RHK'S FALL 2012 ASIA TRIP
Oct 22nd, 2012, 02:27 AM
#81
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Thank goodness I remembered to search for you and your trip!! (Although I think of you every day, when I pass my mantel and see my GRAND PRIZE!! Many people question its authentic "SterlingSilverness" But I don't.
This is lots of great info, and I also love the replies from other Fodorites that we met at the Boston GTG! Hi everyone!
Your trip sounds like a super one, and I will be following along. You keep adding to my wish list, including going back to HK, but on Korean Air!!
Remember you are a great ambassador for Greater Needham, so behave! Hope Karen can keep you in line.
This is lots of great info, and I also love the replies from other Fodorites that we met at the Boston GTG! Hi everyone!
Your trip sounds like a super one, and I will be following along. You keep adding to my wish list, including going back to HK, but on Korean Air!!
Remember you are a great ambassador for Greater Needham, so behave! Hope Karen can keep you in line.
Oct 22nd, 2012, 04:14 AM
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Taconic, you know we are all very jealous of that prize you won!!! Keep it nicely polished please.
Leaving at 12:30 today for Bangkok. Had a restless sleep here at OHare Hyatt Regency. I'm always a bit restless when ready to travel again, but usually it's because I have a very early flight. This time I could have slept in to 8am, but alas, I'm up at 6. No sleep on the ORD-NRT segment as my upgrade did not clear. Right now I'm #5 on the list... that means I keep my exit row seat in the back of the 747. But I am upgraded from NRT to BKK so will lie flat and S-L-E-E-P then.
Bob, is the flight really 15 minutes to Xian? Or was it 15 minutes after the hour? If it was a 15 minute flight, a bus or train would do.....wouldn't it? Anxious to hear about your experiences there.
I've seen the HK light show 13 years ago on my first HK/BKK trip, in 2001. Don't recall being awed by it. Have not seen it since, in 2 more visits to HK. Not because I don't care, but because I never seem to remember to try to see it!!
I will try to scope out the Asiatique Night Bazaar and give a report. You guys will go past it when taking the shuttle from Anantara to the BTS at Saphan Taksin.
See you soon!!
Leaving at 12:30 today for Bangkok. Had a restless sleep here at OHare Hyatt Regency. I'm always a bit restless when ready to travel again, but usually it's because I have a very early flight. This time I could have slept in to 8am, but alas, I'm up at 6. No sleep on the ORD-NRT segment as my upgrade did not clear. Right now I'm #5 on the list... that means I keep my exit row seat in the back of the 747. But I am upgraded from NRT to BKK so will lie flat and S-L-E-E-P then.
Bob, is the flight really 15 minutes to Xian? Or was it 15 minutes after the hour? If it was a 15 minute flight, a bus or train would do.....wouldn't it? Anxious to hear about your experiences there.
I've seen the HK light show 13 years ago on my first HK/BKK trip, in 2001. Don't recall being awed by it. Have not seen it since, in 2 more visits to HK. Not because I don't care, but because I never seem to remember to try to see it!!
I will try to scope out the Asiatique Night Bazaar and give a report. You guys will go past it when taking the shuttle from Anantara to the BTS at Saphan Taksin.
See you soon!!
Oct 22nd, 2012, 05:28 PM
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Simpson: not to sidetrack, but Bob will enjoy this too, the other day a friend came over and said she wanted to see the "elephant in our living room.".
I told her we didn't have an elephant in the living room...she said Jim told her we did, and that it was a prize that I had gotten. LOL
I showed her my treasure on the mantel, and laughed a LOT.
Now, once in a while Jim says the wrong word, but I ask you, did that look like an elephant?
Enjoy the Far East, all of you! Waiting for more report!
I told her we didn't have an elephant in the living room...she said Jim told her we did, and that it was a prize that I had gotten. LOL
I showed her my treasure on the mantel, and laughed a LOT.
Now, once in a while Jim says the wrong word, but I ask you, did that look like an elephant?
