07 CHINA

On April 3, 2007 Anne and I flew to Hong Kong, China with two of my college room mates Bruce and Edie Comstock and Bill and Judy Miller. We toured from Hong Kong in southern China to Guilin and a river cruise in the Li River with the unique mountains lining the river. We flew from Guilin to Shanghai which is a marvelous city. After a flight to Yichang we cruised the Yangtze River through the Three Gorges and the Lesser Three Gorges above the dam for views of the hanging coffins, rhesus monkeys and the Snow Jade Cave. After a visit to the Chungqing zoo to see the panda bears and Bengal tigers, another flight took us to the imperial city of Xian. The terra cotta warriors were the main attraction here and probably deserve to be the eighth wonder of the world. Flying on to Beijing we walked the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace.

Despite watching several documentaries and looking at tour books I was totally surprised by China. China is very progressive in their economy, architecture, development, arts, education, technology, planning and politics. I realize that I saw only tourist areas and that they still have an authoritarian government. But they are rapidly moving away from that form of government and modernizing the rural areas very quickly, much further ahead than we realize. While maintaining some facets of their culture they are rapidly westernizing and adapting.

April 3, 2007   Tuesday   Fly Baltimore to Chicago to Hong Kong

Got up at 4:30. I weighed in at 198.0 pounds with 24% of it fat. Not good! My bullet bag weighed 18 pounds and daypack another 7 pounds. I have $600 cash including 100 $1bills. The Airport Discount Transportation 410 800-5152 shuttle van $34 arrived at 5:24 a.m. Our driver was from Ghana and very personable. He lived in the US for 17 years in New York, South Carolina, California and 9 years in Maryland. We arrived at Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Airport at 5:50 and I paid the driver $40. Anne and I checked in and then went through security in a long line that moved quickly.

We boarded the United flight 415 Boeing 757-200 with seating in a 3-3 configuration in seats 17 A&B. Our plane took off on time at 7:38 a.m. on the 621 mile 2:08 hour flight to Chicago. We were served a Bloody Mary mix and Snyders (of Hanover, PA) pretzels. The weather was bad in Chicago so we were in a holding pattern for an hour. We got bounced around quite a bit landing at 10:00a instead of the scheduled 8:46a. Our plane pulled into O’Hare (ORD) Airport gate C11 instead of gate C21 which required us to walk a bit to our next plane.

United flight 829 at gate C-20 was boarding and the area was empty when we arrived. We walked straight onto the Boeing 777-200 with seating in a 2-5-2 configuration in seats 32C&D. Bill and Judy Miller and Bruce and Edie Comstock had just arrived from Pittsburgh and were still getting settled when we arrived. Bill, Bruce and I were college buddies at Slippery Rock University. Our plane seats 250 to 300 but there were only 130 passengers so we moved to bulkhead seats 31C&D next to the Comstocks and the Millers moved to seats 31H&J across the isle. We were ready to go ahead of the scheduled 10:32a but had to wait for clearance to leave the gate. While taxiing out to the runway a hydraulic problem was detected which delayed us about 10 minutes until it was cleared. We took off about 11:00a on the 7786 mile 15:43 hour flight to Hong Kong (HKG).The take off was a bit bumpy as we flew north over northwest Canada and the Artic Ocean then south over Russia’s Siberia, Mongolia and China. We flew at an altitude ranging from 32-36 thousand feet at a ground speed of 520-570 miles per hour with the outside air temperature at -45o to -65o Fahrenheit. It never got dark. We had a great time getting reacquainted so the flight went fairly fast. I managed to sleep 2-3 hours. We were served several meals with a choice of chicken or beef with wine and other beverages.    

April 4, 2007   Wednesday   Hong Kong, China

We arrived in Hong Kong about 4:15p (4:15a EDST). We passed through immigration then picked up our luggage and went through customs. We were met by Polly from Hong Kong of Viking Cruises. Our luggage was taken and we boarded a bus for the 5 Star Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel (852) 2723-8686 at 64 Mody Road in Hong Kong, China. Polly gave us our room keys on the bus so we went straight to our room 1803 upon arrival at 4:55p. Our hotel is beautiful, spacious and on the waterfront.

