Farewell July 29, 2013

It's time to say good bye to China. Travelling like this for a month is not easy as there are constant decisions to be made, sites to see, hotels to check in and out of and planes to catch.

We had seven domestic flights and although most of them were comfortable and safe, it is always a strain dealing with the lack of communications and the huge crowds.

In a country of 1.5 billion people there are bound to be some pushy people....our elbows have callouses on them from fighting to keep our spot in line!

Sometimes I felt that the noise level had reached the top end of the scale.  People were having to speak louder than we are used to, just to be heard.  

I'm not complaining, we chose this trip knowing what we were up against and we were prepared for most of it.  The poor table manners, the spitting and the snorting were all new to us and I'm trying to be polite here.

But, no matter how tired I may look in the picture, it was a great adventure.  Give me a few weeks and I will be ready to take on Egypt or Mongolia or India, but not Africa.

Exploring the City July 28, 2013

Our plans for the last two days in Beijing were to take it easy....let's just say we tried.  It's pretty hard to sit and rest when a city of 22 million people is offering so many things to do.

In the morning we wandered around our hotel area, finding new side markets and different eating stalls.  

The pigeons didn't appeal to either of us....where is Jim when we need him?  

In the afternoon, we decided to tackle the subway system.  Why didn't we take the time and try it before?  It was so easy to use, and it is new and clean.

We got lost in the hutongs later in the day, and eventually had to fall back on our tried and true method of finding our way out of alleys like this.....we followed a group of older women   who looked like they were going somewhere special.  Worked like a charm!  

We didn't realize that the Beijing sky could be so blue as up until now we have had nothing but smog.

Too much beer?  Or just plain tired. One sign in a little restaurant caught our eye!

On the Way Home July 27, 2013

Half the China team left tonight for a 2:00 am flight to Vancouver, leaving us all alone in Beijing for two days.

They look particularly happy....maybe it's the eleven hour flight ahead of them that brought out those smiles!

Bamboo and Pine July 26, 2013

Not bad for a day of unwinding !!

This morning we were driven to the rice terraces at Longsheng. We really didn't know what we were getting into, but by the end it the day we were experts in all things Longji.

We were so high up that pine trees were everywhere and yet this place is so tropical the bamboo trees were growing beside the pines.

It's too bad we had to drive on more hairpin and switchbacks, but again I was successful in hiding my terror.....I'm not so sure about Alice.  She had this terrible tick in her right foot - much like she was stepping on the brakes!

We had to walk the last kilometre to a village built into the side of a mountain.  Absolutely beautiful.

We climbed too many steps to count, wanting to see every part of this fascinating village.  There were very few tourists in the village so we had the place to ourselves.

The rice terraces are so different from Vietnam. These are narrow and split into smaller plots.  Other than that, the people working the fields were doing the same hard work to support themselves and their

families, even the young children.

New Town......New Scenery July 25, 2013

After our bike ride yesterday morning we were picked up by our guide and driver and were driven to Guilin, where we will stay for two days trying to unwind.

Guilin is a "small" city of just 4 million people and is known as one of the most beautiful cities in China.  I haven't seen that as of yet, but we just started to explore yesterday afternoon.  Fred is fighting a cold so we called it quits early.

Our hotel is across the street from a lake.....sitting on the balcony people watching is on my to-do list.

Getting Lost July 25, 2013

What started out as a twenty minute leisurely bike ride this morning at 7:00 ended up being a two hour endurance test (mental endurance, not physical).  Plus, we didn't take any water for the "short" ride and it was already 26C with high humidity in the early morning.

Yup....we got lost!

We saw what we had set out to see and on the way home decided to ride through the villages behind our hotel.  The biggest mistake we made was assuming that each village would be unique in appearance.  How wrong we were!

When you are riding down some narrow lane in village number one, it looks just like a narrow lane in village number two.  The dogs are the same, the chickens look like they are laying the same eggs and the houses are all similar in appearance.

The lanes twist and turn repeatedly and before long we didn't have a clue as to which direction we came from nor which direction we should go in.

Yesterday we had the name of the hotel written in Chinese and Fred just happen to have that precious sheet of paper in his pocket.  Even so, we had to ask five or six different people which way to go [most couldn't read the note].  We never did get a specific location, just the general direction of the hotel.

We did get to see some awesome sights while on this latest adventure.  That, and sore butts!  Old Chinese bike seats just don't cut it.

How Important Are We? July 25, 2013

We thought we were really special when we arrived at our Yangshuo hotel and our names were up in the bright lights!  Maybe just a little special?

Cast Your Vote July 24, 2013

Cast your vote for the best looking fisherperson!  I would think that a certain someone should get votes just for entering.

Day of Rafting July 24, 2013

Another tough day at the office.  In other words, a day of rafting on the Li River!  We spent three hours on the water checking out the life on one of the major rivers of China.

The raft was only capable of holding four people plus the pilot.  It was small and noisy and in one hour I was ready to turn back.  

Good thing we didn't, as eventually we made it to the Yangtze River, giving me the chance to say I have been on three of the four longest rivers in the world.   

I may have to stretch that a bit as we weren't exactly on the river, just the joining of the Li and the Yangtze.  I should earn points for admitting that!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting rid of our Yuan on some gifts and souvenirs.  I don't know why as the zipper on my backpack has already started to rip....maybe a good thing.  New carry on in the future? 

View From Our Rooms July 23, 2013

We are in a small village hotel located just outside Yangshuo and can see the most incredible karst formations from our window.

Our hotel is off the beaten path....so far off that last evening as we were waiting for a ride to town three water buffalo strolled by on their way home from the fields.

It's not a great picture as I was still in the room and didn't see them until the last minute. 

Long Days July 20, 2013

It seems as if the days aren't long enough....we start early in the morning and don't get settled into our rooms until after supper.  

Today we drove 2.5 hours to see the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the largest gorges in the world.  It was well worth the drive, especially since we had a new travelling companion - our driver's seven year old daughter joined us today.  

The Yangtze River created the gorge and at one of the narrowest points in the rock the Yangtze was showing its stuff....the rapids were strong and fierce.

When we returned to Lijiang Jim was in fine form, sampling the local cuisine.  The grasshoppers didn't appeal to anyone else but him.  I wonder why!

The best statement of the day came from Jim when he said, "the legs keep getting caught in my teeth".....yikes!

Rain July 19th, 2013

We woke to rain this morning (only our third day of rain in three weeks), but that didn't stop us from driving up to Snow Mountain and Yak Meadow.   

Our driver drove us to the park and from there mountain buses take over for a twenty minute  drive up the mountain.  Again, it was hairpin turns making me very uncomfortable.  I don't know if the leaning to one side and hiding my eyes help, but it makes me feel better.

When the buses went as far as they could, chair lifts took over.  A twenty minute ride took us to the top of Snow Mountain.

The rain stopped long enough to allow the fog to roll in and for us to walk up to a small monastery, along with seeing the wild yaks in he pasture.

We met all kinds of characters today...some at the mountain top and some at a small village we visited on the way home.