Enjoy the Far East, all of you! Waiting for more report!
Oct 23rd, 2012, 06:34 AM
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taconictraveler - LOL about your "elephant in the living room!" I can't believe anyone would question its sterling silverness! 
simpsonc510 - have a great trip!
Looking forward to your first Xian installment, Bob!
simpsonc510 - have a great trip!
Looking forward to your first Xian installment, Bob!
Oct 23rd, 2012, 08:31 AM
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Bob: After the Shanghai GTG, walk to the Bund and admire the light show there.
HT: translations of hotel names from english to chinese is baffling, i.e. Peninsula Hotel is Half Island Hotel in chinese.
Let Linda know to check out 580 West Nanking Road Fashion Plaza (Hancheng in chinese), it's a mecca of faux stuff with an expensive Amy's Pearls; but on the top floor near the escalator there is a pearl shop worth looking at and comparing prices to Pearl City.
HT: translations of hotel names from english to chinese is baffling, i.e. Peninsula Hotel is Half Island Hotel in chinese.
Let Linda know to check out 580 West Nanking Road Fashion Plaza (Hancheng in chinese), it's a mecca of faux stuff with an expensive Amy's Pearls; but on the top floor near the escalator there is a pearl shop worth looking at and comparing prices to Pearl City.
Oct 23rd, 2012, 04:04 PM
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ok, so let me catch you up a bit.. loading the flt was interesting.. the plane was perhaps 30 minutes late arriving but we began to load up 15 min before departure time. we were in row 34, which was in fact about the 5th row.
they announced all the usual boarding procedures but that is where it ended--they boarded on who was next in the fast dash to form a line. i was very fast and was maybe 15th in line. i only had to body check a few old ladies.
overhead compartments were perfectly sized for our rollies. we had a row of 3 seats. What I did not know was that the seats were sized for an american girl doll that my granddaughter might own. in fact my window seat was only big enough for a ken doll, which i am not!! i took up my seat and 1/3 of K's seat. leg room was ok. a box lunch was served. my tuna finger sandwiches with crusts removed had 1/4 teaspoon of tuna on each one.
despite the tightness of the seats we survived the 2 hour and 50 min flt. AND TO THINK THAT I ACTUALLY ENTERTAINED THE THOUGHT OF FLYING TO HK ON CHINA EASTERN--YIKES.
after we sat down an english speaking family sat down a few rows in back of us. one of their little kids yelled out: "NO TV'S DAD!!!". that said it all. there were some tiny drop down tv's after all, we found out, but they were useless and no earphones...
anxious now to see our shanghai to bkk flt on china eastern..
so we arrived at Xian on time give or take, at our "bus" gate... wow, the pollution!!
the bus pulled up to the immigration bldg, but we were not let off for perhaps 15 min---it got very hot in the bus.. people were banging on the windows to let us out, until finally they opened the doors but would not let people out for another 10 minutes. Immigration was poorly set up. suitcases were on an unmarked carousel...we survived.
A driver was waiting right outside the door for us with a huge name sign.. we had arranged him thru Jane, who I will speak to later.
Our van was decent but the ride to our hotel, the Sheraton Xian North City Hotel (opened in march, 2012) was slow--heavy chaotic traffic, although roads are good and 50% was highway. I think it took well over an hour and 1/2.
The hotel is beautiful, very lux, lots of marble and our room is huge with a fab bathroom, a chaise lounge, huge bed, etc. we are very pleased. Pat's price is 888 R, an opening special--our room is an an amazing cash and points deal of 1600 pts plus $30 US. Her room includes breakfast and 100 R food allowance.