After freshening up a bit we met the Comstocks, Millers and Tom and Louise Brown from Philadelphia in the Tapas Bar in the hotel for dinner 264HKD ($33.98). After dinner we walked along the waterfront and the avenue of stars (movie and TV) towards the Clock Tower. At 8:00p the largest sound and light show in the world began featuring about 35 buildings on both sides of the harbor. It was impressive with all the buildings lit up with different colored lights in different patterns and many moving beamed lights shining across the harbor. A light rain shower drove us under a marquee temporarily. We returned to our hotel and gladly went to bed early.

April 5, 2007   Thursday   Victoria Peak, Aberdeen, Sampan Trip and Stanley Market

I got up at 5:40a and weighed in at 191 pounds. We met everyone at 7:30a at the buffet breakfast in the restaurant on the second floor of the hotel. The buffet was actually several buffets with a fruit and melon bar, bread and pastry bar, Chinese food bar, juice bar, cereal bar, a hot breakfast bar plus more. I had an omelet with cheese, onion, pepper, ham, mushroom and tomato with samplings from some of the other bars. The food was extensive and fantastic. The service was attentive, friendly, efficient and couldn’t have been better. I changed $20 for 146.80 HKD at the hotel desk.

At 9:00 we met Polly our local guide in the lobby. We were introduced to Steve Shue from Beijing who would be our guide until we got to Shanghai. We boarded the same bus with the same driver as yesterday for a tour of Hong Kong.

Polly explained about the living standards in Hong Kong and that the typical apartment was 350 square feet for a family. She joked that her apartment was so small she didn’t need a TV remote. She explained that today is Memorial Day which will last through Sunday. Memorial Day honors your ancestors. The hillsides were usually graveyards and you bought plots for ten years. After 10 years you had to move the body. She said her father-in-law was sitting in an urn in her living room. We drove the narrow twisting road up to Victoria Peak for some great views of the city somewhat subdued by a lingering fog. We walked around the top of the peak tower for a 360 degree view. Virtually every building in Hong Kong is a high rise of 50 plus floors. There are 7 million people living in a very small space.

We retreated back down the mountain to Aberdeen Township and the Aberdeen Jewelry Company. The jewelry place was very large with very nice expensive jewelry. We proceeded to the waterfront where we boarded a small sampan for a tour of the harbor. Our pilot, a middle aged lady with a small dog cruised among the houseboats and other vessels tied up in the harbor. There are a few hundred boats there now. In the past there were thousands and it was a floating city with shops and everything else. Most residents fled from mainland China and are now housed in modern apartments. Hong Kong has cleaned up the once badly polluted harbor. It is clean now as is all of Hong Kong. We paid a short walk through visit to Stanley Market where Anne did manage to buy a few things.

Back at our hotel we (Browns, Comstocks, Millers and McQueens the group of eight) walked to the Holiday Inn and it’s delicatessen restaurant. I had a club sandwich, potato soup and a Guinness. Our bill came to 325.20 HKD ($44.31). As we were leaving I spotted a pastry bar and bought two French fruit tarts for 9.80 HKD ($1.34) which I promptly consumed.

We booked a 1:30 hour harbor boat cruise for the 8:00p light show at the hotel desk for 290 HKD ($39.51) each. It was beautiful from the water with lights all around and the sound clear on the water. We walked back to the hotel and across the street to the La Villa Francais for dinner. I had codfish, potatoes, spinach and a Guinness which was very good. Our bill came to 466 HKD ($63.49). The night was cool but no rain.

April 6, 2007   Friday   Subway and Gondola to Big Buddha

We got up at 6:20 and met everyone for breakfast at 8:00. I had my usual omelet, fruit and pastry. It was 45o outside. I exchanged $80 for 587.20 HKD at the hotel desk. We walked to the subway station next to the hotel which was actually a moving sidewalk. We arrived at the Tsam Sha Tsui station after about a quarter of a mile. The ticket attendant spoke English but her directions were not clear to us. After a few tries we found our way to another level for the correct line. Our tickets cost 8.50 HKD ($1.16) for seniors and 17HKD ($2.32) for adults. We took the Red line 9 stops to the Lai King stop walked across the platform to the Orange line and took a train 3 stops to Tung Chung the end of the line on Lantau Island where the airport is located.

