vendors, even mid-stream. Decline politely and continue to enjoy the trip. The boatman might be disappointed in missing his commission.

Not to be missed as well, is the water village of Zhou Zhuang on the outskirts of Shanghai. There are other water villages in the area and we were told later that Wu Zhen is better, though we didn't get there. However, Zhou Zhuang did not disappoint. The village is picturesque with its ancient bridges and buildings. Like most waterways around residences, we didn't expect to see clear sparkling water but we were still pleasantly surprised by the absence of flotsams and smell and that does lift the spirits somewhat. Take time to have Ah Poh cha and enjoy the serenade of the rowers as they glide by.

Huangshan is the highlight of our trip. This is where the classical Chinese paintings of the mountains with the pine trees come to life. They said that there are 5 elements that one must see in Huangshan - the rocks, the pine trees, the sea of clouds, the snow and the hot springs. Well, we saw all except the hot springs and the sun rise is more than a worthy replacement.

This being our first trip to China, Beijing is a mandatory stop. This is the center of the middle kingdom and you get a sense of that visiting the Forbidden City. There are the usual attractions like the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven but time your visit to the Drum Tower to coincide with the performance and visit those places in the mornings when the locals are out and about. The mass exercises and dancing is a sight to behold. It is like one giant busker arena only in this instance the arena is an ancient monument. The Great Wall is awesome in every sense. We took the local bus to Badaliing at a fraction of the cost and scaled the wall up to the 8th watch tower. Whilst an achievement, the journey to the top is more memorable. The rampart is steep and slippery in places. Looking at the wall as it snaked over ridges and valleys, 3 thoughts came to mind - the scale of the structure, the lives lost during the construction and the futility of it all, it didn't stop the Mongols in the end. Still one cannot but feel a sense of awe and reverence at the Wall.

Return to China, I will. 

Warmest Regards.

Say and Christine Ooi