Must stop for breakfast now.. fabulous buffet.
they announced all the usual boarding procedures but that is where it ended--they boarded on who was next in the fast dash to form a line. i was very fast and was maybe 15th in line. i only had to body check a few old ladies.
overhead compartments were perfectly sized for our rollies. we had a row of 3 seats. What I did not know was that the seats were sized for an american girl doll that my granddaughter might own. in fact my window seat was only big enough for a ken doll, which i am not!! i took up my seat and 1/3 of K's seat. leg room was ok. a box lunch was served. my tuna finger sandwiches with crusts removed had 1/4 teaspoon of tuna on each one.
despite the tightness of the seats we survived the 2 hour and 50 min flt. AND TO THINK THAT I ACTUALLY ENTERTAINED THE THOUGHT OF FLYING TO HK ON CHINA EASTERN--YIKES.
after we sat down an english speaking family sat down a few rows in back of us. one of their little kids yelled out: "NO TV'S DAD!!!". that said it all. there were some tiny drop down tv's after all, we found out, but they were useless and no earphones...
anxious now to see our shanghai to bkk flt on china eastern..
so we arrived at Xian on time give or take, at our "bus" gate... wow, the pollution!!
the bus pulled up to the immigration bldg, but we were not let off for perhaps 15 min---it got very hot in the bus.. people were banging on the windows to let us out, until finally they opened the doors but would not let people out for another 10 minutes. Immigration was poorly set up. suitcases were on an unmarked carousel...we survived.
A driver was waiting right outside the door for us with a huge name sign.. we had arranged him thru Jane, who I will speak to later.
Our van was decent but the ride to our hotel, the Sheraton Xian North City Hotel (opened in march, 2012) was slow--heavy chaotic traffic, although roads are good and 50% was highway. I think it took well over an hour and 1/2.
The hotel is beautiful, very lux, lots of marble and our room is huge with a fab bathroom, a chaise lounge, huge bed, etc. we are very pleased. Pat's price is 888 R, an opening special--our room is an an amazing cash and points deal of 1600 pts plus $30 US. Her room includes breakfast and 100 R food allowance.
Must stop for breakfast now.. fabulous buffet.
Oct 24th, 2012, 02:38 AM
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so the plane was pretty horrible, but that's not the end of the world on a short flt.
we were moderately hungry so decided on the chinese restaurant on the 3rd floor. we were the only people in the "non-smoking" area. we had interesting foods, some hot, some cold:
braised eggplant slices with dark sauce
whole roasted, then fried chicken semi-deboned, complete with head
shredded beef with mushrooms (looked like straw with seeds in it---very salty
noodle soup w/veggies, mostly noodles, little broth
beer
Service was horrible but food was good, quite expensive in comparison with tuesday's lunch--see below.
exhausted we hit the sack--a very large sack..
Tuesday Oct 23---Warrior day
Buffet breakfast downstairs--tons to choose from, but the pastry was fab---buttery and flaky.. good dumpblingd, cheese, meats, sushi, eggs, fruits, etc.
Jane Yang, our guide, who Karen had found on TA (she thinks) came for us at 9:30. her e mail is: [email protected]
Her fee for 2 full days was 700 RMB (about $110). All admissions were extra. We chose to have a driver and van as well so for airport p/u, 2 days of sightseeing, and delivery back to airport, the fee was 1500 RMB (~$240).
We were delighted with those fees after a day spent with Jane in this crazy environment. Jane is fabulous, with excellent English. The traffic patterns are erratic and undisciplined (cars, people, bikes, etc just roam at will). Want to go the wrong way---just do it... want to stop in the middle of a busy road to itch your eye, do it..
BTW, Xian is a huge city of 9 million people. The area is also huge. The streets are well laid out and very wide. Many have beautiful shade trees. It has a real European feeling.
I cannot imagine however visiting here and using public transportation efficiently. A driver seems necessary.
There is minimal English signage, except near tourist sights.
So we loaded into our van and headed north of town to the terracotta warrior historical site. This took about 1 hour.
We entered the general area and had to walk quite a ways to the payment bldg. Cost: 150 RMB per person.
After entering via the short route, we walked a ways---there were wheelchairs for hire if you wanted-- we boarded some electric vehicles for a short drive to the excavation area, where the "sheds" are located. First we watched a multi-media Cinerama presentation, in English, about the area--15 minutes.
