Trip Report: 17 days through China
May 30th, 2009, 08:24 AM
#42
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Dogster I don't know what you mean- All I'm trying is to get tips from our Indiancouple who are ,of course, extremely cultered,kind and generous. I have no intention of diverting this post -Since I'm new to Fodor's I don't know much, maybe there is another way of finding tips from Indiancouple without diversion!!
May 30th, 2009, 08:49 AM
#43
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
my only problem with buying plane tickets when you are there and just a few days in advance is:.....what do you do if the planes you want are all full....most planes i go on these days have little or no open seats....this could ruin a whole holiday...
May 30th, 2009, 09:01 AM
#44
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks again. Someone seems to think I'm diverting this report -I did not realise this. All I want is tips since I' m unsure about many things. I really must say I' m finding your report very interesting and will definitely find it useful-looking forward to reading rest of it.If I need more advice, which I'm sure I will, how can I do it?
May 30th, 2009, 06:25 PM
#47
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
rhkkmk, you ask a valid question about flight tickets. I had the same question, and I had posted a thread specifically inquiring about the sagacity of booking flight tickets in China only 3-4 days in advance. I had been assured by Fodorites that this was perfectly safe, and that I would have no problems in getting seats. I trusted the words of experienced Fodorites (they have never been wrong), and I had no problems.
Please also notice that we were traveling on highly traveled routes, which were serviced by atleast 8-10 flights a day, if not more. Chances of all flights getting oversold 4 days before departure is quite remote. Of course, if you are traveling off the beaten track, on routes having 1 or 2 flights a day, I would certainly advise more caution.
I had done another preparation prior to departure. I had been doing "test checks" on the Ctrip site for all my travel sectors many weeks in advance. I had noted the standard fares for each route, noted that fares start dipping about 7 days before departure, and reach their lowest point about 3-4 days before departure, after which they start climbing up again. I had made a noting about the "lowest" fares that appeared on each route (which was usually 30-40% of the standard fare).
The moment we reached Shanghai, I decided to book my Shanghai-Xian tickets (4 days hence), and Xian-Beijing tickets (6 days hence). The quotes that I got were reasonably close to my noted "lowest fares", and I went ahead. Had I been adventurous, and waited a few more days for the Xian-Beijing sector, I would have probably got a slightly better deal, but I did not want to spend my vacation counting pennies. Even if the fare I got was 10-15% higher than the "lowest fare", it was OK.
When I reached Beijing, I checked out the fares for Beijing-Guilin sector (4 days hence), and Guilin-Shenzhen (7 days hence), and got a decent quote for both, which I booked immediately. I could have waited a little more for the Guilin-Shenzhen sector, but number of flights on that sector were few, so I did not take a chance.
I think the worst that could possibly happen, by following this strategy, is that you may not get the super-discounted fare, and may get the standard fare. I have not seen flights getting sold out until 1 day before departure, in my experiments. So, at worst, you will get the same fare as you would get if you booked several weeks in advance. Chances are, you will pay 50-65% less, sometimes 75% less.
Of course if your travel coincides with some Chinese holiday travel period, then it would be a different story.
Please also notice that we were traveling on highly traveled routes, which were serviced by atleast 8-10 flights a day, if not more. Chances of all flights getting oversold 4 days before departure is quite remote. Of course, if you are traveling off the beaten track, on routes having 1 or 2 flights a day, I would certainly advise more caution.
I had done another preparation prior to departure. I had been doing "test checks" on the Ctrip site for all my travel sectors many weeks in advance. I had noted the standard fares for each route, noted that fares start dipping about 7 days before departure, and reach their lowest point about 3-4 days before departure, after which they start climbing up again. I had made a noting about the "lowest" fares that appeared on each route (which was usually 30-40% of the standard fare).
The moment we reached Shanghai, I decided to book my Shanghai-Xian tickets (4 days hence), and Xian-Beijing tickets (6 days hence). The quotes that I got were reasonably close to my noted "lowest fares", and I went ahead. Had I been adventurous, and waited a few more days for the Xian-Beijing sector, I would have probably got a slightly better deal, but I did not want to spend my vacation counting pennies. Even if the fare I got was 10-15% higher than the "lowest fare", it was OK.
When I reached Beijing, I checked out the fares for Beijing-Guilin sector (4 days hence), and Guilin-Shenzhen (7 days hence), and got a decent quote for both, which I booked immediately. I could have waited a little more for the Guilin-Shenzhen sector, but number of flights on that sector were few, so I did not take a chance.
I think the worst that could possibly happen, by following this strategy, is that you may not get the super-discounted fare, and may get the standard fare. I have not seen flights getting sold out until 1 day before departure, in my experiments. So, at worst, you will get the same fare as you would get if you booked several weeks in advance. Chances are, you will pay 50-65% less, sometimes 75% less.
