Another vote for <b>Made In China</b> at the Grand Hyatt. I am getting stressed out just reading this I can imagine how you were feeling.....

Anxiously awaiting the infamous hutong walking tour....

Aloha!

I am in tears from following pandas' mad dash from PVG (Pudong) to SHA (Hongqiao), different airlines fly out of different airports, it is not easy for everyone to figure it out. Years ago I took a roundtrip to Beijing out of PVG, and did not realize being returned to SHA.

Boo Boo!!!! LOL!

Unbelievably enough, we were not stressed out. If we missed our flight, we would have taken a later one. I did have a word with the CTRIP desk at Hongqiao, but I was calm and not aggressive. Beth was not troubled.

That evening, our first in Beijing, we decided to try Beijing Duck. Looked at many recommendations and went with Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant. We went to take a cab and it turns out the guy in front of us in the line was going to the same restaurant. His name was Ambrose and he's a Hong Kong native and resident. He had a hilarious story about how his whole family moved from Hong Kong to Wisconsin and everyone but him moved back in a week because it was too cold. he stayed for seven years and then returned. He was meeting his sister. Over my small objection, he paid for the cab. The traffic was horrible and the ride took close to an hour.

There was a 1/2 hour wait, so we had a drink at the bar and watched them cook the ducks. They are skewered through the neck with a hook (the ducks). They are lifted with a long pole and put in ovens where they are hung to finish cooking. They were pre-cooked by the time we saw them. When they are done, they are lifted from the back of the oven and dropped into the flames for a few seconds. Then they are taken out and placed on a tray. A waiter immediately carries the duck off to be served.

The restaurant is very large and open with lots of space between tables. The decor is contemporary and very pleasant.

We had duck and asparagus, The duck was fantastic. AS good as we could have hoped after a long day. We followed Ekscrunchy's suggestion and enjoyed sugar on the skin. We ate most of it wrapped in thin pancakes with a few additions, e.g., green onions, radish, etc. Exquisite. The asparagus was a nice side dish. cab ride back took 25 minutes, no traffic.

<<After seeing this Beth and I attempted to look Canadian>>

As I come from a Canadian family and will be headed to Montreal in November to visit them, I'm curious as to what you & Beth did. Draw large red maple leaves? Say "eh" a lot? Order Canadian beer and lots of tea? Ask for donuts? Discuss hockey game scores? Ask where you can purchase a packet of Dunhills?

BC

I’m in China and this happens?


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32974370...=43001/from/ET

Old Pandas never die, they just fade away...

<<After seeing this Beth and I attempted to look Canadian>>

I am quite prepared to accept Beth as an honorary Canadian BUT the thought of the Great Furry One masquerading as an inhabitant of the Great White North is just unacceptable!!

On second thoughts there is a cage waiting at the Toronto Zoo.

ok, now he starts talking to people in the taxi line, insists that they share a taxi and then makes the other party pay for the ride....how many of his tricks did he play in the taxi---the muscle trick, the faces for kids, the hand tricks...

they moved back to WI immediately.....did he eat off of their plates at the restaurant as well and order for them???

BOOBoo...I hate to tell you, but Canadianas, Mexicans, etc are ALL Americans. You can't escape that easily.

Folks...why do you think Bob IS in charge of the grid and flights for our up comming trips to BKK and Bali next spring. I am too old for a cross city sprint. I want" the facts and nothing but the facts" on the grid.

Glad thing worked out. Please give my love to Beth for enduring that goof.

To Boo Boo the Panda:

Not to worry about that crude remark in the article you linked to.

Chris Packham heads up Britain's Bat Conservation Trust.

Seems the man has gone bats, so to speak.

The rest of the world still loves pandas.


Good work with the Peking duck - although pandas are supposed to be vegetarians?!

btw, his grids do not have flight times on it or the airport, so this may happen again...

its a good time with the gpandas....i do the planning and take control with an assist from beth, andy feels that he provides the entertainment (muscle trick, weird faces, etc) and karen keeps us grounded in reality... actually he tells everyone that he did it all when in fact he has the smallest piece of the pie....

It's simple. Bob is the accountant doing the drudge work and the Panda does the public relations. Anyone can see that he's much better with behind the scenes work. Our grids do have flight times and usually 3 letter airport codes. CTRIP did not send us the code, so we did not include.

