TravelStream™ news feed for member flothetraveller on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/flothetraveller en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:50:20 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215161220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215161220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215161220/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:50:20 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Xian, China

The mighty army of terracotta warriors and horses, found in three vaults 40km east of Xian, is probably the most popular tourist attraction of Xian.

Reasons to go there

This army is really huge an somewhat impressive sight!

The terracotta figures are life-like and life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The tallest being the Generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. The original weapons were stolen shortly after the creation of the army and the coloring has faded greatly.

Helpful Tips

Make sure you get off at the actual Terracotta Army site and not at the fake 'Tomb' abobut a mile or so before it which is a rip off tourist trap.

You'll have to deal with the Terracotta Tourist Trap Army: ranks upon ranks of souvenir stands, subpar and overpriced snack joints manned by aggressive shills and wheedling vendors.

Xian is, like other Chinese cities, generally quite safe. Just watch out for pickpockets (usually children) in crowds.

I recommend to compare hotel prices very well in Xian. Different booking sites have totally different prices for the same hotel. Maybe this site helps you. It compares more than 30 bookings sites at once.

How to get there

There are buses leaving regularly for the Terracotta Warrior museum in front of the Xi'an bus station (opposite the train station, just outside the city walls). Take bus 306 (Chinese bus green 5) from the central bus station. It will take you to a parking lot right in front of the museum site within 40 minutes. A one way ticket costs ¥7.

Additional Infos

The terracotta figures were manufactured both in workshops by government labourers and also by local craftsmen. The head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled. Studies show that eight face moulds were most likely used and then the clay was added to give them individual facial features.

Photos of terracotta figures

We posted all our photos of the terracotta warriors at findoutwheretogo.com. Travel Xian! You will always remember your trip to Xian.

Be careful choosing your hotel in Xian

Prices vary a lot for the SAME hotel in Xian!

It is very important to compare different booking sites for a specific hotel in Xian.

If you think it is too complicated and time consuming to compare 30 hotelbookingsites, here is a helpful page for you: You pick a hotel and the site compares more than 30 booking sites and tells you the prices. Simply pick the lowest rate!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215153900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215153900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215153900/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:48:41 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Xian, China

Located at the crossing of the East, West, South, and North avenues in Xian, both the Bell Tower and the Drum tower are very close to each other.

Reasons to go there
Both, the bell tower and the drum tower are worth a visit!

The bell tower was a wooden structure topped with dark green tiles. It is a grand ancient building with traditional Chinese architectural features.

From the top the Bell Tower, visitors can get a bird's eye view of the surrounding areas and the building's brightly-decorated eaves.

Standing in a very picturesque location on the west side of the center square of the city of Xi'an, the Drum Tower is only 150 metres away from the Bell Tower.

Helpful Tips
The Bell and Drum Towers are beautifully lit at night.

I recommend to compare hotel prices very well in Xian. Different booking sites have totally different prices for the same hotel. Maybe this site helps you. It compares more than 30 bookings sites for Xian hotels at once.


How to get there
Regular buses within the city cost ¥1 (¥2 for air-conditioned, marked with a snow-flake) no matter how far you go. Simply get on. Make sure you have the right amount - usually you don't get change.

Taxi: The rate for the normal (green) taxis is ¥6 for the first two kilometers and then ¥1.5 for every additional kilometer. Waiting times longer than 2 minutes will be charged ¥1.5 per minute. After 11PM the starting price is ¥7.

Additional Infos
The drum and bell towers were used in ancient times as the time keeping center for the entire city. at 7:00 pm the bells and chimes were rung 13 times. Every two hours after that, the drums were beaten one time to keep time.

Photos of the Drum an Bell Towers
We posted all our photos of the bell and drum towers at findoutwheretogo.com. Travel Xian! You will always remember your trip to Xian.

Don't be trapped!
Prices vary a lot for the SAME hotel in Xian!

It is very important to compare different booking sites for a specific hotel in Xian.

If you think it is too complicated and time consuming to compare 30 hotelbookingsites, here is a helpful page for you: You pick a hotel and the site compares more than 30 booking sites and tells you the prices. Simply pick the lowest rate!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215065460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215065460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1215065460/tpod.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:16:00 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Beijing, China

Hotels in Beijing

Prices vary a lot for the SAME hotel!
It is very important to compare different booking sites for a specific hotel.
If you think it is too complicated and time consuming to compare 30 hotelbookingsites , here is a helpful page for you: You pick a hotel and the site compares more than 30 booking sites and tells you the prices. Simply pick the lowest rate!