Of course if your travel coincides with some Chinese holiday travel period, then it would be a different story.
May 30th, 2009, 08:33 PM
#49
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,854
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You and your wife's energy is really impressive, packing in so much every day, I am equally impressed by your sharp senses and keen observations. Although I have been to the cities you visited many times, your attention to details is giving me a jolt not to take things for granted. By the way, The "V" sign means "great" or "cool", the chinese recently adopted the word "cool" into their language and say it as "ku" (4th sound like "koo").
faridabobat: Yes, start a new topic, please, what you are doing here is called "hijacking", not polite. Suggest even before you post a new topic is to do some research by reading the past 12 months China TRs (travel reports), then ask questions with background information, i.e. what kind of budget for hotels $50, $100, $200? How many beds for 3 people? How far the distance from toilet to bath/shower. Fodorites are very willing to help.
faridabobat: Yes, start a new topic, please, what you are doing here is called "hijacking", not polite. Suggest even before you post a new topic is to do some research by reading the past 12 months China TRs (travel reports), then ask questions with background information, i.e. what kind of budget for hotels $50, $100, $200? How many beds for 3 people? How far the distance from toilet to bath/shower. Fodorites are very willing to help.
May 30th, 2009, 08:59 PM
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
dgunbug, thanks for continuing to read my report, and for your continued positive feedback. Same for waterlilycao.
Shanghainese, I had seen several postings and responses by you on this forum when I was preparing for our trip (including responses to several of my own queries). Thanks for your appreciation. Didn't realize that the "V" sign meant "cool" to the Chinese; that is quite interesting. And can you explain their obsession with the "Titanic" pose (arms spread out) ?
Shanghainese, I had seen several postings and responses by you on this forum when I was preparing for our trip (including responses to several of my own queries). Thanks for your appreciation. Didn't realize that the "V" sign meant "cool" to the Chinese; that is quite interesting. And can you explain their obsession with the "Titanic" pose (arms spread out) ?
May 30th, 2009, 09:53 PM
#51
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TRIP REPORT (Continued) :
Day 9 : Saturday, May 16th : BEIJING :
This was the day we had waited for all these months, the "Great Wall" day. We breakfasted at the hotel. The previous night I had asked the hotel to book a taxi for us for the Great Wall journey, which they did. The taxi arrived promptly at 8:15 am, cost 600 Rmb (which I knew was slightly higher than the going rate, but felt safe doing it from the hotel), and the driver knew passable English. BIG benefit !
It was a pleasant drive to Mutianyu. I had posted threads on this forum earlier, seeking advice on whether to go to Badaling or Mutianyu, and the overwhelming advice had been for Mutianyu. So Mutianyu it was. We reached the site at 9:45 am. The driver escorted us to the ticket office. We bought entry tickets, and return journey ticket by cable-car (our driver insisted that coming down by tobaggon was too dangerous, enough for my DW to rule it out !). Then boarded the cable car, and reached the top by 10:15 am.
Nothing can prepare you for the feeling you get when you are on top of the Great Wall, and words would not do justice to the experience, so I will not even attempt it. Suffice to say, we were glad that we had selected Mutianyu; there was dense forest cover all around and a wonderfully rugged terrain, which made for a very pretty sight; also, there were a sufficient number of people on the wall, and not as many as to seem obnoxious. The weather was a little misty and cloudy, which cleared up as the day went along, which added to the beauty of the vista. We walked in both directions to our heart's content for several hours. Telephoned our children from our cellphone, to let them know where we were. It was a spectacular experience, and a long-standing dream come true for us.
We came down at about 12:45 pm. Had some coffee, bought some mandatory Great Wall souvenirs, and left by our waiting taxi. Reached Beijing by about 2:15 pm. We asked the taxi to drop us off at a veg restaurant called "Xu Xiang Zhai" near the Lama Temple (opposite the Confucius Temple). It was a lovely restaurant, with delicious Chinese food, and reasonable too. Loved their dumplings with mustard.
Had been noticing the last one week, that Chinese restaurants do not follow the normal practice of first serving your soup and appetizers, and then bringing on the main course. Had thought that they brought dishes at random, as and when they were ready. But a keener observation was revealing by now that there WAS a pattern to their service: first the main course, then the appetizer, and finally the Soup !! This happened every single time, without fail !
After lunch, we entered the Lama Temple, and were pleasantly surprised at what we saw. We found the temple simply fabulous. We entered virtually every hall, and admired the 26 mtr high statue of Buddha made from a single sandalwood tree-trunk ! The entire temple complex is quite large, very well shaded with trees, and very interesting. Try to include it in your itinerary, as it is well worth it.
Next we went to the Confucius Temple nearby, which turned out to be an utter disappointment. Not worth the entry fee.