One interesting thing is that at least 99% of the tourists we see at the tourist spots are Chinese. Europeans/North Americans are scarce. The tour groups are led by Chinese with flags.

he next day, August 23, we were picked up by our guide Kong Lin at 7:00 a.m. to go to the Great Wall. He was accompanied by his girlfriend Violet, who is also a guide. We drove up to Mutianyu, about ½ freeway and the rest on nice country roads. It went fast.
We took an enclosed car up to Tower 14. This was not nearly as hair-raising as some reports. They must have taken the open chairs up to Tower 6. The Great Wall (I noticed that the Chinese never refer to it as the Wall, always the Great Wall) is truly amazing. The sheer magnitude of the endeavor is staggering. Actually walking on the wall gives a much deeper appreciation of the scale of it. I would stop in the openings and imagine the advantage gained over charging horsemen. We walked along the wall for about two miles to Tower 6. Kong Lin filled us in on the background. There were not many people on the wall at this hour. It is truly a sight to behold.
We each took a toboggan ride down from Tower 6. This is a seat of plastic for one with a stick that one uses as a brake or not. You push forward to release the brake and let it move forward down a metal chute. We were given the advice to lean into the curves. Off we went, me first, beth second and Kong Lin third. I pushed the stick as far forward as it would go and rocketed down. I was flying. At every spotting location, I was told to “Slow down, sir”. Nope, down I plummeted. It was thrilling. Only on a reverse curve did I worry a bit. I waited at the bottom for Beth for 5 ½ minutes. We had left at the same time. (Beth says she crept along, but I’m sticking with creeped) Kong Lin was stuck behind her.
At the bottom, there are lots of stalls selling souvenirs. As we were some of the first, we were accosted, but we resisted. Back in the car and returned to Beijing.
We went on a Hutang “Rickshaw” ride beginning at the Drum Tower. We paid an additional 300 RMB for a local guide and the bicyclist who pedaled furiously with Beth and my large self in the back. The guide rode along on a bicycle of her own. This was interesting, but not fascinating. We did pop into a family’s home and engaged a middle-aged man in conversation. It was an extended family with a grandfather, his son and daughter, the son’s wife and daughter’s child. The guide translated. We spoke of his life and his experiences during the cultural revolution. He got to be a guest of the government in the countryside for a couple of years. Back on the rickshaw to end the tour.

We ate lunch at a Hunan restaurant with Kong Lin and Violet. Chicken with chilis and fried rice. Fine, but not great.
Off to the Summer Palace. This is a huge spread Northwest of the center city. Violet was our guide as we walked through the grounds and viewed the buildings. She told us the story of the Empress Dowager Cexi and her exercise of power. The weather was great and it was a very pleasant stroll. It was amazing to hear of the two devastations caused by the Europeans in the 18th century and the subsequent restoration(s). We took a dragon boat to the south entrance where we were met by Kong Lin.
Driving back to the ranch, we stopped at a China Construction Bank that has an arrangement with Bank of America and there are no ATM fees charged. There was a 2000 RMB limit on withdrawal. At our request, Kong Lin also took us to a laundry near our hotel. However, they charged by the piece and not the pound so the bill would have been 250 RMB to have everything done. I only had the pants and a few shirts done. The socks and delicates were handwashed in our sink and are drying as I write.
After a long day, we could not face a long cab ride for dinner, so we went to a nearby restaurant suggested by Kong Lin, Hot and Tasty. We had Fried rice and Chicken with vegetables. The bill was about 75 RMB. A cream donut was consumed from the Westin coffee shop.

Gpanda, would you mind telling us outsiders what relationship you have to all these people are in your following? Some of them know you pretty well. Obviously, Beth is your lovely wife. Thanks.

Gpanda, would you mind telling us outsiders what relationship you have to all these people in your following? Some of them seem to know you pretty well. Obviously, Beth is your lovely wife. Thanks.

Sdtravels-the sad truth is that I met all these "wonderful" people on this very forum. We've found it to be a super resource for our Asia travels. Guides, hotels, restaurants, activities and things to watch out for are readily available. I've posted for seven years on the forum and many of the others are also regulars.

Many of us have met in person at various Get Togethers (GTG. The nefarious Bob and I host a Boston GTG every fall. This year it's on October 10. See anothet thread.

The long-suffering Beth and I have become close acquaintances of Bob and Karen. By happenstance, they live about 25 minutes from our house. We live in the city of joy and light, Canbridge, Massachustts. They live in Darkest Needham. We're trying to help them escape, but the forces of entropy are powerful.

BTW, no one on this forum is an outsider. Everyone is welcome to participate as often as he/she would like. The more often one posts, the more one's personality reveals itself. Most of the regulars are not publicly judgmental.

Thanks. I'm new to the Asia forum, but I have been on several others for a long time too. Each has its own "personality" so to speak. I can't wait to hear more of your trip.

sdtravels: Welcome to Lake Wobegon, aka the Asia Forum - "Where all the women are strong, all the the men good-looking and all the children above average" :)

This is the kindest and gentlest of the forums (can't say anything about the Antartica forum), IMHO.

i can already see you need some good food in november....i will rework the schedule with you in mind....

There's a certain lightness, a non-serious-but-intelligent tone. Some people are knee-slapping funny. Some are just weird. Some are very talented. You will find out who's who.