Travel Photo Monday

Travel Photo Monday

May 2009 - Yangtze China

Our flight from Xian to Chongqing landed an hour later than planned.

 Jeff was there to meet us with a driver. The car was a very luxurious model, with leather seats and sun roof. Jeff is a student who has been working part time as a tour guide for 6 months. He is very funny and knowledgable. He is extremely proud of his city and perturbed that we only had a few hours to see it. Chongqing has 22 million people and is a hilly city. Jeff pointed out the sights as he was taking us to dinner.

The restaurant was a large banquet hall with lots of pink! The food was fantastic as usual.

 Jeff, our guide.

After dinner Jeff took us for a quick tour before heading to our boat.

Hitting the ABMs for cash!

We then headed out for the cruise ship for boarding around 8pm. To board the ship we got out of the car at the top with the luggage.

You then pay a porter to carry your bags for you as there are many steps down to the ship. The porters carry your suit cases on a a pole across their shoulders while watching out to ensure we do not trip on the stairs.

The water level was so low that we walk across planks to get to the ship being greeted every few yards by a crew member welcoming us aboard.

Jeff took care of getting us checked in before he bid us farewell.

We then met Ben, our river guide, who would be showing us to our rooms on the 3rd deck.

 He mentioned that there were 2 presidental suites available for upgrade. He showed us our assigned rooms, very tiny, with twin beds and a balcony. Then he suggested we look at the suites before we decdied. Well, as you can guess, we upgraded for a price that we negotiated. Both suites are at the front of the ship. There is a huge bedroom withking size bed. The bedroom is at least 6 times bigger than the standard room. But the most amazing thing was the sitting room right at the front. Between our two rooms we commanded the best views of each shore and the front view of the river.
This ship is not up to 4 star rating according to our standards. We would give it a max of 3 stars. The ship is a refurbished Nile cruise ship. There is no grand lobby, you enter through a small door and climb some steps to get to a very sparse reception desk.

The view from our sitting room

The dining room is on the 2nd deck and is rather cramped. We were assigned to Table 12 with a couple from Haliburton, On. Jim and Jane.

There were 24 English speaking nationalities on board who were given priority treatment over the Chinese passengers. The agenda is laid out in half hour segments with 15 minute breaks and there is an assumption that you must/want to attend everything. However, we are on vacation and may like to just relax!
Breakfast was served as a buffet from 7am to 8am. If you weren’t there by 7:30 am Ben called your room. Breakfast was fine with a western and Chinese menu.

Lunch and dinner were served Chinese style from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. The food was placed on the lazy susan prior to you sitting down which meant that the food was generally cool to cold. You were given one glass of beer after that you had to pay.

Itinerary:
Board your deluxe M.V. Yangtze Paradise Cruise(President No.6) Ship and settle into your comfortable outside cabin to begin your memorable cruise downstream.Departs Chongqing in the night.

Day 2
Go ashore to visit Fengdu, the "Ghost City", where the Chinese believe the soul of the dead goes.The balance of the day is free to explore the ship's many amenities. Tonight, you are our guests at the captain's cocktail party.
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3
Cruise through the first of the fabled Three Gorges : Qutang Gorge ,framed by steep mossy cliffs. Then, sail on through Wu Gorge , celebrated for its 12 peaks. At Badong, transfer to a small cruiser for an exciting excursion on Shenlong Stream to view its breathtaking small gorges. Next, sail through Xiling Gorge, the last and most scenic of all the gorges. Finally,pass through the dramatic Three Gorges Ship Lock.
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4
This morning, stop at Sandouping to view the historic Three Gorges Dam project, the largest hydroelectric project in the world.Reboard the ship and sail on to Yichang where you disembark.
MEALS: Breakfast

Blue Monday

I'm linking up at Blue Monday today.

A wall at the City of Ghosts in Fendu China - May 2009

Blue Monday

I'm linking up at Blue Monday today.

Visiting the Temple of Heaven in Beijing China in May 2009.

Blue Monday

I'm linking up at Blue Monday today.

Portrait in a Muslim house in the Islamic district in Xian China - May 2012.

Blue Monday

I'm linking up at Blue Monday today.

 Display at Beijing Enamel Factory and Chinese Cloisonné in China May 2009

Blue Monday

I'm linking up at Blue Monday today.

Cruising down the Li River in China May 2009.