We then boarded the metro from Yongehong Lama Temple station to Yonganli. The subway exit at Yonganli takes you straight into the Silk Street market, which is an odds-and-ends market spread over 6-7 floors of a mall. Bought 25 DVD's of Hollywood classics for 8 Rmb each ! (I have already viewed a few on my return to India, and the quality is fairly decent). DW purchased some sweaters, shawls and scarves. I bought several shirts for 35 Rmb each !
Finally departed from Silk Street market, and walked one metro stop to Guomao, where we spotted the Indian restaurant we wanted : "Taj Pavilion". Our daughter's room-mate in USA had recommended it, and it turned out to be a fine recommendation. It is on the ground floor of the West Wing of the World Trade Center; a classy place, with nice decor and really excellent Indian food. Highly recommended.
After dinner, we boarded the metro from Guomao back to our hotel and retired for the day.
Day 9 : Saturday, May 16th : BEIJING :
This was the day we had waited for all these months, the "Great Wall" day. We breakfasted at the hotel. The previous night I had asked the hotel to book a taxi for us for the Great Wall journey, which they did. The taxi arrived promptly at 8:15 am, cost 600 Rmb (which I knew was slightly higher than the going rate, but felt safe doing it from the hotel), and the driver knew passable English. BIG benefit !
It was a pleasant drive to Mutianyu. I had posted threads on this forum earlier, seeking advice on whether to go to Badaling or Mutianyu, and the overwhelming advice had been for Mutianyu. So Mutianyu it was. We reached the site at 9:45 am. The driver escorted us to the ticket office. We bought entry tickets, and return journey ticket by cable-car (our driver insisted that coming down by tobaggon was too dangerous, enough for my DW to rule it out !). Then boarded the cable car, and reached the top by 10:15 am.
Nothing can prepare you for the feeling you get when you are on top of the Great Wall, and words would not do justice to the experience, so I will not even attempt it. Suffice to say, we were glad that we had selected Mutianyu; there was dense forest cover all around and a wonderfully rugged terrain, which made for a very pretty sight; also, there were a sufficient number of people on the wall, and not as many as to seem obnoxious. The weather was a little misty and cloudy, which cleared up as the day went along, which added to the beauty of the vista. We walked in both directions to our heart's content for several hours. Telephoned our children from our cellphone, to let them know where we were. It was a spectacular experience, and a long-standing dream come true for us.
We came down at about 12:45 pm. Had some coffee, bought some mandatory Great Wall souvenirs, and left by our waiting taxi. Reached Beijing by about 2:15 pm. We asked the taxi to drop us off at a veg restaurant called "Xu Xiang Zhai" near the Lama Temple (opposite the Confucius Temple). It was a lovely restaurant, with delicious Chinese food, and reasonable too. Loved their dumplings with mustard.
Had been noticing the last one week, that Chinese restaurants do not follow the normal practice of first serving your soup and appetizers, and then bringing on the main course. Had thought that they brought dishes at random, as and when they were ready. But a keener observation was revealing by now that there WAS a pattern to their service: first the main course, then the appetizer, and finally the Soup !! This happened every single time, without fail !
After lunch, we entered the Lama Temple, and were pleasantly surprised at what we saw. We found the temple simply fabulous. We entered virtually every hall, and admired the 26 mtr high statue of Buddha made from a single sandalwood tree-trunk ! The entire temple complex is quite large, very well shaded with trees, and very interesting. Try to include it in your itinerary, as it is well worth it.
Next we went to the Confucius Temple nearby, which turned out to be an utter disappointment. Not worth the entry fee.
We then boarded the metro from Yongehong Lama Temple station to Yonganli. The subway exit at Yonganli takes you straight into the Silk Street market, which is an odds-and-ends market spread over 6-7 floors of a mall. Bought 25 DVD's of Hollywood classics for 8 Rmb each ! (I have already viewed a few on my return to India, and the quality is fairly decent). DW purchased some sweaters, shawls and scarves. I bought several shirts for 35 Rmb each !
Finally departed from Silk Street market, and walked one metro stop to Guomao, where we spotted the Indian restaurant we wanted : "Taj Pavilion". Our daughter's room-mate in USA had recommended it, and it turned out to be a fine recommendation. It is on the ground floor of the West Wing of the World Trade Center; a classy place, with nice decor and really excellent Indian food. Highly recommended.
After dinner, we boarded the metro from Guomao back to our hotel and retired for the day.
May 30th, 2009, 10:43 PM
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TRIP REPORT (Continued) :
Day 10 : Sunday, May 17th : BEIJING :
Woke up early again, had breakfast at the hotel and were off. First stop for the day : Panjiayuan Market. This market is active only on weekends, is said to be at its best on a Sunday morning, and is the CHEAPEST place in China for shopping. We had specially planned this for a Sunday morning.
