Category Archives: _Asia_

On to YangShuo

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We continued from Chongqing to Guilin by plane; here we got picked up and made our way to YangShuo and its strange limestone pinnacles by bus. We made it to YangShuo in the late afternoon – with just enough time for some exploration of town.

The next day was fully dedicated to YangShup and performed by bike. We kicked if off through rice paddies and small villages to arrive near Moon Hill shortly before lunch. In the afternoon the group split up; some went to do some cooking; Marc and myself ended up visiting Water Cave (the real one of course!). In the evening we had an introduction to Cormorant Fishing.

On to Wanxian and Chongqing

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This day after the spectacular cruise through the Three Gorges started of in Wanxian. During an excursion in the morning we visited the local tourist trap aka Three Gorges Museum, afterwards we spent some time on a local food market. The afternoon we cruised slowly up the Jangtze to our final destination Chongqing.

Three Gorges Cruise

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We arrived in Yichang in the morning and were straight transferred to our five star cruise boat Princess Jeannie. Here we got the choice between having lunch or going on an excursion to see the Three Gorges Dam from various viewing points. In the late afternoon we passed through the ship lock to reach the upper Yangtze river.

In the morning of the second day of our cruise along the Yangtze an excursion to see the Shen Nong river small gorges was offered. At first we transferred to a ferry to then switch to traditional wooden flat boats for a more intimate experience in the small gorges. In the afternoon if was back to the big gorges – we passed through Wu and Qutang Gorge.

Xi’An

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We had spent the night on a train and made it into Xi’An in the early morning, From the train station we directly transferred to the Terracotta Warrior site, where we had an extensive tour. Afterwards we drove back to town, checked into our hotel and started to explore the city and the nearby Muslim quarter.

On a second day in Xi’An we had further opportunity for exploration, I used that to walk a portion of the old city wall. The afternoon was spent shopping and preparing for another train journey; this time a 17 hours trip bound for Yichang.

Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City

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We had a further full in Beijing, now fully dedicated to a visit to the (in)famous Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (or Imperial Palace).

The Great Wall of China

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Today we had an early start and made it to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall (about 3 hours driving time one way). From here we started a hike along the Great Wall to Simatai – overall twelve km.

Beijing and around

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After my trips to Mexico and Egypt in 2004 it felt like the logical thing to go to Asia this year. China had been on my list for long – and as I wanted to see the Three Gorges prior to the completion of the dam, this also felt like the right time.

After my arrival on September 18th I used the 19th to explore the city, my walk led me from the hotel to Tiananmen Square and back. The morning of the 20th was dedicated to a visit to the Summer Palace (now with the group),  the imperial getaway for those days of the year when the Forbidden City was more like an oven than an appropriate place for an emperor (or empress).
The afternoon was at our leisure, so some of us (including myself) used the time to visit the Temple of Heaven in Tiantan Park. In the evening we enjoyed a performance of the Beijing acrobats.