We followed signs on a short walk to the Hgong Pong gondola lift. Since it was still a holiday we found a line of thousands of people. It took about 1:15 hours to board the gondola. We had to pay adult prices 145 HKD ($19.75) each because we were not local residents. The lift was long and spectacular. We were in and out of fog on the way up. There was a village at the top. We passed through the village to the stairs leading up to the Buddha. Anne and I walked up the 268 steps to the 85 foot sitting brass Buddha. At the top of the stairs were three figurines on each side holding offerings representing different things. The Buddha was enshrouded in fog off and on. We paid 46 HKD ($6.27) each to go inside the Buddha which entitled us to a bottle of water and an ice cream bar. It was 63°. The gang of eight bought our subway tickets from a machine and got senior tickets for 8.50 HKD ($1.16) each. We returned the way we came arriving at our hotel after 4:00.

The hotel was offering high tea (English) for 148 HKD ($20.16) in the restaurant off the spacious lobby with a river view and piano playing. Since we missed lunch we decided to try it. It was an elaborate buffet with all kinds of delicious food. Bill Miller picked up our tab since it was my 68th birthday. We decided that it was enough so we didn’t need supper. After a long hard day everyone needed some down time and an early bed time.

April 7, 2007   Saturday   HK History Museum and Fly to Guilin

I got up at 5:45 and ran along the waterfront past the Clock Tower and piers. It is warm, cloudy and an occasional spitting rain. The gang met for breakfast at 8:00. I had my usual juice, omelet, fruit and pastries. We left our luggage outside our room door to be picked up. I checked out of the hotel paying 310 HKD ($39.74)in cash and charging 554 HKD ($71.03).

We met Polly in the hotel lobby at 9:30 and walked a few blocks to the Hong Kong History Museum. The museum had displays and films covering the geological period (which is erroneous), pre historic man, dynastic period, colonial period and modern times encompassing World War II and the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China.

At 2:00 we took a bus to the airport with Polly. Polly is tiny with a great sense of humor and very nice. I tipped the bus driver $2 for Anne and I as I did every bus driver each day. I tipped Polly $20 since she was with us several days and was very good and helpful. We said goodbye to Polly and received our tickets from Steve who was flying with us to Guilin. I ate a hamburger, fries and ice tea for $4 in the airport.

We boarded Honk Kong Air flight N8121 on a Boeing 737-800 in seats 16A&B for the one hour flight to Guilin and took off on time at 4:50p. We were served a drink and Snyders pretzels in flight.

We arrived in 68o and a very light rain. We had to clear immigration and go through customs coming from Hong Kong. Jim, our local guide met us at the airport. On the 45 minute ride to our hotel he told us about Guilin which is noted for it’s clear water, the mountains, rocks and caves. It is also the home of the foot massage. China has 55 minorities and 5 written languages. The people will eat everything, everything with four legs except the table and everything with wings except the airplane. Snake wine is a local delicacy. About a gallon glass jar is packed with garter snakes embalmed in wine. Some people we met in Hong Kong tried it.

We arrived at the Sheraton (86-773) 282-5588 at 15 Bin Jiang Nan Road in Guilin, China at 7:30. We received our room keys on the bus so we went straight to our room 1107 in the glass elevator that went up the side of the spacious open multi-storied lobby. It was supper time so we returned immediately to the restaurant for salmon salad, potato soup, steak and potatoes and fruit cheesecake. After dinner we walked up the street to the town square and down a crossing street past many street vendors in the cool night air. Guilin is a city of 800,000. We returned to our hotel and to bed at 10:42.

They drive on the right side in mainland China. They have three grades of gas e.g. 84, 87 and 93. I noted that the 93 sold for 5.25 Yuan per liter plus tax. That is equivalent to $2.58 per gallon plus tax. I have no idea what the tax amounts to but it would include both federal and local taxes.

April 8, 2007   Easter Sunday   Li River Cruise, Tour Yang Shuo and Fly to Shanghai

I got up at 5:30 to a shower and hot tea. We had an early buffet breakfast at 7:00 that was very nice but not a extensive as those in Hong Kong. I had the traditional orange juice, omelet with bacon, fruit and pastries.

We caught an early bus at 9:00 for the 45 minute ride to Zhujiang Wharf. Jim, our local guide, teared up as he talked about the cultural revolution of 1976 and how it impacted his family. His grandfather was head of the Chinese Army. He was disgraced and sent to Wuhan for 6 months to sit in the street wearing a sign and being abused by the Red Guard and public. His family didn’t know what happened to him. His father was the city manager and his mother a medical doctor. They were sent separately into exile for 4 and a half years. Jim a 5 year old had to travel by train alone for a couple of days to an aunt and uncles to be raised for several years. Their sin was that they were revisionists who had strayed from the principles of the peoples revolution.