We reached the market by 9:15 am. We had a tight schedule for the day, and could devote only 90 minutes here, but it was well worth it to spend 3-4 hours here. It is an excellent flea market, selling just about everything, and the prices are really unbelievable (stuff is good too). DW bought some necklaces, earrings, and I also pocketed some souvenirs. Stuff that we bought for 15-20 Rmb here, we could not find anywhere else on this trip for even 100-150 Rmb. Whatever we did not purchase, we were to regret for the remainder of our trip (Why didn't we buy this at Panjiayuan ??!!).
From the Panjiayuan Market, we took a taxi to the Temple of Heaven. This was the only rip-off ride we had during the entire trip. It was a short journey, and should not have cost more than 15 Rmb, but the meter showed 35 Rmb. Something was certainly fishy. I had begun to trust the Chinese taxi-drivers by now, as so far no one had taken us "for a ride". The trust evaporated today.
We bought through tickets for the Temple of Heaven. The place was lovely from the moment we entered the complex. In the shady gardens, there were large groups of Chinese couples doing ballroom dancing. So sweet and relaxing to watch them go through such graceful movements. At another spot, equally large number of people were exercising, using a tennis-like racket and ball, an activity that required a lot of finesse and balance.
All the three main viewing halls/altars at the Temple of Heaven are fabulous in their own respective ways : the Temple for Good Harvest, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Circular Altar. Lovely architecture, and very unusual colors (greens and blues, rather than the typical red color). The weather was sunny and crisp; the atmosphere was relaxed on a Sunday morning, and we had a great time here.
On exiting, we walked to the Pearl Market near the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven. Similar to Silk Street, but perhaps a notch higher in quality and prices. Had to rush through, as we were really short on time today.
At about 1:30 pm, we boarded a metro to Chongwenmen. I wanted to make a repeat visit to the Gongdelin restaurant, which was the only veg place I knew of in this part of town. I knew the rough area, and had their business card in Chinese. We showed the Chinese address to several people, who all pointed in different directions. Finally, one man who seemed to know what he was saying, pointed us firmly in the right direction, and we were there. This time the food turned out to be much better than the previous visit, and we enjoyed our meal. The drumstick mushroom, in particular, was delicious.
We had planned on visiting the Summer Palace in the afternoon, and unfortunately the entry gates close at 5pm. The Summer Palace is not the easiest of places to reach, as it is presently not serviced by metro, and is a bit far. I understand that the metro line leading to the Summer Palace gate will be up and running by October 2009. We boarded the metro to Xizhimen station, where we carefully scanned the exit maps to note the right exit to take for our onward bus journey. Stood in line for the #375 bus to the Summer Palace (as per Lonely Planet guidebook). Asked several educated people in the line, to confirm that this bus would in fact go to the Summer Palace, and they all told us NO very vehemently. Did not believe them, and waited for the bus to come. Hopped on and asked the bus driver, and he nodded YES.
It was a longish bus ride, and we reached the Summer Palace at 4:30 pm. They had stopped issuing through tickets, as most halls would close at 5 pm; they were only issuing tickets to enter the Summer Palace complex, where we could stay till 8 pm after entering. This was fine, as we basically wanted to walk around the vast complex, and were less interested in seeing any particular hall or building from inside.
We were approached by some guides. Bargained one of them down to 50 Rmb. Her English accent was terrible, but I figured she would be useful in navigating us through the huge complex. Did not particularly care for her "historical trivia", as we couldn't understand most of what she said.
We found the Palace complex really refreshing. The structures on Longevity Hill were wonderful, especially the main Fragrance Tower. The Kunming Lake was so so cool and the breeze was soothing. Would have enjoyed taking a boat ride on the lake, but we were too late for all that. Just walked all over the complex, and admired everything from outside. We heard a magpie sing; according to our guide, we would shortly hear some good news. Still waiting !
We left the Palace at about 7:30 pm. Took the bus #375 back to Xizhimen, and the metro back to the hotel. Were too too tired to go anywhere for dinner, so we decided to have dinner at the hotel itself. We bought some fruits near our hotel for an early breakfast the next day, as we were departing for Guilin. Finished packing up, and slept. It had been a very exhausting day.
We had thoroughly enjoyed Beijing. It is, quite understandably, the high point of any China visit. Perhaps we required one more day at Beijing. Had missed out on the Beihai Park, Prince Gong's residence, and watching a Beijing Opera. Beijing is a lovely city, and requires greater time.
This had been our best hotel so far (although I can find nothing to complain about for our Shanghai and Xian hotels either). It had Chinese decor, which was nice. Did not get time to explore the hotel compound fully. If interested, you will have to book this hotel well in advance, as it gets full very soon.
