progol

My new job is definite and I'll be starting at the end of August; I now have to be thinking in 2 week increments for my vacations; those former 3-week vacations are history. I had been planning on going to Indonesia but now think it's not really a good plan as we live in NYC and there's too much time lost in travel, and the 27+ hour return trip will be a very difficult transition to return from. So I'll leave that till I retire (3+ years from now). You folks on the west coast definitely have an easier trip to Asia!

While I'm also considering other regions, I'd dearly love to go back to Asia. From my research, it looks like the traveling to and from China would be one of the least difficult trips to Asia from the East Coast. While not on the top of my "Asia" list, it seems more doable than other locales. In 2 weeks (14-15 nights) I'm thinking about the following itinerary: Beijing>Xian>Guilin/Yangshou>Hong Kong. Ideally, we'd do this trip in April, which looks like a good time of year to go. Does this sound doable? It's of course very early planning (I can't very well start a new job and start talking about my vacation!), but like many others here, I love to be planning far ahead!

If there is one part of the itinerary that I'm a little unsure about, it would be the visit to the Guilin/Yangshuo area. I'm very interested in getting into some rural part of China -- I don't want it to be all urban -- and the vistas of the karsts on the Li River (Guilin to Yangsho ride) and the rice terrace vistas of Longji and other sites are stunning, which appeal to me a lot. But I also have been reading how these areas are overrun with tourists. So, my questions -- is this true and if so, how much would it undermine a visit? Is it possible to experience these sites without the hordes of tourists? And if it is unpleasantly overtouristed, are there other places to go that would give us similar experiences without overwhelming crowds within the time frame? We'd also prefer to end in Hong Kong and pass up Shanghai, much as I'd love to include both.

I'm also considering Sicily/Naples, but that's for the other board. And certainly a lot easier to manage the trip!

Many thanks for the feedback -- plans are very much a work in progress now and may change a lot (have already!), but I value the opinions on this board a lot.

Paule

MmePerdu

If you're considering Guilin-Li River cruise to Yangshuo, I can report that it is a victim of it's own popularity with hoards of both westerners and Chinese tourists. An alternative is to fly into Guilin, book a hotel outside Yangshuo along the Yulong River, same otherworldly landscape but remarkably free of visitors. Have your hotel arrange an airport pickup and go directly to your hotel, enjoy walking in the countryside and raft rides on the river.

While beyond my budget, I visited the Secret Garden twice for lunch on my walks and have no doubt it would be a wonderful place to stay. Located in Jiuxian Ancient Village, yet to be "done up" for the tourists, it's a beautifully repurposed building made into a boutique hotel in a very old village. A relatively short taxi ride into Yangshuo for a day trip.

http://www.yangshuosecretgarden.com/#!hotel/c1nt3

Kathie

Have you been to Japan? Japan should be an easy non-stop flight from NYC. We loved our time in Japan, and while it has a reputation for being expensive, I was pleasantly surprised by prices.

I offer this as an option as we loved Japan, and China is not my favorite destination.

progol

Thank you, MmePerdu, I'll take a look at the Yulong River and the area outside of Yangshuo. You've also intrigued me about the Secret Garden, and will look into the ancient village.

Kathie, I am looking at Japan as an option, though I was startled to see that the cost of the air ticket was much higher than the one to China. It scared me away from a more serious consideration, although it is a place we're both interested in. I have less of a sense of specific sights in Japan, though, compared to China, so I need to do some more reading to get a better understanding of what would be a good first visit.

MmePerdu

To get an idea, here's my blog about the village:
http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/jiux...-guangxi-china

And others about the area:
http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/potd-liriver
http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/gall...province-china
http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/pod-fulitabac

progol

Thanks, MmePerdu, for posting links to your blog. It's very helpful for planning and getting new ideas.

The ancient village of jiuxian is definitely way off the beaten track!

MmePerdu

It's actually quite close to Yangshuo, maybe a 20 minute taxi ride, but a long way from the madding crowd, the China most visitors never see.