We boarded a ship at Zhujiang (jiang means big river) Wharf for the 4-5 hour cruise on the Li River through the famous Karst Mountains to the village of Yang Shuo. The Karst Mountains are uniquely shaped and world famous. We passed through a series of canyons and saw many caves and odd shaped rocks. The rocks are limestone with intricate pits often resembling course lace. They are treasured all over China for Chinese water gardens. We saw many small fishing boats and people on the last day of the Memorial Holiday enjoying the nice weather. We enjoyed a buffet lunch on board the ship.

We docked and walked through the “Hello Market” to the village of Yang Shuo. Anne bought a Chinese map $2, a local picture book $3 and 2 silk scarfs $5. We boarded a bus for the 90 minutes drive back to Guilin. We stopped to photograph flooded rice patties as some were being worked with water buffalo. Some people talked to a large family decorating grave sites with flowers, light reflecting pinwheels and setting off strings of firecrackers to get the attention of the spirits. They were surprised when the children responded in English. Back in Guilin we stopped at a large hotel on the lake. Almost everyone got a 60 minute foot massage which entailed more than the feet for 124 Yuan ($15.96). I walked around the large lake taking pictures of the tall twin pagodas.

We bused to a restaurant on the way to the airport for dinner. Each table for 10 had a glass lazy susan in the middle. Servers would bring out 10-15 dishes consisting of hot bowls of soup, various vegetable dishes and pork, beef and chicken dishes. This was what we experienced for lunch and dinner throughout mainland China.

We arrived at the airport and boarded Shanghai Air flight FM9332 on a Boeing 757 with a 3-3 seating configuration in seats 12D&E. We took off on time at 8:42 and arrived in Shanghai at 11:00p.

We met Paul (Feng Liang although the Chinese write it LiangFeng) our guide for the rest of the trip. We arrived at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel (86-21) 6882-8888 at 33 Fu Cheng Road in Shanghai, China about 11:45. We went straight to our room 1509 and to bed

April 9, 2007   Monday   Tour Old Shanghai, Yuyuan Garden, the Bund and Silk Carpet

Went down to buffet breakfast similar to Hong Kong’s at 7:00.

Paul led us on a tour of old Shanghai and walked through Yuyuan Gardens. We walked along the Bund a riverside promenade featuring several neo classic architectures that have been preserved. Stopped for a great meal at a restaurant on the fourth floor of the silk carpet workshop. We visited the workshop and watched the carpets being hand made. A silk worm makes it’s cocoon from a 300 meter long thread. Low grade carpets contain 350 stitches per square inch (spsi), medium grade 625 spsi and tapestries 1750 spsi. Tapestries cost thousands of dollars.

We returned to our hotel so Anne and I walked to Parsons grocery store several blocks away. We bought two bags of nuts, box of cookies, a pint of milk and something else for 32.80 Yuan ($4.22).

At 7:00 we took a bus to the Bund Riverside Hotel for our typical Chinese welcome dinner. It was very good. We went to a nearby theater for an acrobat show that was amazing. One woman’s body was so flexible that she could gracefully transform her body from one position to another while balancing stacks of pottery. She was truly amazing. It was a very interesting and thrilling hour show.

April 10, 2007   Tuesday   Shanghai Museum, Fly to Yichang and Board Cruise Ship

I got up at 5:42 and ran Shanghai’s riverfront. It was very difficult as I kept running into dead ends requiring me to backtrack and try another route. It felt good though as I am eating too much and not exercising. Went to breakfast at 8:00 for orange juice, omelet, fruit and pastries. We spent the morning in the Shanghai Museum. We went through the bronze and pottery sections seeing many pieces over 2000 years old, We then went through the minorities section with all the native costumes. It was quite colorful and interesting. We took a peek at the furniture section but didn’t have much time.

We stopped for lunch at the Mongolian Barbecue Restaurant. It was served buffet style. You chose thin slices of raw pork, goat, beef and chicken and vegetables that were quickly cooked in front of you. There were side bars with salads, noodles, soups and desserts.