Day 10 : Sunday, May 17th : BEIJING :
Woke up early again, had breakfast at the hotel and were off. First stop for the day : Panjiayuan Market. This market is active only on weekends, is said to be at its best on a Sunday morning, and is the CHEAPEST place in China for shopping. We had specially planned this for a Sunday morning.
We reached the market by 9:15 am. We had a tight schedule for the day, and could devote only 90 minutes here, but it was well worth it to spend 3-4 hours here. It is an excellent flea market, selling just about everything, and the prices are really unbelievable (stuff is good too). DW bought some necklaces, earrings, and I also pocketed some souvenirs. Stuff that we bought for 15-20 Rmb here, we could not find anywhere else on this trip for even 100-150 Rmb. Whatever we did not purchase, we were to regret for the remainder of our trip (Why didn't we buy this at Panjiayuan ??!!).
From the Panjiayuan Market, we took a taxi to the Temple of Heaven. This was the only rip-off ride we had during the entire trip. It was a short journey, and should not have cost more than 15 Rmb, but the meter showed 35 Rmb. Something was certainly fishy. I had begun to trust the Chinese taxi-drivers by now, as so far no one had taken us "for a ride". The trust evaporated today.
We bought through tickets for the Temple of Heaven. The place was lovely from the moment we entered the complex. In the shady gardens, there were large groups of Chinese couples doing ballroom dancing. So sweet and relaxing to watch them go through such graceful movements. At another spot, equally large number of people were exercising, using a tennis-like racket and ball, an activity that required a lot of finesse and balance.
All the three main viewing halls/altars at the Temple of Heaven are fabulous in their own respective ways : the Temple for Good Harvest, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Circular Altar. Lovely architecture, and very unusual colors (greens and blues, rather than the typical red color). The weather was sunny and crisp; the atmosphere was relaxed on a Sunday morning, and we had a great time here.
On exiting, we walked to the Pearl Market near the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven. Similar to Silk Street, but perhaps a notch higher in quality and prices. Had to rush through, as we were really short on time today.
At about 1:30 pm, we boarded a metro to Chongwenmen. I wanted to make a repeat visit to the Gongdelin restaurant, which was the only veg place I knew of in this part of town. I knew the rough area, and had their business card in Chinese. We showed the Chinese address to several people, who all pointed in different directions. Finally, one man who seemed to know what he was saying, pointed us firmly in the right direction, and we were there. This time the food turned out to be much better than the previous visit, and we enjoyed our meal. The drumstick mushroom, in particular, was delicious.
We had planned on visiting the Summer Palace in the afternoon, and unfortunately the entry gates close at 5pm. The Summer Palace is not the easiest of places to reach, as it is presently not serviced by metro, and is a bit far. I understand that the metro line leading to the Summer Palace gate will be up and running by October 2009. We boarded the metro to Xizhimen station, where we carefully scanned the exit maps to note the right exit to take for our onward bus journey. Stood in line for the #375 bus to the Summer Palace (as per Lonely Planet guidebook). Asked several educated people in the line, to confirm that this bus would in fact go to the Summer Palace, and they all told us NO very vehemently. Did not believe them, and waited for the bus to come. Hopped on and asked the bus driver, and he nodded YES.
It was a longish bus ride, and we reached the Summer Palace at 4:30 pm. They had stopped issuing through tickets, as most halls would close at 5 pm; they were only issuing tickets to enter the Summer Palace complex, where we could stay till 8 pm after entering. This was fine, as we basically wanted to walk around the vast complex, and were less interested in seeing any particular hall or building from inside.
We were approached by some guides. Bargained one of them down to 50 Rmb. Her English accent was terrible, but I figured she would be useful in navigating us through the huge complex. Did not particularly care for her "historical trivia", as we couldn't understand most of what she said.
We found the Palace complex really refreshing. The structures on Longevity Hill were wonderful, especially the main Fragrance Tower. The Kunming Lake was so so cool and the breeze was soothing. Would have enjoyed taking a boat ride on the lake, but we were too late for all that. Just walked all over the complex, and admired everything from outside. We heard a magpie sing; according to our guide, we would shortly hear some good news. Still waiting !
We left the Palace at about 7:30 pm. Took the bus #375 back to Xizhimen, and the metro back to the hotel. Were too too tired to go anywhere for dinner, so we decided to have dinner at the hotel itself. We bought some fruits near our hotel for an early breakfast the next day, as we were departing for Guilin. Finished packing up, and slept. It had been a very exhausting day.
We had thoroughly enjoyed Beijing. It is, quite understandably, the high point of any China visit. Perhaps we required one more day at Beijing. Had missed out on the Beihai Park, Prince Gong's residence, and watching a Beijing Opera. Beijing is a lovely city, and requires greater time.
