China

On leaving China …

Posted on May 11, 2007 by rachp

One more train journey brought us to the finale of our long China tour: Beijing. 18 million people, purportedly 9 million bicycles (no, we couldn’t stop singing it), home of the 2008 Olympics. Home too to nice restored bits of the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the pickled Mao. &hellip Continue reading »

Categories: China, Rachel, World Trip 2006-7 | Tags: 2008 olympics, Behai park, Beijing, Bird’s Nest Stadium, Forbidden City, Golden Week, Great Wall, Hubei, Hutong, Lama Temple, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Ming Tombs, Peking Opera, pickled mao, Sacred Way, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Yuyongguan | 1 Comment

Burn the eggplant!

Posted on May 9, 2007 by rachp

You left us boarding a rather incongruous golf cart on the side of a dusty 4-lane highway. We then steamed along at a steady 4 kilometres an hour, giggling in sheer relief to be away from Lisa (and at the bicycles overtaking us). Pingyao simply doesn’t let anything bigger than a golf car or motorbike &hellip Continue reading »

Categories: China, Rachel, World Trip 2006-7 | Tags: Buddhist mountain, China, Datong, Green Wall, Hanging Monastery, Ming, Pingyao, Qing, Shanxi, Tibetan monks, World Heritage, Wutai Shan, Yungang Grottoes | Leave a comment

Lost in translation?

Posted on May 4, 2007 by rachp

Most sensible tourists will do Xi’an, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong and then call China a day. We are not they. We headed off the beaten track to Luoyang and Kaifeng, but not before we had the mother of all admin nightmares in Xi’an. Prepare for yet another mammoth digression … As unofficial trip planner, &hellip Continue reading »