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China 2008

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Airlines Travel Club

Harry Sulley
2760 Carousel Cresent
Suite 411
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1T 2N4

Telephone:
(613) 521-3091

Fax:
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E-mail:
harry@airlinestravelclub.com

China 2008


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We finally returned from our extended tour of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, China. What a tour! What a country! Although we were not prepared for the millions of people in those cities, we were blown away by the hospitality, culture, beauty and, yes – the shopping... It gives a whole new meaning to “shop ‘till you drop!!”

We flew into Beijing and were immediately met at the airport by our hosts from China Tours, after which we proceeded to our hotel, checked in and took a well deserved rest before savouring the night life and fantastic shopping of this amazing city of fifteen million people.

The first few days were spent sampling the sumptuous foods of China, such as the Peking Duck at the famous Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. Did you know that the duck must be roasted in a doorless oven, using non-smoky hardwood fuel from Chinese date, peach or pear trees to impart a subtle fruity flavour to the skin, and that the chef at your table must carve the duck to exactly 100 slices of meat which you wrap in a small wheat wrapping with vegetables, dipped in a special sauce (delicious)? The highlight of our restaurant hopping was a visit to a Tibetan restaurant, where we experienced traditional Tibetan foods and enjoy a wonderful ‘folk’ type floor show. The fact that we arrived a few days earlier than the others allowed us an excellent opportunity to view several fine hotels.

I settled on the Tiantan Hotel, a lovely fourstar in the centre of downtown Beijing, adjacent to the Temple of Heaven, directly opposite the Pearl Market and only about a 10-minute walk from Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City. Our next adventure was a visit to the magnificent Great Wall of China.

‘Magnificence’ aptly describes this awesome site, which stretches from east to west, winding over mountains, across grasslands and through deserts in numerous twists and turns. Spanning a total of 5,600 kilometres, it starts from the banks of the Yalu River in the east and meanders toward the Qilian and Tianshan mountains in the west. Its gigantic proportions of construction and long history have brought it the reputation as one of the Seven Wonders of the World in medieval times.

The following days were spent visiting the Hutongs, where we were transported by rickshaw and enjoyed more of the Chinese cuisine with the ‘real’ people. Then, it was off to Xian by train to see another spectacular site – the Terra Cotta Warriors – wow! We finally took the overnight train to the ‘City of Lights’ – Shanghai – where we Travel A tour of Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Sozhou and Hong Kong Suzhou, old town. Peking Duck at Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. The Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian. enjoyed a most beautiful river cruise complete with a live band. What an exciting, vibrant, city!

Next day was spent visiting the lovely city of Suzhou, which has been described as a ‘Paradise, on earth’. We took a boat through the canals by night with just lanterns guiding the way. Suzhou reminded us all of the canals of Venice, only more beautiful. Before leaving, we couldn’t resist a visit to the silk factories of Suzhou, learning how silk was actually made, and purchasing some beautiful silk duvets and covers on site.

The remainder of our trip went by so quickly we were soon on a flight heading for Hong Kong and back home. I am truly looking forward to a return visit to this amazing country and hope many of you can join us on a more extensive 10-day tour of ‘Modern China’ in the fall of 2008 – to do your Christmas shopping, of course!