This had been our best hotel so far (although I can find nothing to complain about for our Shanghai and Xian hotels either). It had Chinese decor, which was nice. Did not get time to explore the hotel compound fully. If interested, you will have to book this hotel well in advance, as it gets full very soon.
May 31st, 2009, 02:42 AM
#55
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TRIP REPORT (Continued) :
Day 11 : Monday, May 18th : YANGSHUO :
We had to catch a 9:25am flight to Guilin. We had liked the driver who had taken us to the Great Wall, and had fixed up with him to take us to the airport this morning for 100 Rmb (much less than the hotel arranged charges of 150 Rmb). We had a fruit breakfast in our room, the taxi arrived promptly at 7 am, and we were at Beijing Capital Airport well before 8 am.
It was a long flight of 3 hours, going from the northern end of China to the southern side. Slept a lot on the flight. Reached Guilin airport at 12:15 in the afternoon. We were booked to stay in Yangshuo for the next 3 days, and had booked a guide for all three days. As we exited with our baggage, we spotted our guide Lilly Lu holding a sign with our name. She appeared to be a nice energetic young lady, with a decent English accent. I had been in correspondence with her for the last several months, and felt very comfortable with her from the outset.
We had been blessed with excellent weather so far on this trip. OK, we did have some minor drizzles in Xian and Beijing, but nothing that disrupted our programs. We had a feeling that our luck could run out soon, as the weather forecast for the next 2 days in Guilin was bad (heavy rains), and the forecast for the subsequent 4 days in Hongkong was not good either.
We had a car booked for us for the entire day, which had come with Lilly to the airport. As our luggage was loaded and we clambered in, Lilly confirmed the bad weather forecast for today and tomorrow. However, the saving grace was that the rain in Yangshuo was much less than Guilin. She also told us that our scheduled bamboo rafting on the Yulong river for the day was not disrupted, and very much ON !
We drove straight to a point on the Yulong river near the Dragon Bridge (near Yangshuo), where the two of us got aboard a bamboo raft. The raft could only accommodate the boatman and two passengers, so Lilly could not ride with us. She would go in the car with our luggage, and meet us at the disembarkation point two hours hence.
We started the raft trip at 1:45 pm, and it lasted for 2 hours. Fortunately, there was negligible rain, and anyway the raft had a large umbrella to protect us from any minor drizzles. It was cloudy and misty all around, which really added to the beauty of the wonderful karst mountain scenery. The next two hours were heavenly. A lovely gentle ride down the Yulong river, with breathtaking scenery on both sides. There were a series of small "rapids" along the way, which the boatman negotiated expertly, only asking us to lift our legs a few inches (to avoid the water wetting our feet) every time we negotiated a rapid. Stopped only once at the Dragon Bridge for photos. The boatman was really nice, and kept pointing out great scenery to us, exhorting me to click my camera. At one point, he pulled out his cigarette packet, and showed me that the photograph printed on the cigarette pack was exactly the vista before our eyes. Raw, unadulterated beauty, rendered even more divine with the misty atmosphere.
As we approached our destination point, other rafts crossed us, selling water, coke, beer etc. When we declined, they asked if we wanted to buy beer for our boatman. I enquired from our boatman if he was interested; he shyly indicated that he was ! So a large bottle of beer was purchased for our wonderful boatman.
We reached our disembarkation point at 3:45 pm, where Lilly was waiting with the car. She had decided to take us to Silver Caves that day, and said we must hurry to complete our lunch, as Silver Cave closes at 5 pm. We stopped at a roadside restaurant in the countryside, recommended by Lilly, and the lunch turned out to be delicious. Fried cabbages, shredded potatoes, and rice, all very spicy at our request; huge helpings and ridiculously cheap.
Noticed a few things within a few hours of being in this region. People understood English far better here than in Beijing or Xian. Now this is contrary to all logic. One would expect more English to be spoken in Beijing, specially with the recent Olympics, but the level of English literacy was far far higher in this far-away countryside. No communication problems anywhere at all. Next, the range of veg food available was a pleasant surprise. Anywhere we went the next 3 days, every restaurant would have atleast 10-15 dishes which were vegetarian (as opposed to 2-3 dishes elsewhere, unless we were in a veg restaurant). All this was a pleasant surprise, and totally contrary to expectations.
After lunch we rushed to Silver Cave (which is also on the outskirts of Yangshuo), and just made it before closing time. It is a large cave with stalactites and stalagmites, with fancy lighting everywhere. The one hour tour inside was rewarding. The reflection pool was particularly spectacular. Apparently, there are many such caves in the Guilin/Yangshuo neighborhood, with Reed Flute Cave of Guilin being most well known. According to Lilly, the Silver Caves are the best.
After exiting the Silver Caves at 6 pm, we drove to the Moon Hill, and clicked photos from some distance away (apparently the ground was slippery due to rain if we went closer). Cute hill, with a moon-shaped hole in the middle !
