skibum4ever
Angel Diva
We spent 10 days in September taking a tour in China. We started out in Shangdong province and spent most of our time in and around Beijing. The highlights were the history, the architecture, the beauty, the food, the five star hotels and our travelling companions. We had a fabulous time...Here goes.
Day 1: We began our tour in the city of Jinan, the capital of Shangdong province. On the drive from the airport to the hotel, we stopped for lunch and then to walk around Daming Lake, a popular park. We stretched our legs, took photos, and tried to chat with some local sightseers. The Chinese seem to really like taking photos with Americans. I guess we are regarded as something of a curiousity. My blond hair does attract some friendly attention, and we took pictures with several Chinese couples.
Our hotel the first night was a fairly new and modern Ramada Inn. After resting, the group walked to a nearby restaurant for a good dinner, then most of us were "early to bed" after the long 14 hour flight and the day's activities.
Day 2: We left Jinan and began the ride to Tai'an. Along the way we toured a Confucian temple, ate another great lunch, and took a horse and buggy ride before checking into a very new and gorgeous Sheraton Hotel.
Day 3: spent a second day and night at the Sheraton. We toured the Dai Temple, a Taoist temple originally built around 200 BC. After that we spent a short time at a large farmer's market. We then drove halfway up Mt. Tai to a small restored village, where we participated in the ancient art of paper cutting, saw some traditional houses, and made our own pork and leek dumplings. We then had a lunch consisting of the dumplings along with about 8 other dishes.
Day 4: Got up at 6:30 am to catch the 8:05 bullet train to Beijing. If you think that TSA is tough, you would be amazed at the level of checking that is done before boarding the bullet train. Our baggage was x-rayed and the larger suitcases were almost completely dismantled and every item was scrutinized. We then passed through a second checkpoint where all items were x-rayed again.
The bullet train is amazing. It is incredibly fast, smooth, and quiet. The seats recline, have plenty of legroom, and are very comfortable.
We went to the Temple of Heaven, had a Tai chi lesson, then had 2 hours of free time to shop in a mall specializing in silk, pearls, luggage and toys. I bought 2 very cute blouses, one silk and one linen, for a (bargained) total of $40.
We then attended an amazing exhibition of Chinese acrobatics.
Day 5: Toured the Great Wall. Unfortunately due to knee issues I was unable to scale the wall. I only went up a few flights of stairs though Randy made it to the top. The stairs are very uneven and steep. The wall itself was a thrill to see and one of the highlights of the trip.
The Great Wall was followed by a tour of the "Summer Palace", which was originally built during the Ming Dynasty but has been expanded over the years. It is a large park with beautiful buildings and landscaping. It was another highlight of the week.
We then traveled to an area of Beijing called "Water Town". It is a small town which backs on another section of the Great Wall. The town was built to resemble towns developed around water in older times.
Here's a better description of the town:
"Situated in Gubeikou Town of Miyun County in Beijing, Gubei Water Town surrounds the beautiful Mandarin Duck Lake Reservoir and leans against the Simatai Great Wall, the most dangerous and majestic section of the entire Great Wall. Regarded as 'Wuzhen in Beijing', Gubei Water Town boasts a combination of mountains, water and ancient villages.
The water town is built on the former 5 sub natural villages of Simatai Village at the foot of Simatai Great Wall. The Simatai village was developed from Simatai Castle built during the reign of Emperor Wanli ( 1573 -1620 ) in Ming Dynasty ( 1368 – 1644 ).
It is not a historical water town, it is a replica of Wuzhen Water Town in the Southern China, has developed into a large-scale sightseeing and holiday destination. Covering an area of 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers), the holiday resort includes two scenic districts, the Gubei Water Town and the Simatai Great Wall."
Day 6: We spent the day in Water Town. In the morning we took a tour of the town with our guide. We then had most of the day free to explore. Randy and I took a Poma gondola part of the way up the Wall to the fourth watchtower. I walked to the fifth tower (some stairs) and Randy climbed all the way to the right and last tower. We had great views of the town below.
That evening we took a tour by water gondola of the town, then rode the land gondola up to the wall again. Part of the wall is lit at night and is truly spectacular.
Day 7: Took the bus to central Beijing. We took a rickshaw ride to the hutong area of old Beijing and enjoyed a "family style" lunch.
We then visited Tieneman Square. It is a large open area surrounded by government buildings. One side features a large portrait of Chairman Mao.
The Square backs up on the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, because China is about to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, the Forbidden City and a number of other historical sites were closed. Nonetheless, we managed to see quite a lot during our trip.
We then had the chance for another brief shopping trip, a stop which all the women on the tour (and some of the men!) demanded.
We then left for the outskirts of the city, fairly close to the airport.