Sights in Beijing

Forbidden City (Palace Museum, Gugong)
What an impressive piece of history the Forbidden City is. This place is very cool and i bet you will like to go this place too.

Tiananmen Square
The Tiananmen Square is the largest square in the world. Thousands of people come to the Square every day.

The Temple of Heaven
This temple is very huge and beautiful and is surrounded by a vast public park. Home to many ancient trees, this is also the greenest place in Beijing.

Lama Temple, Yonghegong
Yonghegong (also known as Lama Temple or Palace of Peace) located within the city of Beijing is a very nice sight worth a visit. It is a holy place for many pilgrims.

The Great Wall Badaling
Nearly everyone has heard of the huge stone wall known as the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China was built to protect the Chinese Empire from invaders.

Jingshan (Coal Hill), Great views
There is only one hill to be found in Beijing: Jingshan Hill, also known as "Feng Shui Hill" or as "Coal Hill". It offers very impressive views of the Forbidden City and entire Beijing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214978580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214978580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214978580/tpod.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:09:58 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Beijing, China

There is only one hill to be found in Beijing: Jingshan Hill, also known as "Feng Shui Hill" or as "Coal Hill". It offers
very impressive views of the Forbidden City and entire Beijing.


Reasons to go there

From the top of the hill there are wonderful views of Beijing, especially over the Forbidden City, hence its name, which means "Scenic Hill". The hill top offers a 360 degree vista: DianMen Dajie with at the end the Drum Tower, Beihai Park and of course the entire city itself. It might be a good idea to start your sightseeing trip of Beijing here.

Below the hill there are a small gardens with benches to relax weary feet and maybe write a postcard or two.


Helpful Tips

It is a perfect spot to watch the sunset.

Nice flowers in season, and good for strolling.

April and May daily 6 am-9 pm; June-August 6 am-10 pm; September and October 6 am to midnight; November-March 6:30 am-8 pm. 10 yuan.


How to get there

The park is located at the north of the Forbidden City, when you leave the palace through the North Gate you just cross the street and the you are in Jingshan Park.


Additional Infos

The 45.7-metre high artificial hill was constructed in the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty entirely from the soil excavated in forming the moats of the Imperial Palace and nearby canals. It is especially impressive when one
considers that all of this material was moved only by manual labor and animal power.

This park has several names: Jingshan Park, or Ching-shan Park, or Coal Hill Park, or Meishan Park, or Prospect Hill Park.

Jingshan Park also boasts some charming natural scenery with a planted area in the park of about 1100 square meters (about 1316 square yards). This park is the biggest peony rose garden in Beijing and during May each year, with the 20,000 peony roses of some 200 varieties in full bloom the park displays a wonderful and colorful scene.


Photos of Jingshan (Coal Hill)

We postet all our photos of the Coal Hill (Jingshan) at findoutwheretogo.com. We hope they help for your Beijing trip. In our opionion you can travel on your own - you don't need a Beijing Guide. Travel Beijing - it´s an amazing city!


Dont´be trapped

This site helped us to easily compare over 30 hotel reservation sites. It helps to save time and money. Compare and find the best hotel prices for Beijing.

View additional Tips on Hotels in Beijing on my Blog.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214898900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214898900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214898900/tpod.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:39 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Beijing, China

The Tiananmen Square is the largest square in the world. Thousands of people come to the Square every day.

Reasons to go there

First of all: this place is really really huge! It is an astounding place and a spot to linger and see visitors from all over China, many visiting their capital for the first time. For us, there is no better place to get the true modern feel of Beijing.

You can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. Tiananmen Square is worth a visit on your Trip to Beijing. Don't miss this attraction!

Helpful Tips

The Tiananmen Square has become a relaxing place for the chinese people to fly kites and walk. On a holiday, the whole square is covered with fresh flowers.

Beijing is a very safe city. However, tourists are often preyed upon by cheats and touts around Tiananmen Square.