We bused to Shanghai airport. We boarded Shanghai Air flight FM 9365 at gate A4 at 2:40p on a Boeing 757 in seats 14D&E for the 1:30 hour flight to Yichang. We were served a drink and peanuts in flight. We flew over some high dramatic mountains with glaciers shortly before landing. We were met by Mark our local guide and boarded a bus. The drive was over an hour as we passed below the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River then upstream to Maoping. We got off the bus passing through the ever present Hello Vendors to an incline that took us down to our waiting cruise ship the Viking Century Sky phone 13708395843. We went straight to our cabin 326 at 7:00 which was spacious and nice with a double sliding door to our deck with 2 chairs.

We went to dinner at 7:30 on the rear half of deck 2. The gang usually sat at the same table number 18 so we got to know our waitress Winnie (the Pooh). I had a Caesar salad, potato soup, tilapia, potatoes, Shanghai cabbage and ice cream with apples stuffed with nuts. The food is very good!

April 11, 2007   Wednesday   Tour Three Gorges Dam and Launch Up Yangtze River

Went to the buffet breakfast at 7:00. The buffet was elaborate and extensive similar to the hotel breakfast buffets. My routine was orange juice, omelet, fruit and pastries.

At 9:00 we returned up the incline to a waiting bus and a tour of the dam. Mark explained the purpose of the Three Gorges Dam was flood control (thousands have been killed during each major flood), power generation (5-10% of national total), transportation, irrigation and several lesser purposes. We made three stops the first below the 1.4 mile long dam. Here we could see 5 locks in 2 channels requiring 4 hours to navigate. One channel was clogged with boats going upstream. The other channel will be operational next year. Facing upstream and the back of the dam we could see on the right where the 14 operational turbines producing megawatts of electricity are housed inside the dam. An additional 12 turbines will be operational in the near future. We moved to a high point above the dam and locks. Anne and I climbed up a high observation deck for a birds eye view of the dam, locks and river in both directions. It is hot, well over 80o.

We bused to the museum where there were many large models of the dam, maps, a turbine, large river dolphins and sturgeon and other items. It is very well done and helps one understand the size and complexity of the project. We learned that 4 more dams are planned for the Yangtze River above the Three Gorges Dam.

We returned to our cruise ship for a buffet lunch or a meal if desired. I had soup, salad, finger sandwiches and ice cream with a raspberry tart. We left the pier at Maoping at 2:50p. The ship is so quiet and smooth that you hardly noticed we were moving. We cruised upstream through the Xiling Gorge through the afternoon. The gang gathered in the fore bar lounge on deck 4 to enjoy the impressive passing scenery, a couple of Chongqing (local and very good) beers and good company. We docked in Badong above a beautiful new bridge for the night. At 6:30 the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (14 universities in PA) hosted a party for us in the 4th deck lounge. We were served wine and hors de oeuvres. Vaneesa Cook, the tour director, was not very friendly and stuck to herself with a sour or bored expression most of the time.

At 7:30 we were greeted by Max the cruise director, the captain, various officers, the hotel head and the head chef as we walked into the Captain’s Welcome Dinner. Judy Miller and I had fish as usual and someone ordered a bottle of red wine and white wine as was our custom for the entire trip.

We returned to the lounge at 9:15p for music by a Chinese trio playing traditional Chinese instruments which was very good, They were followed by a singing and instrumental duo also good.

April 12, 2007   Thursday   Cruise Wu, Lesser 3 and Qutang Gorges

I got up at 6:21 having slept in a bit. We went to 7:00 breakfast for my usual omelet breakfast.

We were under way by 8:00 entering Wu Gorge famous for it’s 12 peaks. Shennu Feng (Goddess Peak) home of Princess Yao Ji and her 11 handmaidens. We docked at Wushan and a local fisherman and his wife pulled alongside trying to sell river shrimp to the ships crew. A lively 10 minute exchange about cost, weight of shrimp and perhaps other things ensued. We boarded a smaller sightseeing vessel a started up the Daning River under the Bye Bye Bridge into the Lesser Three Gorges. The scenery is quite spectacular as the river is narrow mostly with precipitous walls on both sides. We spotted a couple of 2000 year old hanging coffins on the cliff sides placed there on wooden poles by the Ba people. We also spotted rhesus monkeys running along the cliff face at different spots.
We stopped for lunch on shore. Anne and I paid $3 to walk up a path on the cliff face to a Buddhist Shrine. There were 4 or 5 monks in robes there and one was cooking. The views were spectacular up and down the Daning River gorges.