Day 8: The security in Chinese airports is worthy of a whole separate post. Let's just say that we took 3 separate flights and before each segment we were scanned multiple times. However, we did make it through and had a great plane trip home.
Day 1: We began our tour in the city of Jinan, the capital of Shangdong province. On the drive from the airport to the hotel, we stopped for lunch and then to walk around Daming Lake, a popular park. We stretched our legs, took photos, and tried to chat with some local sightseers. The Chinese seem to really like taking photos with Americans. I guess we are regarded as something of a curiousity. My blond hair does attract some friendly attention, and we took pictures with several Chinese couples.
Our hotel the first night was a fairly new and modern Ramada Inn. After resting, the group walked to a nearby restaurant for a good dinner, then most of us were "early to bed" after the long 14 hour flight and the day's activities.
Day 2: We left Jinan and began the ride to Tai'an. Along the way we toured a Confucian temple, ate another great lunch, and took a horse and buggy ride before checking into a very new and gorgeous Sheraton Hotel.
Day 3: spent a second day and night at the Sheraton. We toured the Dai Temple, a Taoist temple originally built around 200 BC. After that we spent a short time at a large farmer's market. We then drove halfway up Mt. Tai to a small restored village, where we participated in the ancient art of paper cutting, saw some traditional houses, and made our own pork and leek dumplings. We then had a lunch consisting of the dumplings along with about 8 other dishes.
Day 4: Got up at 6:30 am to catch the 8:05 bullet train to Beijing. If you think that TSA is tough, you would be amazed at the level of checking that is done before boarding the bullet train. Our baggage was x-rayed and the larger suitcases were almost completely dismantled and every item was scrutinized. We then passed through a second checkpoint where all items were x-rayed again.
The bullet train is amazing. It is incredibly fast, smooth, and quiet. The seats recline, have plenty of legroom, and are very comfortable.
We went to the Temple of Heaven, had a Tai chi lesson, then had 2 hours of free time to shop in a mall specializing in silk, pearls, luggage and toys. I bought 2 very cute blouses, one silk and one linen, for a (bargained) total of $40.
We then attended an amazing exhibition of Chinese acrobatics.
Day 5: Toured the Great Wall. Unfortunately due to knee issues I was unable to scale the wall. I only went up a few flights of stairs though Randy made it to the top. The stairs are very uneven and steep. The wall itself was a thrill to see and one of the highlights of the trip.
The Great Wall was followed by a tour of the "Summer Palace", which was originally built during the Ming Dynasty but has been expanded over the years. It is a large park with beautiful buildings and landscaping. It was another highlight of the week.
We then traveled to an area of Beijing called "Water Town". It is a small town which backs on another section of the Great Wall. The town was built to resemble towns developed around water in older times.
Here's a better description of the town:
"Situated in Gubeikou Town of Miyun County in Beijing, Gubei Water Town surrounds the beautiful Mandarin Duck Lake Reservoir and leans against the Simatai Great Wall, the most dangerous and majestic section of the entire Great Wall. Regarded as 'Wuzhen in Beijing', Gubei Water Town boasts a combination of mountains, water and ancient villages.
The water town is built on the former 5 sub natural villages of Simatai Village at the foot of Simatai Great Wall. The Simatai village was developed from Simatai Castle built during the reign of Emperor Wanli ( 1573 -1620 ) in Ming Dynasty ( 1368 – 1644 ).
It is not a historical water town, it is a replica of Wuzhen Water Town in the Southern China, has developed into a large-scale sightseeing and holiday destination. Covering an area of 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers), the holiday resort includes two scenic districts, the Gubei Water Town and the Simatai Great Wall."
Day 6: We spent the day in Water Town. In the morning we took a tour of the town with our guide. We then had most of the day free to explore. Randy and I took a Poma gondola part of the way up the Wall to the fourth watchtower. I walked to the fifth tower (some stairs) and Randy climbed all the way to the right and last tower. We had great views of the town below.
That evening we took a tour by water gondola of the town, then rode the land gondola up to the wall again. Part of the wall is lit at night and is truly spectacular.
Day 7: Took the bus to central Beijing. We took a rickshaw ride to the hutong area of old Beijing and enjoyed a "family style" lunch.
We then visited Tieneman Square. It is a large open area surrounded by government buildings. One side features a large portrait of Chairman Mao.
The Square backs up on the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, because China is about to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, the Forbidden City and a number of other historical sites were closed. Nonetheless, we managed to see quite a lot during our trip.
We then had the chance for another brief shopping trip, a stop which all the women on the tour (and some of the men!) demanded.
We then left for the outskirts of the city, fairly close to the airport.
Day 8: The security in Chinese airports is worthy of a whole separate post. Let's just say that we took 3 separate flights and before each segment we were scanned multiple times. However, we did make it through and had a great plane trip home.