Finally, at about 7 pm, we reached Yangshuo. All day we had been sightseeing, straight from the airport, and our luggage was still in the car boot ! We told Lilly that we badly needed a laundry machine, as we had not been able to do any laundry for the last 10 days, and were totally out of fresh clothes. She took us straight to a laundry shop, which offered to do washing and drying @ 9 Rmb per kilo of clothes. This seemed like a good bargain, and we virtually emptied our suitcases at the shop !
We needed to while away about 90 minutes of time till our laundry was done, and we asked Lilly to take us to a massage place. She coyly checked with me what we meant by "massage", whether we wanted the real massage, or were looking for "entertainment" ! On being reassured that we only wanted the real stuff, she took us to the spa of a Dr Lilly Li (similarity in names coincidental), who had boards plastered all over her spa about being recommended on Lonely Planet. I opted for a male masseur, and DW went for a lady. We each had a 90 minute session, which was absolutely divine. Very professional, very relaxing, truly the hands of experts. At 100 Rmb each, it was also quite reasonable. And nice environs too.
Picked up our laundry at 9pm. Wanted to have dinner before we went to our hotel, but the taxi driver was getting impatient, as we had probably overstayed our allotted time. So we quickly picked up some pizza and bread on the way, and reached our hotel at about 9:15 pm : the Li River Retreat.
Had read a lot of good reviews about this hotel, and it did not disappoint. Has a lot of rustic charm on the outside, and comfortable furnishings inside, with a very good restaurant, and very friendly staff. We had booked a deluxe room, which came with a balcony, and the scenery outside was fab. We quickly finished our dinner, and went to bed. Fortunately, the rain had not interfered at all with our schedule for the day. We had done everything that we wanted, without any heavy rain coming in the way. However, Lilly was not as optimistic about tomorrow.
Day 11 : Monday, May 18th : YANGSHUO :
We had to catch a 9:25am flight to Guilin. We had liked the driver who had taken us to the Great Wall, and had fixed up with him to take us to the airport this morning for 100 Rmb (much less than the hotel arranged charges of 150 Rmb). We had a fruit breakfast in our room, the taxi arrived promptly at 7 am, and we were at Beijing Capital Airport well before 8 am.
It was a long flight of 3 hours, going from the northern end of China to the southern side. Slept a lot on the flight. Reached Guilin airport at 12:15 in the afternoon. We were booked to stay in Yangshuo for the next 3 days, and had booked a guide for all three days. As we exited with our baggage, we spotted our guide Lilly Lu holding a sign with our name. She appeared to be a nice energetic young lady, with a decent English accent. I had been in correspondence with her for the last several months, and felt very comfortable with her from the outset.
We had been blessed with excellent weather so far on this trip. OK, we did have some minor drizzles in Xian and Beijing, but nothing that disrupted our programs. We had a feeling that our luck could run out soon, as the weather forecast for the next 2 days in Guilin was bad (heavy rains), and the forecast for the subsequent 4 days in Hongkong was not good either.
We had a car booked for us for the entire day, which had come with Lilly to the airport. As our luggage was loaded and we clambered in, Lilly confirmed the bad weather forecast for today and tomorrow. However, the saving grace was that the rain in Yangshuo was much less than Guilin. She also told us that our scheduled bamboo rafting on the Yulong river for the day was not disrupted, and very much ON !
We drove straight to a point on the Yulong river near the Dragon Bridge (near Yangshuo), where the two of us got aboard a bamboo raft. The raft could only accommodate the boatman and two passengers, so Lilly could not ride with us. She would go in the car with our luggage, and meet us at the disembarkation point two hours hence.
We started the raft trip at 1:45 pm, and it lasted for 2 hours. Fortunately, there was negligible rain, and anyway the raft had a large umbrella to protect us from any minor drizzles. It was cloudy and misty all around, which really added to the beauty of the wonderful karst mountain scenery. The next two hours were heavenly. A lovely gentle ride down the Yulong river, with breathtaking scenery on both sides. There were a series of small "rapids" along the way, which the boatman negotiated expertly, only asking us to lift our legs a few inches (to avoid the water wetting our feet) every time we negotiated a rapid. Stopped only once at the Dragon Bridge for photos. The boatman was really nice, and kept pointing out great scenery to us, exhorting me to click my camera. At one point, he pulled out his cigarette packet, and showed me that the photograph printed on the cigarette pack was exactly the vista before our eyes. Raw, unadulterated beauty, rendered even more divine with the misty atmosphere.
As we approached our destination point, other rafts crossed us, selling water, coke, beer etc. When we declined, they asked if we wanted to buy beer for our boatman. I enquired from our boatman if he was interested; he shyly indicated that he was ! So a large bottle of beer was purchased for our wonderful boatman.