Next we headed into shed #1, the place where the local farmers first dug up warrior parts in 1974 while digging a new well. It is simply amazing what we saw---but most of you have read about it. We were surprised at home much is still to be dug in site #1, but they are waiting for better methods of preservation before doing much more. The near-by Emperor's tomb has not been touched at all for the same reason. Money is not the problem.
We headed next door to shed #2 next---it started to rain a bit. This is a smaller area and has not been touched since 1999. Several colors were found on warriors here.
Shed #3 was next. Also smaller. So plan to spend 2.5 hours roughly in the shed area. You must walk the entire way back to the entrance--not fun, esp. in light rain.
There is much more to be done here in generations to come. Karen has now satisfied her #1 travel destination from the wish list.
We had a chinese lunch at a "tourist" restaurant near to the entrance. For 150 RMB total we had a huge meal: a single drink per person (I requested more and it caused a stir), egg-drop soup, sauted eggplant, fried rice, stir-fried chicken with veggies and star anise, stir fried duck with veggies, steamed cabbage, sweet and sour chicken with pineapple (the best), noodle with broth, plus cookies and orange wedges and tea... A fest and way toooo much food.
From there we headed back towards town stopping at an ancient site: Banpo Neolithic museum with things dating from 6000BC found at that site when digging to build a power plant in about the 1970's. Moderate to no interest. 65
RMB per person---smartly bob stayed in the van.
We were quite honestly shot and cold and anxious to return to the hotel--about 5.
dinner that night was in the bar: hamby for K, lamb skewers for Pat and chicken club for Bob.
Andy would not be happy if I did not record my fist GM story of the trip... the GM stopped by in the bar to say hello. i could not resist telling him of the bad service the night before. He insisted in picking up the tab for our food this night and instructed the food manager to comp us.
After dinner we were in bed by 9... we did see the debate---
"ABO"...
we were moderately hungry so decided on the chinese restaurant on the 3rd floor. we were the only people in the "non-smoking" area. we had interesting foods, some hot, some cold:
braised eggplant slices with dark sauce
whole roasted, then fried chicken semi-deboned, complete with head
shredded beef with mushrooms (looked like straw with seeds in it---very salty
noodle soup w/veggies, mostly noodles, little broth
beer
Service was horrible but food was good, quite expensive in comparison with tuesday's lunch--see below.
exhausted we hit the sack--a very large sack..
Tuesday Oct 23---Warrior day
Buffet breakfast downstairs--tons to choose from, but the pastry was fab---buttery and flaky.. good dumpblingd, cheese, meats, sushi, eggs, fruits, etc.
Jane Yang, our guide, who Karen had found on TA (she thinks) came for us at 9:30. her e mail is: [email protected]
Her fee for 2 full days was 700 RMB (about $110). All admissions were extra. We chose to have a driver and van as well so for airport p/u, 2 days of sightseeing, and delivery back to airport, the fee was 1500 RMB (~$240).
We were delighted with those fees after a day spent with Jane in this crazy environment. Jane is fabulous, with excellent English. The traffic patterns are erratic and undisciplined (cars, people, bikes, etc just roam at will). Want to go the wrong way---just do it... want to stop in the middle of a busy road to itch your eye, do it..
BTW, Xian is a huge city of 9 million people. The area is also huge. The streets are well laid out and very wide. Many have beautiful shade trees. It has a real European feeling.
I cannot imagine however visiting here and using public transportation efficiently. A driver seems necessary.
There is minimal English signage, except near tourist sights.
So we loaded into our van and headed north of town to the terracotta warrior historical site. This took about 1 hour.
We entered the general area and had to walk quite a ways to the payment bldg. Cost: 150 RMB per person.
After entering via the short route, we walked a ways---there were wheelchairs for hire if you wanted-- we boarded some electric vehicles for a short drive to the excavation area, where the "sheds" are located. First we watched a multi-media Cinerama presentation, in English, about the area--15 minutes.
