Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[miltonc]

I am headed for China in June and have a two-week tour already booked for eastern China. My plans had been to head on up to Mongolia with a study group for three weeks, but there is a chance the price of my Mongolia leg will triple on me, rendering it too costly for me. I teach Cultural Geography and would love to head toward Western China (Silk Road) for a very different experience. All of the packaged tours seem to include some places I will have already visited and/or are surprisingly pricey. I'm thinking of winging it by taking the train west and allowing for some overnights in certain cities. I left my "Spring Chicken" years behind me quite a few decades ago, but still have some adventure left in me. I have not received replies from any internet inquiries I've launched to travel companies, so feel a bit in the dark. Might anyone have any advice/ideas for this journey I'd like to undertake. I would hope to spend about two weeks catching the trains, enjoying some cities, spending time in places such as Kashgar, and getting a feel for the ethnic mix of Western China (or Central Asia). Do you think this is doable for around USD 1,000? Would appreciate any help, since I've been thrown a bit of a curve ball with the potential Mongolia changes. Thanks much. Cristine (this is my first blog post ever !)

[starlagurl]

Hi Cristine, welcome to the forums! I hope you find some information here.

I've never been to China but:

If I was planning this trip, the first thing I would do is read some travel blogs from the area.

So here are some from Kashgar: http://www.travelpod.com/blogs/0/China/Kashgar.html

[miltonc]

Hi Cristine, welcome to the forums! I hope you find some information here.

I've never been to China but:

If I was planning this trip, the first thing I would do is read some travel blogs from the area.

So here are some from Kashgar: http://www.travelpod.com/blogs/0/China/Kashgar.html

[miltonc]

Thanks ! I'm having trouble using this site. How do I get my question out of the subfolder I seem to have created it in and into the larger Orient forum? And then I hit reply several times, but only your message came up again. Didn't see any reply box. Several tries later I finally found a fast reply box and am using it. Any advice?

[starlagurl]

I moved the topic to the China forum, but I'm not sure what you are talking about. When you hit reply, just start typing below the previous post's words and hit add reply and you are all set.

[china_traveler]

Hi Christine,
I have been doing a lot of research on Xinjiang and Gansu province lately. l be there in July until mid-August. We are going the witness the solar eclipse on August 1st after spending a week in Dunhuang. I am one of a group of 4. How long do you plan on staying in Western China? I would be happy to share my knowledge.
James

[evamaria85]

1000UDS will be enough to get you around a bit of China in three weeks, that is if you stay away from pricey hotels and airports (which you plan on anyway).

Buying tickets in China can be a little...how to put it...challenging if you don't speak the language, but it is absolutely possible with a little patience. And the tickets are cheap, if you take a hard sleeper the train ticket will be around 280RMB from Beijing to Xi'An.

I havn't, yet, been in the north western part of China, but I have been to many other places in China, as I have lived there for 5 years, so feel free to ask if you have any question.
Best,
Eva Maria

[drumerlee]

Taian
There is Chinese saying that goes like this: "a kind-hearted man enjoys mountains". This page is dedictated to offering some pre-arranged hiking and trekking tours of some of the famous China mountains and well preserved ancient villages mainly for primary-level of international hikers and trekkers. From Huangshan Mountain, to Zhangjiajie Tianzi Mountain, to Wuyishan Mountain, Great Wall of China, to Hongcun Village, to Chuandixiacun Village, Taishan Mounain, Lijiang Ancient Town Yunnan, Jiuzhaigou Valley and more, we will bring you the travel information and tours you need.
The culture of China's mountains and rivers has accumulated through humanity's development, and today they have several cultural functions: offering sacrifices to gods or ancestors, fengchan (offering sacrifices to heaven and earth), sightseeing, religion, and retiring from public life to study. Emperors offered sacrifices to the Five Great Mountains and the Four Large Rivers; local governments officials sacrificed to regionally famous mountains and rivers; and common people, to a local landmark.
More details you may check http://www.travelevery.com/Destination/City78.htm
Or email:web@travelevery.com

[charlotte850505]

it is a good trip,you have a good time there,didn't you ?