We reached our disembarkation point at 3:45 pm, where Lilly was waiting with the car. She had decided to take us to Silver Caves that day, and said we must hurry to complete our lunch, as Silver Cave closes at 5 pm. We stopped at a roadside restaurant in the countryside, recommended by Lilly, and the lunch turned out to be delicious. Fried cabbages, shredded potatoes, and rice, all very spicy at our request; huge helpings and ridiculously cheap.
Noticed a few things within a few hours of being in this region. People understood English far better here than in Beijing or Xian. Now this is contrary to all logic. One would expect more English to be spoken in Beijing, specially with the recent Olympics, but the level of English literacy was far far higher in this far-away countryside. No communication problems anywhere at all. Next, the range of veg food available was a pleasant surprise. Anywhere we went the next 3 days, every restaurant would have atleast 10-15 dishes which were vegetarian (as opposed to 2-3 dishes elsewhere, unless we were in a veg restaurant). All this was a pleasant surprise, and totally contrary to expectations.
After lunch we rushed to Silver Cave (which is also on the outskirts of Yangshuo), and just made it before closing time. It is a large cave with stalactites and stalagmites, with fancy lighting everywhere. The one hour tour inside was rewarding. The reflection pool was particularly spectacular. Apparently, there are many such caves in the Guilin/Yangshuo neighborhood, with Reed Flute Cave of Guilin being most well known. According to Lilly, the Silver Caves are the best.
After exiting the Silver Caves at 6 pm, we drove to the Moon Hill, and clicked photos from some distance away (apparently the ground was slippery due to rain if we went closer). Cute hill, with a moon-shaped hole in the middle !
Finally, at about 7 pm, we reached Yangshuo. All day we had been sightseeing, straight from the airport, and our luggage was still in the car boot ! We told Lilly that we badly needed a laundry machine, as we had not been able to do any laundry for the last 10 days, and were totally out of fresh clothes. She took us straight to a laundry shop, which offered to do washing and drying @ 9 Rmb per kilo of clothes. This seemed like a good bargain, and we virtually emptied our suitcases at the shop !
We needed to while away about 90 minutes of time till our laundry was done, and we asked Lilly to take us to a massage place. She coyly checked with me what we meant by "massage", whether we wanted the real massage, or were looking for "entertainment" ! On being reassured that we only wanted the real stuff, she took us to the spa of a Dr Lilly Li (similarity in names coincidental), who had boards plastered all over her spa about being recommended on Lonely Planet. I opted for a male masseur, and DW went for a lady. We each had a 90 minute session, which was absolutely divine. Very professional, very relaxing, truly the hands of experts. At 100 Rmb each, it was also quite reasonable. And nice environs too.
Picked up our laundry at 9pm. Wanted to have dinner before we went to our hotel, but the taxi driver was getting impatient, as we had probably overstayed our allotted time. So we quickly picked up some pizza and bread on the way, and reached our hotel at about 9:15 pm : the Li River Retreat.
Had read a lot of good reviews about this hotel, and it did not disappoint. Has a lot of rustic charm on the outside, and comfortable furnishings inside, with a very good restaurant, and very friendly staff. We had booked a deluxe room, which came with a balcony, and the scenery outside was fab. We quickly finished our dinner, and went to bed. Fortunately, the rain had not interfered at all with our schedule for the day. We had done everything that we wanted, without any heavy rain coming in the way. However, Lilly was not as optimistic about tomorrow.
May 31st, 2009, 04:01 AM
#56
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,583
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Still loving your report!
An update on summer palace we found out is to take metro line 10 to bagou, the end of the line, then tranfer to bus 374 or bus 74 for a less than 5 min. Drive to the summer palace!
Looking forward to hearing more of your time with lilly!
We're about to board our last flight for home sweet home!
An update on summer palace we found out is to take metro line 10 to bagou, the end of the line, then tranfer to bus 374 or bus 74 for a less than 5 min. Drive to the summer palace!
Looking forward to hearing more of your time with lilly!
We're about to board our last flight for home sweet home!
May 31st, 2009, 06:24 AM
#57
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 300
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wonderful report, indiancouple, I am loving it. Your love of travel and writing comes through.
Your detailed report is eye opening. Will add China to my travel plans now.
I have only gone thru day 4 of your report so far...but keep it coming.
Your detailed report is eye opening. Will add China to my travel plans now.
I have only gone thru day 4 of your report so far...but keep it coming.
May 31st, 2009, 08:03 AM
#58
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Your China report is as enjoyable as your Spainish one in which we learnt so much from.
I am surprised that you have problem with food, Chinese menus are usually loaded with veggie dishes.
looking forward to the rest of your report.
I am surprised that you have problem with food, Chinese menus are usually loaded with veggie dishes.
looking forward to the rest of your report.
