"Wish I could go again next week" : Bev Norton, March/April 2009 group.

China Birds 2010 program-

*Vietnam- late January/early February.

*China- March- Women's trip

*China- May- Big 3, Shanghai ( World Expo),Xi'an,Beijing.

*China- July- Inner Mongolia

Xinjiang/ Yunnan Province- dates to be confirmed.

* Itineraries available, please check on appropriate page.

TWO GREAT NEW TRIPS TO CHINA

SILK ROAD September 2009 - a few places still available.

HIDDEN TREASURES  October 2009- please call soon if you are interested.

Discover a China you never knew existed by taking either the Silk Road Tour in September or the Hidden Treasures Tour in October.

The Silk Road follows the route from East to West, re-tracing the footsteps of the early traders- this was the road travelled by Marco Polo with his father and uncles centuries ago. A real adventure.

Hidden Treasures is new - until recently it has not been possible tofly from Taiwan to the PR of China.

The natural beauty of the island called Formosa ( "beautiful") by the Portuguese is revealed, as is the beauty of the treasures of the National Palace Museum.

Xiamen on the mainland is almost unknown- at the moment.

Be amongst the first to discover the culture, history and natural attractions of this early port city.There is also the option of taking the famous Three Gorges Cruise along the Yangtse River after the Hidden Treasures tour is completed.

Check above through the "China" bird then go to Silk Road or Hidden Treasures options.

Di's Early Trips to China :

1987: 

I first visited China in September, 1987. We visited Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Guilin, Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai. Back to Hong Kong and then home.

We had a wonderful trip, myself and my then husband, Michael.

    Our National Guide was Miss Liu from Nanjing, who was wonderful, and our whole group adored her. Nothing was too much trouble.

Our trip began in Hong Kong, and we went by train to Guangzhou. I remember the journey very well- we sat in comfort and watched the landscape unfold as we rested our heads on crisp embroidered antimacassars and nibbled on boiled eggs, part of our lunch box packed by our Hong Kong hotel.

    Guangzhou 1987

The streets and shops in Guangzhou reminded me of the Chinese street (Bridge St) in Bendigo, the city close to Eaglehawk, where I'd grown up. Sadly, the Chinese style shops in Bendigo are no longer there.

Beijing was amazing. Our bus was able to easily park right at Tiananmen Square, and we had a very short walk to be right at the monuments .

There were very few tourists there that day I remember.

Hardly any cars in 1987, thousands and thousands of bicycles, many of them the "Flying Pigeon" brand.

1990 : 

In 1990 I went to China with a group of women, I took my daughter Alice, who was 13 years old. We flew in to Guangzhou, and with the aid of the Lonely Planet found a Hostel for Overseas Chinese which was across the road from the famous White Swan Hotel. We took the local bus to the hostel, and were very tired when we arrived.

 Alice and I shared a room that first night with a man from Taiwan, we spoke one word each- his " Taiwan", mine "Australia". After a couple of days in Guangzhou, sleeping at the hostel, which cost RMB 3 per night, and eating breakfast each day at the upmarket White Swan, we bought hard seat train tickets for Xi'an. We had hoped for hard sleepers, but none were available.

A party of Western women created a lot of interest in the hard seat section of the train. The men in the photo found us fascinating and their eyes followed our every move! My daughter took this photo.

We were able to negotiate for hard sleepers later in the journey, so had somewhere to sleep.

We arrived in Xi'an after a train journey which took 3 days and 2 nights.

We found a hotel close to the station which cost the equivilent of 10 Australian dollars. We went to the terracotta warriors by bus with a local Chinese tour.

We enjoyed walking around the streets, shopping the local stores, and enjoying the sights, such as a little boy having a haircut, or medical staff giving advice. When I asked a policeman for directions to the Zoo, a man sweeping the street came and helped us- he spoke impeccable English.

Walking near the hotel, some women gestured to us. It was beside the wall which encircled the old city. The women had a ladder up against the wall, and for a small amount of money, you could climb the wall, with two of the women holding the ladder. My friend Ruth went up and I held her rather expensive camera and her cigarette. I pretended to smoke and my daughter took the photo.

We went shopping one day and I bought a smart Chinese style top made of brushed cotton. When I tried it on in the shop a huge crowd gathered to watch.

Later at the hotel the other women joked that I looked pregnant. But that's not a baby under there- it's a money belt!

We carried large backpacks and wore jeans and jumpers which we'd bought  at opportunity shops in Australia We abandoned most of the clothes before coming home, so we could fit  our purchases into the back packs.

Alice had been collected pandas of all types since 1987, and she wanted to see some at the Xi'an Zoo, so we visited there and met a man who helped us get tickets and then showed us around. We had a cup of green tea at the tea house.

We got around the city on public transport, mostly on the bendy (in two parts) buses which were everywhere then. We enjoyed seeing the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and other various sights.

What a great holiday !  Very adventurous and a lot of fun.