Next we headed into shed #1, the place where the local farmers first dug up warrior parts in 1974 while digging a new well. It is simply amazing what we saw---but most of you have read about it. We were surprised at home much is still to be dug in site #1, but they are waiting for better methods of preservation before doing much more. The near-by Emperor's tomb has not been touched at all for the same reason. Money is not the problem.
We headed next door to shed #2 next---it started to rain a bit. This is a smaller area and has not been touched since 1999. Several colors were found on warriors here.
Shed #3 was next. Also smaller. So plan to spend 2.5 hours roughly in the shed area. You must walk the entire way back to the entrance--not fun, esp. in light rain.
There is much more to be done here in generations to come. Karen has now satisfied her #1 travel destination from the wish list.
We had a chinese lunch at a "tourist" restaurant near to the entrance. For 150 RMB total we had a huge meal: a single drink per person (I requested more and it caused a stir), egg-drop soup, sauted eggplant, fried rice, stir-fried chicken with veggies and star anise, stir fried duck with veggies, steamed cabbage, sweet and sour chicken with pineapple (the best), noodle with broth, plus cookies and orange wedges and tea... A fest and way toooo much food.
From there we headed back towards town stopping at an ancient site: Banpo Neolithic museum with things dating from 6000BC found at that site when digging to build a power plant in about the 1970's. Moderate to no interest. 65
RMB per person---smartly bob stayed in the van.
We were quite honestly shot and cold and anxious to return to the hotel--about 5.
dinner that night was in the bar: hamby for K, lamb skewers for Pat and chicken club for Bob.
Andy would not be happy if I did not record my fist GM story of the trip... the GM stopped by in the bar to say hello. i could not resist telling him of the bad service the night before. He insisted in picking up the tab for our food this night and instructed the food manager to comp us.
After dinner we were in bed by 9... we did see the debate---
"ABO"...
Oct 24th, 2012, 02:46 AM
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Bob, you dog you... comped dinner! Why am I never that lucky (or unlucky...w/service... as it were).
Cold in Xian? BKK is great. My hair stylist said that he thinks BKK and the north of Thailand are a little bit cold, and he expects winter soon. I will take a Thai winter over an Illinois winter any day!
Keep the report coming. Sounds like a well-planned adventure.
Cold in Xian? BKK is great. My hair stylist said that he thinks BKK and the north of Thailand are a little bit cold, and he expects winter soon. I will take a Thai winter over an Illinois winter any day!
Keep the report coming. Sounds like a well-planned adventure.
Oct 24th, 2012, 04:31 AM
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Well, between the flight and the traffic it sounds like an ordinary day -- in Needham.
I assume you took photos of yourself in the child seat onboard the plane? We must see those.
And, the sound we just heard was Andy saying, "I can't believe Bob yelled at the poor manager and got another free meal...."
Great report, so far.
I assume you took photos of yourself in the child seat onboard the plane? We must see those.
And, the sound we just heard was Andy saying, "I can't believe Bob yelled at the poor manager and got another free meal...."
Great report, so far.
Oct 24th, 2012, 05:08 AM
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Don't use up all your GM comp skills in X'ian.....save some for Shanghai and Bangkok. Nice report....I don't feel the need to do one with yours hanging around taking up all the oxygen on fordors
See you soon!
Aloha!
See you soon!
Aloha!
Oct 24th, 2012, 06:28 AM
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Wednesday Oct 24
So, its getting boring to write but we had another good buffet breakfast.
Jane and the driver came for us at 9:30 again. We were touring the city today.
We began in the "old city" with the city wall, which ranges from 18 meters thick at ground level to 14 meters at the top. Today you can walk, ride or bicycle completely around the old city atop the wall. There are decorative corner guard towers as well as towers every 60 meters--the distance an arrow could be shot in olden days. 40RMB
Following our visit there we next visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The grounds are a beautiful park. Then we walked thru the North Square Park to observe part of the decorative water and music show (twice daily)--think Belligio in Las Vegas.