China Highlights

Leon from China Highlights http://www.chinahighlights.com/ kindly sent us a copy of the picture which was taken in China Highlights office in Guilin . Leon had asked our guide, Vivian to bring us into the office to meet him. He had presents for us and we sat and talked about how much we had enjoyed our personalized, private tour of China that he had arranged. Everything had gone so smoothly and been so much fun.

We have promised Leon a link to our blog here and a link to our photos. Our photos can be found at http://www.webshots.com/ and then click on Advanced Search and Search by Member and type in dublinduo31.

China Recap

It was the most amazing vacation yet. The weather was around 32 degrees every day. The food - what can I say?? I never enjoyed food as much as I did. Every meal, for the most part, was delicious. We ate food we had never tried before, heard of dishes we know we would never try.

The bathrooms which were probably my greatest fear, like most women, worked out to be fine. As long as you always remembered to have tissue in your pockets at all times! We saw the squatters and we saw the most opulent toilet in the Hong Kong Sheraton.

The hotels, as promised by our tour company, www.chinahighlights.com, were all 4 stars. Bathrooms were quite luxurious and most contained safes. Western and Chinese breakfasts were always included in the price. These breakfasts were certainly filling and could keep you going all day if you chose to stuff yourself or else help yourself to some rolls, pastries, fruit or yogurt.

The sightseeing was just amazing and we only touched the tip of everything there was to see. We knew we had an aggresive schedule to begin with and several people had also confirmed that. However, it was certainly a quick overview allowing us to determine where we would concentrate more of our time on our next visit, which will definitely happen. Everywher we went we would say "oh, we'll be back"!

And we will!

China Highlights Tour Guides

China Highlights www.chinahighlights.com provided the best guides that could be imagined. They were responsible for greeting us at the airport, getting us and our luggage to our hotels and getting us checked in. They then conducted our private tours of the local attractions providing us with a wealth of knowledge about their subjects. They provided us with tidbits of information about Chinese life, customs and rules you would not likely hear on a large group tour

Leon Long at China Highlights was our main contact and when one of our party forgot his glasses in an Xian hotel, he arranged to track them down and have them couriered to his office in Guilin where the tour guide then had then sent to our hotel in Yangshou.

This blog is about the guides, please see other entries on food, hotels, cruises and sights.
In Beijing we came through customs and were met with a sea of tour guides holding up signs. We looked for John’s name and met our guide Sean. Sean took us to our van and introduced us to our driver.
As would be the case with all our guides, Sean left us to our own devices for the evening. He said he would be back at nine am the next day to begin our sightseeing.
Sean then was our guide for the next 2 days taking us to Tianaman Square, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Hutong area, Olympic Green, and the Great Wall of China.
He chose excellent restaurants with pre-selected menus. He did not eat with us until the last day.
Sean then took us to the airport and got us checked in for our flight to Xian, our next stop.

In Xian we had Rainy waiting for us. She took us to our hotel within the old city walls. Rainy took us the old city walls to ride bicycles and then to the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Gao's Courtyard, and the Islam district in Xian where she left us to wander on our own to shop and enjoy the sights.
She suggested the optional excursion to the Xian Opera House for a dumpling dinner and show. This was an excellent idea. The driver waited and took us back to our hotel.
Rainy then took us to the airport for our next leg.

We checked in and were on our way to Chongqing for our Yangtze cruise.We were met at the Chongqing airport by Jeff,our youngest guide who was just passionate about his city. Unfortunately our flight had been delayed by an hour and we hit rush hour traffic. Jeff kept up a running commentary while we drove into the city. He had arranged a preset menu at a beautiful restaurant. He then took us to a supermarket to pick up some stuff for the cruise. He arranged our porters for the luggage and got us checked onto the cruise before leaving us.

After our 3 day cruise we were met in Yichang by Season who boarded the ship and then took us to our waiting van amidst the hordes of tourists disembarking from the ships. He showed us around Yichang as we had a few hours before our next flight. Once again our guide arranged our flight check in. We were now on our way to Shanghai.

In Shanghai we were met by Rainy (2) a 22 year old guide. She was as charming as she was knowledgeable. She took us to the Bund Hotel in downtown Shanghai and arranged to meet us in the morning. Rainy then took us to the World Financial Centre, The Bund, and Yuyuan Market and Gardens. We then had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves to wander around Shanghai.
She then took us to the market and gardens. Lunch was at a restaurant in the market which was excellent. We had a variety of dumplings which were sooo delicious.
Rainy arrived the next morning to take us to the airport for our flight to Guilin.

