TravelStream™ news feed for member rhonamcd on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/rhonamcd en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:12:35 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1205683800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1205683800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1205683800/tpod.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:12:35 -0400 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Deskford, United Kingdom

Hello,Well I'm sad to say that this is the end of my trip. I've had an amazing year and I hope you have enjoyed reading about it and seeing the pictures a little of the amount I have enjoyed having the adventures!Bye!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1205020680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1205020680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1205020680/tpod.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:59:58 -0400 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Beijing, China

Hello,Just arrived in Beijing early this morning. Getting here was our first experience of train travel in China and it was just a bit crazy. Getting the tickets was surprising easy as they have ticket offices in Xi'an city centre where they even speak some english, although slightly strangely not train terms like bottom bunk. They do charge very little commission which makes it cheaper than going to the train station to buy the ticket, although it does spoil that whole Michael Palin buying the ticket moment.The train station in Xi'an is a huge sprawling place, made even larger by the fact that some of the waiting rooms are tents outside (think Heathrow when the runway is closed). Everyone likes to arrive early so when we arrived an hour before the train left the waiting room was already packed to the rafters. When the train is available for boarding it is although someone has sounded a start pistol as everyone races to board (even though most of the seats/beds are pre-assigned). Once on board the train was pretty good, we had chosen to go hard sleeper (there are 4 classes in order of luxury: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper) and although the beds were indeed hard, there was a fair amount of space and the dining car was very nice.However it was (as with most night journeys) hard to get too good a nights sleep what with snoring, phones ringing and people getting on and off at random times of the night!When we arrived in Beijing the train station was very well signposted in english (getting ready for lots of lost Olympics tourists) so it was easy to get to the taxis. Less easy was getting the taxi driver to take us to the hostel, although we had the address in chinese it seems that if the driver doesn't know where a place is he panics and drops you at the nearest place he knows. As our chinese is hopeless we can't really help, and although the hostel had told us we could get the driver to call if lost the sign you give for phone is similar to the hand gesture the chinese use for 6 so that caused a world of confusion! Anyway we made it in the end!There is lots to see in Beijing so I think this entry will be becoming very long in the next few days!Update 10-3-08Today we took a trip to visit the great wall at Mutianyu, which is around 70km away from Beijing. The wall is really something to behold as you look around you can see sections stretching over mountains as far as the eye can see. It is also quite a workout for the legs as although this section has been refurbished there are lots of steps, fortunately we had some practice in after our trip to Mt Hua Shan! The weather in Beijing is now very spring like indeed so it was a beautiful day.On our way to the PSB to sort our visas (unfortunately we are two days short so need to arrange an extension, anyway that is a long and boring story) we took a quick detour to visit the Lama temple (a Tibetan temple, but not in Tibet) to have a look at the world record holding buddha (we have seen quite a few record holding buddhas now, largest buddha, largest jade buddha, largest gold buddha). This buddha is carved out of a single piece of sandal wood and is 26m high. Pretty impressive, in the same temple they are currently carving out a large table out of a single piece too which is interesting to watch.Update 12-3-08Tom and I have been clocking the miles up by foot the last few days. Yesterday we visited Silk street which is an enormous shopping centre where haggling is the norm, infact if you didn't you would have to be a millionaire as the prices normally start around 10 x what you end up paying! For once this meant that Tom enjoyed going shopping and we left with armfuls of souvenirs!Today we visited Tainamen Square, we had hoped to visit Mao's mausoleum but it was closed. It was probably just as well as we spent the rest of the day visiting the Forbidden city, which is absolutely huge and has 1.5 million artifacts to view. I think you go could a few times and not see everything! Here is a little bit more about it: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htmWhat amazed me the most was the level of detail on everything, even the stairs had designs carved in the steps and the roof tiles had dragons on them.Plenty more to come in the next few days.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1204446600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1204446600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1204446600/tpod.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:45:55 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Xi'an, China