How to get there

Getting to Tiananmen Square is best done by subway or walking as taxis are not really allowed to stop anywhere near it. The are two subway stations on line 1, Tiananmen East (116) and Tiananmen West (117). They are both inconveniently situated a 5 to 7 minute walk away from the center of the square so there is no best station.

Additional Infos

The present Tiananmen Square has an area of 440,000 square meters.

It has great cultural significance as a symbol because it was the site of several key events in Chinese history. Tiananmen Square has been the site of a number of political events and student protests. These include the proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949; annual mass military displays on all subsequent National Days until October 1st 1959; the 1984 military parade for the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and the 50th anniversary in 1999; and for mass rallies during the Cultural Revolution. The protests of 1989 resulted in the massacre of Chinese protesters in the streets to the west of the square and adjacent areas. Some Western reporters who were on the square during the unfolding events reported that they saw no one actually die on the square itself, though did see bloodied people but could not confirm whether they were either dead or injured.

Photos of Tiananmen Square

We postet all our photos of the Tiananmen Square at findoutwheretogo.com.

Tip: How to find fair priced hotels

We found our hotel using a site that offers to compare prices for a specific
hotel on more than 30 booking sites. Compare
hotel prices or Beijing.

View other stories about China on my Blog.



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214814120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214814120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214814120/tpod.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:27:59 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Beijing, China

Yonghegong (also known as Lama Temple or Palace of Peace) located within the city of Beijing is a very nice sight worth a visit. It is a holy place for many pilgrims.

Reasons to go there
The Lama Temple is a very lively temple in the Chinese capital. We watched several traditional ceremonies.
This spectacular temple-complex is sprinkled withy lovely gardens, and wonderful pavilions containing superb and detailed interiors. Five of these great halls stand out among all of the structures within the courtyards and monastery grounds. The temple is famous for its 18m statue of Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of sandalwood.

Helpful Tips
You can view most of buildings in an hour or less. Admission is 25RMB and seems a bit overpriced. Closes at 4PM.

Visitors aren't allowed to take pictures of holy statues inside most of the temples.

How to get there
The Lama Temple is located in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, near the northeastern corner of the Second Ring Road. Bus routes: 13, 62, 44, 406 at Yonghegong station; or take the subway to arrive at Yonghegong.

Additional Infos
The temple was built by Chinese emperors who harbored a deep fascination for the Tibetan (Tantric) version of Buddhism. Over the years many Tibetan and Mongolian monks lived and taught here, and there are still monks in residence today. Built initially in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, this building was the residence of Emperor Yongzheng when he was just a prince. However, in 1744 the Qing Dynasty formally changed the status of the dwelling to that of a lamasery, and so Yonghe Lamasery became the national center of Lama administration. The Lama Temple is an important attraction in Beijing today.

Photos of the Lama temple
We postet all our photos of the Lama Temple at findoutwheretogo.com. We hope they help for your Beijing trip. In our opionion you can travel on your own - you don't need a Beijing Guide. Travel Beijing - it´s an amazing city!

How to find fair hotels deals in Beijing
This site helped us to easily compare over 30 hotel reservation sites.
It helps to save time and money. Compare and find the best hotel prices for Beijing.


Find Info on other destinations on my blog: About China
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214809020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214809020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214809020/tpod.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:08:18 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Beijing, China

Nearly everyone has heard of the huge stone wall known as the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China was built to protect the Chinese Empire from invaders.


Our impression - Reasons to go there
This wall is huge and definitly worth seeing. When we reached there , we noticed we were the only ones from a foreign country, the rests were locals. We went to the Badaling section where you have nice views and can walk up the hill for quite some height. The left part of the Badaling wall is steeper but gives a better scenery of the wall.

Badaling, located at Yanqing County 70 km northwest of Beijing, is about 5 km long with 19 watchtowers. The wall extends from peak to peak and is made of rectangular slabs, standing eight to ten meters high, six meters wide at the base and five meters wide at the ramparts.


Tips

Badaling and Juyongguan are nearest to Beijing, most crowded and touristy and these two sections have been heavily rebuilt. These sites can be visited in one day starting from Beijing. Travel Beijing and go there! Be aware of bus scams that may ruin your day. You may want to bring a jacket against the wind or cold in the chillier season - in the summer you will need lots of water, there are plenty of vendors at the most visited sections.