Back on the cruise ship we continued upstream into Qutang Gorge the smallest and narrowest of the three gorges. It is sunny and 86o. I spent an hour in the fitness room on a bike machine and a rowing machine losing a lot of water. After a shower I went to the 4th deck lounge for a couple of beers (Chongqing) at 30 Yuan ($4.09) each and peanuts. It is quite pleasant and the passing scenery is fantastic. All this time Anne is taking Tai Chi, Chinese lessons and carving a bird from vegetables. I retreated to my cabin’s deck to enjoy the scenery, sun and warm fresh air.

At 7:30 I ate dinner with the gang of eight enjoying fish and wine. After dinner we listened to music in the lounge before going to our cabins to read.

April 13, 2007   Friday   Tour Snow Jade Cave

We docked at Fengdu. Went to 7:30 breakfast for my omelet.

We boarded a bus for an exciting ride up a narrow canyon along a mountain stream into a wild remote area to the Snow Jade Cave. This cave was recently found by a hunter and opened to the public in 2003. It has 3 levels over 200 vertical feet. We walked through it about an hour viewing splendid displays of stalactites and stalagmites in all sorts of shapes and mostly white. Some were as big as a room wall with patterns caused by the flow deposits. Colored lights were used to enhance and highlight some of the larger deposits. Upon entering and leaving the cave we saw 4-5 monkeys in the trees by the entrance. One was doing acrobats, another moving around the trees and the third was sound asleep on a limb maybe and inch in diameter. After a short bus tour through Fengdu we returned to the ship for a buffet lunch.

We continued our cruise up the Yangtze. Anne and I joined a 20 minute tour of the ship’s bridge with cruise director Max explaining everything. I went to the full fitness room for another session on the stationary cycle machine and rowing machine. I developed a rash on my derrière. I spent a long time on my cabin deck enjoying the scenery and weather. About 5:00 I returned to the lounge for more Chongqings and peanuts.

We ate dinner at 7:30 and I had fish again. After dinner we went to the lounge for the staff talent show. There was three scenes which were explained by Max. Six men and six women performed in each scene dressed in beautiful costumes and dancing gracefully. Although I’m not a big fan of dance, I really appreciated their performance. They obviously put a lot of work and pride into it. They got a resounding ovation at the end.

Paul quizzed us on the Chinese government. Who is China’s president? Hu is China’s president. Who is China’s premier? Wen Jiabao is China’s premier. The Peoples Congress meets two weeks a year and rubber stamps what the Council recommends.

April 14, 2007   Saturday   Tour Chongqing Zoo, Fly to Xian and Tang Dynasty Show

Went to the buffet breakfast for my omelet at 7:30. We are docked at Chongqing, China’s largest city of about 32 million people. We paid our cruise ship bill and tipped the crew. Saying goodbye to the crew members we knew, we boarded a bus for the Chongqing Zoo,

We saw 3 large panda bears and a fleeting glimpse of the baby panda. We bused to a large modern hotel for lunch. A huge Chinese wedding of 4-500 with dinner was in progress. We stopped to watch through open doors and were invited to take pictures. Our lunch was the typical Chinese meal of 12-15 dishes served on a lazy susan.

After lunch we bused to Chongqing Airport. At 2:20p we boarded Air China flight CA4397 in seats 7D&E and took off for Xian at 2:40. We are met in Xian by Ping our local guide. Ping is about 40, dark skinned and pretty. She is friendly and has a sense of humor and mannerisms similar to Polly in Hong Kong. It is windy and Xian is experiencing a dust storm that looks like a very light haze as we drive into the city. Xian is one of China’s four imperial cities and we see large burial mounds everywhere along our route.

We check into room 5515 in the elaborate Sofitel Hotel on Renmin Square phone (86-29) 8792-8228 at 319 Dongxin Street in Xian, China. We are bused to the theater for dinner and the Tang Dynasty show. The show is great. The scenery (backdrops) are colorful and interesting. The costumes for the eight men and eight women dancers are stunning as is the dancing. The live music is also exciting. We were finished by 8:30 and on our way back to our hotel.

April 15, 2007   Sunday   Terra Cotta Army and Fly to Beijing

I got up at 5:45 and went to breakfast at 6:45 for the omelet.