Hello, Arrived in Xi'an yesterday after a 12 h bus ride (probably our last long one of the trip!). The weather here is lovely, warm and sunny. Today we visited the bell and drum towers inside the city and made a bit of noise! Tomorrow we are off to see the famous terracotta warriors, hopefully not all of them will still be on holiday in London! Update 4-3-08 Just back from a tour of the terracotta warriors which was absolutely brilliant. I have seen lots of pictures of them in the past but they don't really convey the enormity of the size of the pits, especially pit 1 which is a huge aircraft hangar size. The warriors were built to protect the mausoleum of the first emperor which is a couple of km and is yet to be excavated (which when it is will be incredible if anything like it is fabled). In pit 1 alone there are 6000 warriors, all life size and all unique (modelled on the sculptors according to our excellent guide Julie). Here is a bit more info: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terr a_cotta_army/ For those of you that don't have a trip planned to China, you might like to know that the warriors are currently on tour in London (not all of them obviously!) and you can visit them at the British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/all_current_exhibition s/the_first_emperor.aspx Update 8-3-08We have had another few good days here in Xi'an, firstly visiting the forest of Stele that contains some of China's oldest writings on huge tablets. We were recommended to go to the Museum of Shaanxi by our tour guide, so did this the following day and it is an excellent museum and very good for getting the context of the various dynasties of China. This should give my dad a laugh though! While there I was approached by one of the museum staff to consult about the english descriptions of the exhibits (obviously due to my excellent grammar skills!), fortunately for the museum the english was very good (unlike some of the other chinglish we have encountered, one of my favourites is the bosom friend hotel in Lijiang).Yesterday we visited Mt Hua Shan, one of the 5 holy Taoist mountains in China. Unfortunately it took a while to get there as the bus didn't leave until it was full. After waiting 2 hours the other bus passengers staged a coup and after a bit of shouting from the bus manager we were on the road! This meant we didn't have quite as much time as we had hoped so had to climb the stairs quickly, my legs are in recovery today! However the views and some of the crazy stairs made the trip worthwhile.Tonight we are off to Beijing, it is hard to believe that it is our last stop only a week left to go! I only hope that my brother's office will survive without their updates from sunny climes!!Bye for now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1204106220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1204106220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1204106220/tpod.html Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:47:06 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Leshan, China

Hello,We just arrived in Leshan today which is only 2h from Chengdu on the smoothest bit of road in quite a while!28-2-07Today was spent at the buddha park, home to the biggest sitting buddha in the world (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/sichuan/leshan/buddha_statue.htm). Its not the place to go if you are not a fan of buddha statues, but otherwise it is a very nice day out indeed. The park is actually quite large and there is more to see than just the big buddha, although there are alot of stairs! Also within the park are ancient tombs and ornately carved caves. Tomorrow it is back to Chengdu before heading north to Xi'an to see the terracotta warriors in the next few days.Bye for now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1203835080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1203835080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1203835080/tpod.html Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:19:11 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Chengdu, China

Hello,Just spent a couple of great days in Chengdu. The guesthouse we have been staying at has been a real treat, run by some former backpackers they know how to do it! First of all there is heating in the rooms (something perhaps you would take as a given but actually not that common in China when on a budget), but way beyond that you also get a dvd player and even a fruit basket. All of this comes for about 4.50 GBP pppn!Anyway on for the real reason of coming to Chengdu, to see the pandas! The area around Chengdu is prime panda territory and due to this they have set up a number of research bases to try and increase the numbers of pandas left. One of which is only 10km from the city centre and is currently doing very well at producing lots of baby pandas! The best bit of the base is the panda 'kindergarten' where there are quite a few 3-6month old pandas, wobbling about as they learn to climb trees and play.Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province which is famous for its spicy food (perhaps you have had some?) and one specialty is hotpot. So one evening we headed out to give it a try, unfortunately we forgot our mandarin phrasebook and the menu was completely in chinese. Not to worry, after Tom had taken a tour of the kitchens like a visiting dignitary and picked out the tastiest looking things we were off. The girl in charge of our table decided we weren't competent to be left on our own so kept an eye on our hotpot as it bubbled while adding the meat and vege at required intervals. It all came good in the end and was very tasty indeed!Another thing that Sichuan is famous for is the opera, we had a little more trepidation about this one as some previous things we had heard were obviously for an aquired ear, but with the promise of fire blowing we thought should give it a try! It turned out to be really good, as the opera was more of a variety show with puppets, masks, dancing and plenty of fire! Plus you got a cup of tea into the bargain.Next stop in Leshan to see the giant buddha.Bye for now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1203242700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1203242700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1203242700/tpod.html Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:46:21 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Lijiang, China