How to get there

Do not go for organized tours to the Great Wall in the 100-150 Yuan range that are advertised by people handing out flyers around the Forbidden City in Beijing for example (the real bus service to the Great Wall only costs 20 Yuan!). Also, the driver might just stop and set you off before your destination. Only pay afterwards! Take Bus919 - it is a cheap local bus, but really great an comfortable. Or take tourist bus No. 1 at Front Gate, No. 2 at Beijing
Railway Station, the west gate of Beijing History Museum, No. 3 at East Bridge, No. 4 at Xizhi Gate or Beijing Zoo, No.5 from the west Taxi station at the Front Gate, No.8 from AnDingmen or Qianmen station. As it is well reachable in a short time, one can say Badaling is an attraction or sight of Beijing.


Infos

The Great Wall of China can be visited at many places along its length of several thousand kilometers. Its condition ranges from excellent to ruined and access from straightforward to quite difficult. The Great Wall is a maximum 9.1m (30 ft) wide and is about the same color as the soil surrounding it. Still, the apparent width of the Great Wall from the moon is the same as that of a human hair viewed from 2 miles away. Not surprisingly, no lunar astronaut has ever claimed seeing the Great Wall from the moon.


View all our Photos of the Great Wall

We postet all our photos of the Great Wall at Badaling at findoutwheretogo.com. We hope they help for your Beijing trip. Travel Beijing - it´s an amazing city!


Don´t be trapped.

Pay a fair price for your hotel in Beijing! This site helped us to easily compare over 30 hotel reservation sites.
It helps to save time and money. Compare and find the best hotel prices for Beijing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214493420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214493420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214493420/tpod.html Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:24:20 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Beijing, China

We arrived very early 7am and witnessed hundreds of Beijing locals practicing all manor of exercise forms from Tai Chi, Kung Fu, jogging and dancing. The whole ambiance of the park and the people in it was fantastic and very calming and peaceful. This was a special experience on our Beijing trip.

Our Impression - Reasons to visit the Temple of Heaven

This temple is very huge and beautiful and is surrounded by a vast public park. Home to many ancient trees, this is also the greenest place in Beijing.

Three Echo Stones are outside of the gate of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. If you speak facing the Vault while standing on the first stone, you will hear one echo; standing on the second and then the third stone, you will hear two and three echoes respectively. Another interesting and famous place we visited is the Echo Wall. The wall encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven. If one person stand at the east and the other at the west roots of the wall respectively and you whisper a word, then your will hear clearly what the other one said. Isn't it interesting? The phenomenon utilizes the theory of sound wave.

Tips
Visit the Temple of Heaven early in the morning to see thousands of Beijingers starting the day with tai chi.

View my full post on the Temple of Heaven, Beijing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214211000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214211000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/flothetraveller/1/1214211000/tpod.html Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:01:09 -0400 My China Travel Blog

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Beijing, China

What an impressive piece of history the Forbidden City is. This place is very cool and i bet you will like to go this place too.

The scale of the "city" (or palace) was incredible.

OUR IMPRESSION

The architecture was amazing, with the Forbidden City containing a succession of huge courtyards flanked by high red walls, with large, ornate bulidings and gates dividing up the sections. Along the way we got to see some of the ancient sculptures, which were carved into stone along the sets of stairs leading down into the courtyards.

During the first half an hour or so of our visit, Sabine and I had trouble finding ourselves on the map in the brochure. We figured we had been walking for quite some time and thought we were probably about halfway down the western side. I finally found our position: we were still in the upper northwest corner and had hardly made any progress at all.

That was ok, but we also realized that we had to pick up the pace if we were to see much during the three or four hours we had planned for the visit.

TIPS

The Forbidden City is located right in the middle of Beijing - in the heart of the city. It is also known as GuGon or as the Palace Museum

Get there when the gates open (around 8.30am) if you want to walk through the vast and spectacular courtyards in relative peace.

HOW TO GET TO THE FORBIDDEN CITY

You could reach the Forbidden City via subway line 1 in the station of Tian An Men West or Tian An Men East,the bus station in the same name for line 1,4,52 and 728 is also convenient for catch in the Chang An Street. Alternatively, the bus station of "Gugong" for line 101,109 and 810 is sitting in the north gate of Forbidden City.

More Tips on the Forbidden City
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