We bused to the Terra Cotta Army Park next to Qin Shi Huangdi’s huge burial mound outside Xian. We visited pit 1 where most of the excavated warriors are. The warriors are in ranks in pits between earthen and brick walls. Each soldier weighing about 400 pounds has a unique face and size probably depicting individuals. The soldiers are archers, cavalrymen and infantry and about 2200 years old. Many are yet to be excavated. Many were damaged in a revolt soon after Qin’s (pronounced Chin and the root name for China) death and have to be pieced back together. All were painted but there are few traces of paint now. We visited the smaller pit 3 and the museum. The bronze imperial chariots were of special interest. We had lunch before departing the park.

We bused to the airport and boarded China Eastern Air flight MU2107 on an Airbus A320in seats 19E&F. We took off from Xian at 2:40 and was served a drink and snack in flight before landing in Beijing at 4:30.

We bused to the Ritz-Carlton, Financial Street phone (86-10) 6601-6666 at 1 Jin Cheng Fang Street East in Beijing, China. The staff seemed confused and we had to wait for our keys. Our keys arrived in two groups. We didn’t have a key but was given a leftover key. We walked into Rosemary and Carolyn’s room. We had to go back and wait for another room. This happened to other people we met. We finally got to our room 1110 by the elevators and it is very nice and spacious.

We were served dinner at the hotel in our private dining room. I bought a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine for 401 Yuan ($54.63).

April 16, 2007   Monday   Tour Great Wall and Ming Sacred Way & Peking Opera

Went to 7:00 breakfast which included an omelet.

We boarded a bus for about an hour’s drive north of Beijing into a mountain pass and the Great Wall at Ba Da Ling. It is cooler here perhaps due to the higher elevation and the wind going through the pass. We took a group picture which we bought with a book on the Great Wall for 100 Yuan ($13.62). We had about 2 hours so I headed up the Great Wall. It is very steep in places with some steps. There are towers every so often. The crowds were big so getting through the narrow towers was a problem. I eventually fell in behind a young local in a sweat suit and running shoes. It took almost and hour to reach the highest point in the wall where it almost turned back on itself forming a point. The views were spectacular as I could see the wall going down where I had come up and continuing across the valley up over the next mountain ridge. I could also see it angling off to my left down across the valley and up over the ridge. I hustled back down in 25 minutes not having to stop even in the towers as the crowd seemed to have diminished a bit.

Back on the bus where we stopped at a jade factory for a short talk and walk through to the restaurant in the rear. We were served 13 dishes and a Yangling beer for lunch. Afterwards we walked along the Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs. We saw evidence a damage to the imperial stone tablets by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. It was blind striking out against anything associated with the dynastic period of history thus destroying their own heritage.

We returned to our hotel passing the Olympic stadiums including the bird’s nest. Anne and I walked several blocks to Parkson’s grocery store. It was interesting and we found it to be very similar to ours including the products. We bought 2 kinds of nuts, cookies, milk and a soda for 32.20 Yuan ($4.39).

Many people went shopping at the Pearl Market so Paul’s and Larry’s groups were combined for dinner. We bused to a spot and walked in the dark through a park to the Lavazza Restaurant. The food was a bit spicier as we were served soup, two pork dishes, two chicken dishes, beef and vegetables.

April 17, 2007   Tuesday   Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Summer Palace

Got up at 6:00 and went to breakfast for an omelet at 7:00.

Got on the bus at 8:15 for the 20 minute ride to Tiananmen Square. The square is huge with Mao Tse Tsung’s mausoleum in the center. We walked across the square with the peoples congress building across the street. We walked towards the Forbidden City with Mao’s picture above the portal.

Inside there were Chinese ceremonial soldiers practicing their drills in formation. The Forbidden City was massive as we walked through. The story of the last emperor was sad.

We headed for the Beijing Central Hotel for lunch. The lunch was very good and the hotel very nice. After lunch I headed to the W.C. to discover a TV screen playing the latest Chinese soap opera above each urinal.
After lunch we bused to the Summer Palace for walking tour. The complex is quite extensive and beautiful situated on a large lake. At the for end of the lake we saw the large marble boat where the emperor’s wife normally had tea. We boarded a dragon boat for a ride back to our bus.

