Nutella's October 2007 China Itinerary
 

Hi all! Seeing how helpful everyone is with other people's itineraries, I've decided to start a thread with my own.

I'll be spending a total of 17 nights in China in mid October into November 2007, flying into Beijing and out of Shanghai. I'm traveling solo. My main travel interests are landscapes, villages, architecture and seeing authentic daily life. I'm a photographer and the good light will dictate my schedule as much as possible.

Here's my rough idea so far:

Beijing - 3 or 4 nights - Arrive mid afternoon before Night 1. The usual famous sites, Great Wall hike from Jingshanling to Simatai, hutongs, markets, etc.

Yunnan - As of now I want to devote the most number of nights to this region. Fly from Beijing to Kunming. So far my wish list is - stay in Lijiang, visit the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, visit small villages. Hopefully the rice terraces of Yuanyang if it's logistically possible, but from what I've read so far it looks like quite a challenge!

Possibly 2-3 nights somewhere enroute to Shanghai if I have time to spare after the above. Maybe Yangshuo for the scenery and relaxation, but I am open.

End up in Shanghai 3-4 nights - Depart early evening after Night 17. My focus is architecture - art deco and modern, early morning and night photography. Explore old parts of Shanghai for street life. Possible day trip to water village.

I'm covering a lot of geography and it looks like it might be all planes. I was hoping to experience a long distance train if possible too.

I know it's all really sketchy so far, I'll update when I have more plans, but feel free to jump in with any comments. Thanks :)

Thanks for sharing, Nutella, sounds very exciting and October/November are the best months for traveling in China. When I confirm my dates, might be able to meet you in Shanghai for tea if you have time.

That would be great Shanghainese, let's keep up to date with our plans!

Hello Nutella, have just returned from China three days ago and was blown away by it.
I'm not a photographer by any means, wrestle with my digital camera and then resort to a throw-away Kodak, but must warn you the smog? come what may, in most populated areas is DENSE!
Have you not c onsidered a trip down the Yangtze, and I believe the Lee river is even more beautiful?
A small bit of advice, when you change money into yuan ask for small notes as well. If you have to get change from big notes you run the risk of getting fakes loaded on you.
If you are a photographer you will get some amazing shots of The Bund at night. Enjoy - Neala

Welcome home Neala! I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

Your advice is very welcome, my itinerary is still wide open.

You will not regret Lijiang. Keep it in the itinerary.

I visited Beijing and Shanghai in October and despite having bad, bad chronic asthma did not have any trouble with smog. It wasn't cold yet so no burning coal.

Have fun with the planning.

Slight update to my plans - Beijing will be 4 nights, as 3 nights would only mean 2 full days.

I also put an end to my idea of photographing the rice terraces in Yunnan Province. After studying up on malaria meds, I'm banishing myself from anywhere in Yunnan below 1,500 metres altitude - Nutella 0, Mosquitos 1.

So I think I'll be sticking to Dali, Lijiang and environs. Possibly Shangri La but I'm not sure yet. Still need to decide whether to slowly work my way north from Kunming, or fly north and work my way down. That will be my only big decision, as I plan to otherwise improvise Yunnan without reservations.

Making a bit of progress with my Pimsleur Mandarin tapes. I doubt I'll be understood much in China, but it's great fun to try and learn! The guy at the Chinese takeout even said I spoke Mandarin better than he did :)

Ni Hao! Have you included photographing the Longsheng rice terraces near Guilin/Yangshou and a boat ride on the Li River in Guangshi province? The mesmerizing scenery is the best in China.

If you decide to visit Dali, I'd strongly suggest getting out of the city proper into the nearby countryside. My friend and I found Dali itself and the surrounding mountains kind of overrated, but we loved the countryside! From Dali, it's an easy bus ride to the nearby Bai minority villages where you can spend a morning or afternoon exploring and taking pictures. We particularly liked the little village of Xizhou with its green fields and traditional Bai houses. The Yen Family Compound in Xizhou was one of the best examples of traditional architecture that we encountered in China. You can see some pictures here:
http://lillian.smugmug.com/gallery/1734612#P-1-9

I agree with Shanghainese, though, that the most photogenic spots we encountered were the Longsheng rice terraces and the section of the Li River near Yangshuo.

Ni hao Shanghainese and Lil! Longsheng has been on my radar, I'd definitely love to photograph there, but I wasn't sure if I'd have enough time in that region due to spending most of my days in Yunnan.

But here's what I'm thinking now - in Yunnan, only base myself in two cities, Dali and Lijiang, and make day trips from those. As opposed to also staying in Kunming, Shangri La, etc. This way, I'll eliminate the packing and unpacking and some transit, and I'd get to see plenty and still have enough days for Yangshuo and Longsheng. How does that idea sound?