We drove past both the famous drum and bell towers on our way to lunch. We visited the 70 year old dumpling restaurant for which we only have a chinese name. It is near the entrance to the Muslim area. We had the set 128 RMB per person lunch. So many different types to name. I did not think it was as good as normal dim sum.
From there we spent way over an hour walking in the Muslim area. The food displays were very interesting but the shops held practically no interest for us. People watching was interesting however.
I guess I must interject here that I am a rock star this week in Xian. Being a man of size, read fat, I attracted huge interest. It ranged from people laughing and pointing, to many, many requests for photos of and/or with me. At some points they were lined up to do so. I take it fully in the friendly way it is given. It makes my day sometimes.
Karen and Pat each bought one pair of shoes just before our return to the hotel.
Dinner was in the bar again and we all had a chicken club with fries and beers. Perfect. We had a long chat with the Italian F&B manager. He has great stories about working all over the world.
With difficulty the conceige reconfirmed our flight for tomorrow--China is not ready for prime time.
Hoping to last to 11PM before bed.
We have enjoyed our time here. I think 3 full days would be ideal, but 2 would do. Again, a driver seems quite important to us for efficiency.
We highly endorse both Jane and our Sheraton North City Hotel.
Off to Shanghai at 1PM tomorrow.
So, its getting boring to write but we had another good buffet breakfast.
Jane and the driver came for us at 9:30 again. We were touring the city today.
We began in the "old city" with the city wall, which ranges from 18 meters thick at ground level to 14 meters at the top. Today you can walk, ride or bicycle completely around the old city atop the wall. There are decorative corner guard towers as well as towers every 60 meters--the distance an arrow could be shot in olden days. 40RMB
Following our visit there we next visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The grounds are a beautiful park. Then we walked thru the North Square Park to observe part of the decorative water and music show (twice daily)--think Belligio in Las Vegas.
We drove past both the famous drum and bell towers on our way to lunch. We visited the 70 year old dumpling restaurant for which we only have a chinese name. It is near the entrance to the Muslim area. We had the set 128 RMB per person lunch. So many different types to name. I did not think it was as good as normal dim sum.
From there we spent way over an hour walking in the Muslim area. The food displays were very interesting but the shops held practically no interest for us. People watching was interesting however.
I guess I must interject here that I am a rock star this week in Xian. Being a man of size, read fat, I attracted huge interest. It ranged from people laughing and pointing, to many, many requests for photos of and/or with me. At some points they were lined up to do so. I take it fully in the friendly way it is given. It makes my day sometimes.
Karen and Pat each bought one pair of shoes just before our return to the hotel.
Dinner was in the bar again and we all had a chicken club with fries and beers. Perfect. We had a long chat with the Italian F&B manager. He has great stories about working all over the world.
With difficulty the conceige reconfirmed our flight for tomorrow--China is not ready for prime time.
Hoping to last to 11PM before bed.
We have enjoyed our time here. I think 3 full days would be ideal, but 2 would do. Again, a driver seems quite important to us for efficiency.
We highly endorse both Jane and our Sheraton North City Hotel.
Off to Shanghai at 1PM tomorrow.
Oct 24th, 2012, 06:44 AM
#97
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i should comment briefly on how we found this city's infrastructure. We are amazed. Xian is a show place. Streets are wide, and often tree lined. Sidewalks are in good shape generally. There are lots of trimmed shrubs and flowers. The city seems very modern in spite of itself.
Drivers---now that is another question--undisciplined comes immediately to mind. Drivers often don't signal, change lanes as wanted, stop without notice.. pedestrians are totally undisciplined as well-- they do exactly what they want. Spacial relationships are totally unknown. U-turns are frequent, even in the middle of busy intersections..
The general objective seems to be 1st regardless of your surroundings.
Drivers---now that is another question--undisciplined comes immediately to mind. Drivers often don't signal, change lanes as wanted, stop without notice.. pedestrians are totally undisciplined as well-- they do exactly what they want. Spacial relationships are totally unknown. U-turns are frequent, even in the middle of busy intersections..
The general objective seems to be 1st regardless of your surroundings.