We bused to a building for the famous Peking Duck dinner. We were instructed on how to make the duck meat mix and other ingredients in a tortilla like bread shell. It is quite good and not as strong as I expected

with the dark duck meat. We went upstairs for the Peking Opera. Fortunately the opera was short, 30 minutes. I’m not crazy about opera and the Peking version didn’t change my mind. After the show Bruce, Bill and I had our pictures taken with the two stars on stage. We really looked good!

April 18, 2007   Wednesday   Pearl Market and Fly Beijing to Chicago to Baltimore

Got up at 6:00 and went to breakfast for my last omelet at 7:00.

Bruce, Edie, Anne and I met at 8:15 to catch a taxi to the Silk Market also known as the Pearl Market. Edie and Anne needed to buy some more watches and other stuff. We were in a hurry because we had to get back early to check out and catch our plane home. The taxi driver had a nice Acura with no markings, a hidden meter and spoke perfect English all warning signs. He drove slowly for half an hour then asked where we were going again. He feigned a mistake and said we were going in the wrong direction. We all started talking between us about why it took so long when it should have been about 20 minutes. How we had lost so much time that we wouldn’t have much time for the market. We noted his number and talked about only paying the normal fare. The driver became more agitated and started driving faster and more aggressively. He finally got us to the Pearl Market after more than an hour. He said there would be no charge so we walked away into the market.

The Pearl Market is a huge building 6 floors high plus 2 or 3 floors below ground. It is packed with stuff, hundreds of little stalls each manned by a salesperson. They are selling everything imaginable with no fixed price. Every price is negotiable. Every purchase is a game played over and over again. We had plenty of time to make the purchase we came for but no shopping time.

We caught a cab outside the market. The driver was hesitant but decided to take us. He spoke no English and didn’t know where our hotel was located. He made a phone call and found out the general area. When we got close, we recognized where we were and directed the driver to our hotel. It took 20 minutes and cost 26 Yuan on the meter which we rounded up to 30 Yuan ($4.09).

We caught out bus to the airport at 12:00 as United required us to be there 3 hours before flight time. It was an emotional goodbye to Paul as we all had become very fond of him since Shanghai. I tipped him $100 for the two of us and hoped everyone else did the same as I know Bruce and Bill did.

We checked in with United and passed through security and immigration. We had plenty of time so we had lunch of our first western food in two weeks.

We boarded United flight 850 on a Boeing 747-400 with seat configuration 3-4-3 in seats 52A&B. The Comstocks were in the row in front of us and the Millers the row behind in a full plane. We took off at 4:20p from Beijing (PEK) on the 6579 mile 12:57 hour flight to Chicago (ORD) arriving at 4:17p. We flew further east than when we came flying over Manchuria, China, Siberia, Artic Ocean and down northwest Canada. It never got totally dark. We were served drinks, snacks and two meals.

We were delayed getting off the plane. We had to go through immigration, claim our luggage, go through customs and then recheck our bags. We then had to go across O’Hare airport from the international arrivals terminal to Concourse C on a train. We then had to go through security again which took a long time. I had given up on making our 6:25p flight. Arriving at our gate at 6:40 we realized our flight was rescheduled for 7:15 and that there was no plane at our gate. A plane finally arrived and unloaded.

We finally boarded United flight 138 on a Boeing 757-200 with a 3-3 seat configuration in seats 17E&F and took off about 8:30p from Chicago (ORD) on the 621 mile 90 minute flight to Baltimore (BWI) arriving about 11:00p.

Attempts to call Airport Discount Transport were fruitless. We claimed our bags and caught a cab to Columbia costing $46 so I gave the driver $55. We arrived home about 11:45 p

EXPENSES

LA VILLA REST FRANCAIS HONG KONG HK	$60.25	$0.60
HOLIDAY INN-DELI. CORN HONG KONG HK	$42.05	$0.42
BURGER KING 96 HONG KONG HK	$9.17	$0.09
SHANGRI LA HOTEL KOWLO HONG KONG HK	$73.88	$0.73
ZHONGYUAN FOOTMASSAGE GUILIN CN	$16.26	$0.16
CENTURY SKY CHONGQING CN	$176.13	$1.74
SHANGHAI TIANDI ART&CR SHANGHAI CN	$75.54	$0.75
VIKING RIVER CRUISES SWITZERLAND NO	$8,750.64
VIKING RIVER CRUISES SWITZERLAND NO	$800.00
Cash	$443.00
Airport Discount Transport	$40.00
Airport Taxi	$55.00
Total	$10,541.94	$4.49