In Guilin we were met by Vivian. She took us to lunch and then we checked into our hotel. Then we were off to visit the Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill.
The next day we headed for our cruise on the Li River. We were on the top deck which is reserved for small tour groups. We had the front table for the four of us. Once again, exceptional service. Lunch on board is a Chinese buffet which we were looking forward to, however, on the table was a menu which China Highlights had arranged for us as they had heard from other clients that the food was only average on the ship. We had seafood salad, mushroom soup ( the best I've ever had) and steak with potatoes and vegetables.

Vivian then took us to our hotel the Paradesa in Yangshou and ensured our rooms were satisfactory for us.

The next day she adjusted the schedule as we did not really want to go bicycle riding as it was 32 degrees and we also wanted to start the day a little later at 10 am.

She arranged a lunch which included beer fish which was absolutely delicious. We then went to the local food market.

Then off, once again, to the airport for our flight to Hong King. As this portion of the trip included clearing customs Vivian could not check us in. She waited, however, to ensure we got checked in and cleared customs before leaving the airport.

This was the end of our package with China Highlights as we headed off to Hong Kong and our own personal guide and tour.

I failed to mention the most important trait shared by our guides - a sense of humour!

China Highlights

We reviewed many itineraries from various tour companies before we made our final selection. A private tour for our 4 members was our main criteria. We had done a private trip in 2007 when in Egypt and loved the flexibility it provided – http://www.newstar.com/. The itinerary was to include Beijing, Xian, Yangtze cruise, Shanghai and Guilin. We asked that our flight to Hong Kong also be booked and then we would be on our own in Hong Kong, arranging our hotels and tours ourselves. China Highlights arranged for 14 days of our trip. Additional side trips were added for Chongqing, Yichang as we had time available between flights.
We also liked that China Highlights generally didn’t include dinner as that gave us a chance to wander around and choose our own restaurant. Special dinners were provided as an option and it was not problem if we decided against it. There was no pressure to up sell side excursions.
Shopping trips were included again with no pressure; in fact, we enjoyed these as they were always professional and provide top quality items. We generally bought our souvenirs on these trips.

The four of us had narrowed the selection down to about 6 at New Year’s. Then we narrowed it down to two, china Highlights and one other company. The other company was slightly cheaper with a few more options. The guide for that company had kept in touch with me constantly. When Air Canada started messing around with the timings of our flights these 2 companies were the only ones who stayed with us, while we couldn’t make a decision as we did not want to pay for anything until Air Canada finalized our flights. In March, we felt we had to make a final decision and move on with our plans. Leon Long from China Highlights could not have been more accommodating. Hans from the other company was also attentive; however something just did not feel right about his company and website. The copyright was outdated on his site (when mentioned he said he could fix that right away). The photos on his site were stock photos; there were no photos of happy tourists standing in front of Chinese attractions. He provided 6 references, only 2 responded and 1 was from 2003. Gut feel made us go with China Highlights. http://www.chinahighlights.com/ Their website is professional, provides a plethora of Chinese information and has many references and photos.
We could not have made a better decision. All four of us have raved to everyone about how well we were treated. The airport pickups were professional; there was always a guide with a driver waiting for us, regardless of flights delays. The drivers provided large well kept vans. The guides spoke excellent English and were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their country and subject matter. They also provided additional insights into Chinese culture and life that you would not have gotten with a large tour company on a large tour bus with many nationalities. They would take us to our next airport, check us in, ensure we had seats together and not leave until we were through customs or security.They checked us into our hotels, some even coming to the rooms to ensure they met our satisfaction.

Cell phone numbers were always provided if we needed them after hours.
I will publish a separate blog showing each of the guides and writing a brief review of them with photos.
Once again, I cannot thank China Highlights enough for providing a trip of a lifetime!
We had the opportunity to meet Leon when we were in Guilin. He had asked the guide to bring us by. We had a great chat, he gave each of us a small gift as a token of his appreciation and had our photos taken with him.
The hotels selected were 4 star hotels that provided all the amenities that we like. Large comfortable rooms, spotless bathrooms, always located in prime locations for restaurants and walking around in extremely safe areas.
If we didn’t want to do something or wanted to change anything every guide rolled with it and provided other options. In most cases the lunch menus were pre=-selected by the guide and we could not have complained about any food. See separate blog on food! Meals generally came with beer and if we wanted more we would buy it ourselves. The guides generally didn’t eat with us, they ate with the driver and other guides. For the last meal they usually joined us. Eating by ourselves gave us a break to discuss the fantastic food and chat about what we had seen that day.