Lil, your photos are fantastic! I've only just begun to go through them, but it looks like you took a trip very close to what I've envisioned for myself. Xizhou sounds good. Actually I just checked my notes and it was on my list, as well as a couple of other villages that I've read about - San Ta, Zhoucheng, Shaping and Wase...

Okay, I just took another look at the CDC website malaria page. If I'm reading this correctly, rural areas in low altitudes of Guangxi Province have a year-round risk south of latitude 25. So I'm not off the hook as far as those nasty pills are concerned :(

Hi Nutella,

Yes, malaria is most anywhere subtropical, wet and warm. Check out your alternatives with your personal doctor. There are once a week pills and daily pills and each have different side effects. I have had a prescription to Doxycycline before and am aware of the side effects. It may not be as bad as it seems. But that is just me.

You should look into staying overnight up in the Longsheng area, above the terraces. Any time of year, you catch some very unusual lighting and colors. The Li River Retreat is also a great base for photographic opportunities around the Li River and Yangshuo. You want to take the Yu Long River bamboo raft trip, even though there is a constant parade of rafts, the shoreline and scenery is stunning.

South of Yangshuo maybe 2-4 km is a place called the Farmer's Inn on the bluff overlooking the Li River. Take a motor scooter south from Yangshuo. The fisherman there will take you on a private bamboo raft ride on the calm Li River for very little money. His wife is better at English. He runs a fish farm down on the river. Nice people and real China.

Hi Nutella,

I think your idea of shaving off some days in Yunnan so that you can include Yangshuo and Longsheng is a good one.

I definitely second rploehn's advice to stay overnight if you visit the rice terraces rather than just doing a daytrip, especially if you're interested in photography. Overnighting there will allow you to stay long enough to capture the terraces in the beautiful light of sunset and in the early glow of sunrise. The pictures in my galleries are only a tiny fraction of all the photos I took at the rice terraces. This place is truly breathtaking and inspiring when you see it in person. It was definitely the highlight of our month in China. (One note though: the terraces may look quite different in October, probably golden and fluffy instead of green and water-filled, as they are in the early summer.)

If you decide to attempt overnighting, here's a thread where I described our overnight stay in a guesthouse overlooking the terraces: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34921245

As for your concerns about the malaria pill, I'd strongly suggest consulting a doctor. I've taken malaria pills twice now, once for Costa Rica and once for China, without any noticeable side effects, but I know everyone's body responds differently. Definitely get some expert medical advice.

Very nice photos Lil1210.

If I make it back to China, I am SOOOOO printing your reports and reviewing your photos.

Nutella, on my trip my friend and I met a woman who gave us a tour of the area and of a local restaurant on our first few days there. She asked us about our political beliefs *(of which I told her I would not discuss). She also told us that she wouldn't be around when there was security, b/c she 'didn't want to get searched for explosives'. In fact, she didn't enter the Heavenly Gate b/c of security and left the shopping Hutong when the police were standing in the area. (she also offered to carry my pack, *which I didn't let her) Yes, this is a true account. SOOOOO, I want to share with you my deepest warning or alert to you. Be careful and be defensive. Be on guard. Have fun, but be careful. Bring your boa to the boa party....as mentioned in the visa posting.
I also negotiated a great price for 5 tshirts at the Summer Palace, but the negotiator said he didn't like my money, so I gave the shirts back to him and later found that he had tricked me, by giving me a fake bill back. (around $13 US lost) The negotiators are everywhere, so be careful.

I strongly recommend you pay a visit to yangshuo, Yangshuo and the surrounding countryside is breathtaking part of the world, and it is must visit for China. as well as relexation atmosphere for your vacation. I am local and you are welcome any question on this area.

Hello all - I'm a docent at Winterthur Museum & one of our senior guides went to Yunnan Province last year - Lijiang, Kunming, Shangri-la - & came home absolutely inspired by it & full of information about inspiration for Chippendale furniture (which was what got Winterthur's people all hot & bothered). She said the hotels got rougher the further in she went, but it was all so much worth it, as the people dress in native costume not for the tourists but because it's what they wear. And an authentic experience in travel is hard to come by these days!

We plan to go to China next summer to see a total solar eclipse (in Inner Mongolia!) & plan to expand travel to Yunnan & a 3 or 4 day stay in Beijing. Has anyone stayed in the "authentic yet revised courtyard hotels" in Beijing? I am organizing travel not just for ourselves - what we get ourselves into is one thing - but will be including a friend.

Help, please, on courtyard hotels in Beijing as well as Yunnan experiences.

Thanks.

shedridt:

Would suggest you post your question on Beijing hotels as a separate thread. Otherwise, you may not get many answers.

N -- Where are you staying in Shanghai for 3 nights?

S- Haven't made any reservations yet. I'm still trying to decide on the most convenient part of town. I'm open to suggestions!

If you have some interest in learning Mandarin I suggest ChinesePod.com. It's quite popular with the expat community in Shanghai.