Hello,From Dali we caught the bus to Lijiang a brief 3 and a half hour trip (although we did meet someone scottish aboard the bus!).Lijiang is another popular historic town, full of cobbled pedestrian streets. Due to this our taxi dropped us off quite far from where we had planned to stay, and as the streets are fairly maze like we quickly had no idea which way to go. However looming on the horizon was a very nice looking hotel, so we thought we would take a look at that instead. The girls behind reception spoke no english at all (so far we have been rather spoiled as someone has always spoken at least a little), but with our phrasebook and some hand waving we soon got a room sorted. Tom had the girls in fits of giggles after pointing to the phrase 'could you give us a discount', but it worked out well when they gave us 30% off. This morning after some more acting to get the hot water on, we had breakfast at the hotel. As the hotel is run by a family it felt a bit liked we had popped over to someones house, after they brought out porridge (not quite like home) some dim sum like rolls and other unidentified but mainly tasty things, everyone came out the kitchen to watch us try to tackle it all. This resulted in some hilarity but I think we gave them good value for money after we had a few things demonstrated!We have spent most of today checking out the town, and as it seems to be a day of random happenings we ended up at a temple where we had our fortunes read by a tao monk. Fortunately we are both very lucky so it was all good news although Tom has to wait until 2010 until he becomes properly lucky for 20 years whereas I am immediately lucky for the next 30 years, best get that lotto ticket bought! We also found out that Tom will live to 82 and me to 91, so my dad doesn't need to worry about us being eaten by tigers in tiger leaping gorge!Update 22-2-08Had the most amazing day hiking the middle rapids of Tiger leaping gorge, we spent a couple of days chilling out in Lijiang with the hope of getting some good weather and the wait was rewarded with the most gorgeous day. I hope the pictures give you an idea of how beautiful this place is, but it really has to be seen to be believed. I only hope that the rumoured dam is never built as it would be a sad loss indeed. I could rave on for ages about how wonderful it was but I'll save my words and let the pictures do the talking!Next we are off to Chengdu to see some pandas!Bye for now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202979240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202979240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202979240/tpod.html Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:20:46 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Kunming, China

Hello,It was a quick stop back in Kunming  to stock up on some warm clothes before we headed off to Dali.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202979360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202979360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202979360/tpod.html Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:03:20 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Dali, China

Hello,Dali is stunning! Lovely blue sky and snowcapped mountains, it is very popular with chinese tourists but for good reason, the backdrop of the mountains on one side and the lake on the other are quite something.On our first full day in Dali we visited the 3 pagodas and Chongsheng temple. The 3 pagodas are a very famous chinese landmark built during the Tang dynasty. Chongsheng temple was once a huge Buddhist temple, but was destroyed due to war and earthquakes. In 1999 the government rebuilt it according to old documents so it is very new and shiny, but also quite an impressive piece of work as everywhere is so detailed. It is also very scenic against the backdrop of the snowy mountains.To get a good view over the lake we took the cable car to Zonghe temple, after the previous day the temple seemed quite simple in comparison, but it was still a nice trip passing over the rice terraces on the way up. From here you can hike onto another temple which looked like a good walk, but we had left it a little late in the day to head out unfortunately.Bye for now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202379840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202379840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202379840/tpod.html Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:50:47 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Macau, China

Hello,We spent chinese new year in Macau, dubbed the Vegas of the east it is quite a fun place.Shenial was kind enough to buy us some tickets to the police reunion tour which was held at the Venetian Hotel. The concert was really good, and the hotel was something else. It even had canals in the huge shopping mall and all the famous Venetian landmarks like St Marks square where opera singers sang out the windows!As Macau is a former portuguese colony it also has alot of history, and we were able to get a visit to the fortress and attached museum in while we were there.Happily we also got to see the dragon dancers welcoming in Chinese new year, which was really fun. Infact I am a real fan of chinese new year, it just has a great atmosphere. I think I'll try and bring my own little bit of China to the UK for it next year!Bye for now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202091060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202091060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rhonamcd/rm-rtw-2007/1202091060/tpod.html Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:41:48 -0500 A (Andes) to B (Beijing) and inbetween

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Hong Kong, China

Hello,It has been a very busy week here in Hong Kong! We have been very lucky that Tom's friend Sheinal has put us up at his place for the week.We have done a fair bit of exploring, we took the famous star ferry across to Kowloon where we had a good look at the markets, I think goldfish street and the jade market were my favourite. We randomly happened upon this tea shop and decided to take a look inside, fortunately for us some people that spoke English were in the shop and translated for the tea master who let us try three different teas and it was really interesting to see the process he went through to prepare the tea.The next day we took a trip down the avenue of stars (a smaller version of the Hollywood avenue) when Tom came hand to hand with Jackie Chan. They were also preparing for the Chinese new year night parade so we got to see some of the stilt walkers in action. After this we visited the Hong Kong museum of history which was really excellent, the work in the exhibits is amazing and they even have an old fashioned street!For chinese new year we headed to Macau a former Portuguese colony about 1h by ferry from Hong Kong, I have done that as a separate entry.After returning from Macau, we took a trip to the races for the chinese new year cup at Shantin racecourse in the new territories. This was my first trip to the races and it was great to see the horses up close. For me the best part was the parade ring where you could see the horses walking round prior to the race. All the serious betters stood there with the form notes (in chinese) and lots of scribbled notes, I tried to figure out who they had down as a good bet but it wasn't too easy!Today we took a walk along the dragons back, a very famous hike here with some amazing views. It is quite hard to believe that 20 minutes from the high rises are these spectacular walks!Tomorrow is our last day here in Hong Kong before heading back to mainland China.Bye for now.
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