4 More Sleeps!

Woo Hoo!! Counting down. Flights have been confirmed.

Almost all the To-Dos are done. Just need to get a haircut and book a limo to the airport.

Adding our contact list in China here so we can access it if needed.

Beijing: - Local Agency: China Travel Service Head Office CO.,LTD: Emergency Contact Person: He HuiTel: 010-64612573/64622288/6458/6466Fax: 010-64612567/64612576 CELLPHONE: 13501086632Address: 2 BEISANHUAN EAST RD.BEIJING CHINA,100028 - Hotel: Sunworld Hotel Beijing ****Tel: 010-58168999Fax: 010-65139095Address: 88 Dengshikou, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006http://www.sunworldhotel.com.cn/Eng/Home/Index.aspx

Xian: - Local Agency: CHINA XI'AN OVERSEAS TOURIST CO.LTD: Emergency Contact Person: Zhang BinTel: 029-85252191 85234771Fax: 029-85363500 CELLPHONE: 13892867505/029－81048101Address: ROOM 504 A RIDGE FUQING BUILDING NAN ER HUAN RD XI'AN SHANXI CHINA- Hotel: Meihua-Goldentang International Hotel ****Tel: 029-87616666Fax: 029-87637575Address: No.126 West Street,Xian,Chinahttp://www.chinahighlights.com/hotel/xian-hotels/meihua-goldentang-international-hotel.htm

Chongqing: - Local Agency: HUBEI YANGTZE CRUISE CORP.: Emergency Contact Person: SophiaCELLPHONE: 13594684214Address: No.88 Chang Street, hanyang Xima.- Cruise Ship (Yangtze Paradise) ****Tel:13971184021http://www.chinahighlights.com/yangtzecruise/yangtze-paradise/index.htm

Yichang: - Local Agency: HUBEI YANGTZE CRUISE CORP.: Emergency Contact Person: SophiaCELLPHONE: 13594684214Address: No.88 Chang Street, hanyang Xima.

Shanghai: - Local Agency: Easy Tours International Travel Service: Emergency Contact Person: Rainy WangTel: 021-6203-7070Fax: 021-5294-1118CELLPHONE: 13764583392Address: Shanghai 2000 Zhongshan ( N ) Rd,3rd Floor EAst,Shanghai 200063,China - Hotel: The Bund Hotel Shanghai ****Tel: 021-63522000Address: 525 Guangdong Roadhttp://www.bundhotelshanghai.com/

Guilin: - Local Agency: GL_CITS: Tel: 0773-2831999Fax: 2827424/2885308CELLPHONE: 13977322931Address: No 11 Binjiang Road - Hotel: Guilin Bravo Hotel ****Tel: 0773-2898888Fax: 0773-2851344Address: 14 Ronghu Road, South, Guilin, Guangxi 541002, Chinahttp://www.glbravohotel.com/en_1/aboutus.asp

Yangshuo: - Local Agency: GL_CITS: Tel: 0773-2831999Fax: 2827424/2885308CELLPHONE: 13977322931Address: No 11 Binjiang Road - Hotel: Paradesa Resort ****Tel: 0773-8822109/8816767Fax: 0773-8828550Address: No.116 West Street Yangshuo Guilinwww.ys-paradesa.com

Tour Operator Contacts
(Your tour operator is available to assist with any problems which may arise during your tour) Your Travel Advisor: Mr. Leon LongTEL: (86773)2889566 /800-8793-007 (09:00-12:00 in the morning, 13:00-18:00 in the afternoon, from Monday through Friday) FAX: (86773) 2827424 /2885308 Email: service@chinahighlights.comCell Phone (for Emergency outside office hours):Mr. Leon Long (86)013978392676 (Please dial 13978392676 only while you are in Guilin )

China 2009 Itinerary

Here's our itinerary!!!

http://www.chinahighlights.com/

Contact:

Leon LongCITS GUILIN,11 BINJIANG ROAD,GUILIN. 541002 CHINATel: 86-773-2889566Fax: 86 (0773) 2885308 \ 2827424Mail: http://ca.mc880.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=lion@chinahighlights.com

Sat 02-May-09 Air Canada Tor (8:30 am) flight 063-Van flight 029-Beijing

01. Sun 03-May-09
Arrive in Beijing, Flight No. AC029 ETA 14:20 Sunworld Hotel Beijing ****
Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing)

02. Mon 04-May-09
Beijing Sunworld Hotel Beijing ****
The Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, the Temple of Heaven,Beijing Ba guo bu yi Restaurant(Lunch)B,L

03. Tue 05-May-09
Beijing Sunworld Hotel Beijing ****
Mutianyu Great Wall(with round way cable car), Xing Shuang Quan Restaurant(Lunch), Hutong Tours in a Rickshaw, Cloisonne FactoryB,L

04. Wed 06-May-09
Beijing to Xian, Air China CA1235 (Beijing Capital Airport - Xian Xianyang Airport) Dep 4:30PM - Arr 6:20PM (Economy class) Meihua-Goldentang International Hotel **** (Deluxe Room)
Shan Shui Jian Yang Jie Zi Restaurant(Longtan Park Branch)(Lunch), Summer Palace with boat Cruise & The Garden of Virtue and Harmony, Beijing Olympic Green(exterior visit of Bird Nest and Water Cube), Helitang pearl store, Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Xian)B,L

05. Thu 07-May-09
Xian Meihua-Goldentang International Hotel **** (Deluxe Room)
Terracotta Warriors, A WA Restaurant(Lunch), Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an art ceramic/ furniture factory B,L

06. Fri 08-May-09 Xian to Chongqing to Yangtze, Sichuan Air 3U8806 Dep 3:25PM - Arr 4:40PM (Economy class) Yangtze Paradise
Xian City Wall with bicycle, Gao's Courtyard(includes Shadow Play),Guoli Renhe Chuancai Restaurant (Exhibition Center Branch)(Lunch), Hotel to airport Transfer (Xian), Cruise pier Transfer (Chongqing), Board the ship from 5:00pm to 8:00pm and departs Chongqing at 10:00pm.(Dinner is at local restaurant).B,L,D

07. Sat 09-May-09
Yangtze
Yangtze Paradise cruise ship
Shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City (8:00-10:00am).B,L,D

08. Sun 10-May-09
Yangtze
Yangtze Paradise Shore excursion to Shennong Stream(1:30-5:30pm).B,L,D

09. Mon 11-May-09 Yangtze to Yichang to Shanghai, Shanghai Airlines FM9366 Dep 4:35PM - Arr 6:05PM (Economy class)
The Bund Hotel Shanghai ****
Shore excursion to The Three Gorges Dam Site.Arrive in Yichang at 1:00pm.Airport Transfer (Yichang), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Shanghai)B,L

10. Tue 12-May-09
Shanghai The Bund Hotel Shanghai ****
The Shanghai World Financial Center, Lv Bo Lang Restaurant(Lunch), Yuyuan Market, The Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Jiangnan Silk Museum B,L

11. Wed 13-May-09
Shanghai to Guilin, China Eastern Airline MU5321 (Shanghai Hongqiao Airport - Guilin Liangjiang Airport) Dep 10:15AM - Arr 12:25PM (Economy class)
Guilin Bravo Hotel ****
Hotel to airport Transfer (Shanghai), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Guilin), Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill,McFound Restaurant (Lunch) B,L

12. Thu 14-May-09
Guilin to Yangshuo
Paradesa Resort **** (Deluxe Room with twin-beds)
Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. overnight in yangshuo. B,L

13. Fri 15-May-09
Yangshuo to Guilin to Hong Kong, China Southern Airlines CZ3031 Dep 5:30PM - Arr 6:35PM (Economy class)
Yangshuo biking to Yangshuo Moon Mountain and Yangshuo Big Banyan Tree, Meiyou Restaurant(Set menu)(Lunch), Our guide and driver will escort you from Yangshuo to Guilin airport for your flight to Hong Kong.

Friday 15-May-09 to 18-May-09

Hong Kong

Royal Pacific Hotel and Towers (see entry earlier)

No.33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

Telephone: (852) 2736 1188
Fax: (852) 2736 1212
Email: info@royalpacific.com.hk

18-May-09 Hong Kong (12:50) flight 008 - Van flight 066 - Tor arrive 20:02