We're Back !! And it was fun...

March /April 2009. Garden Trip

We discovered the Shanghai Botanic Gardens, though we had to share it with many Chinese citizens. Beautiful swathes of potted colour, woodland areas and wonderful novelty numbers such as the planted umbrellas seen to the right.

Everyone wanted a China Bird pink hat ! But we weren't giving them up because we needed them. No one in China seems to wear pink caps, so they were very useful in a crowd.

Suzhou Gardens

So beautiful, full of atmosphere.Every corner had "something".

Some breath-taking moments. See the blossom tree to the right.

And the pussycat at the Embroidery Institute, enjoying the sun and probably useful as a mouser in some of those old buildings.

Canals around Suzhou

Some narrow and winding - it was a squeeze at times! Others, like the Grand Canal were wide and ancient, and still used.

Xi'an

Xi'an, New at the Terracotta Museum, hand in hand for world peace. If you look closely, you can see that they are giant string puppets.

Some feedback from the 2006 trip:

Hotels:

"All first class. Very clean and modern.Always plenty of hot water.Staff friendly and made us feel welcome. Rooms always ready on arrival. My favourite was the State Guesthouse in Yangzhou. Beautiful surrounds. The glass doors in the bathroom in Suzhou's Xuanmiao Business Hotel was a first. Great location, to be able to walk around the corner for a supper "treat".

Liked the smaller ones for friendly service.

VERY NICE!!

They were lovely. Service very good. For me it was 5-star all the way."

Iris and Mary take a break in Xi'an.

Guides:

" Always helpful. I fell in love with them all. Their patience with some of our "old Girls"was unbelievable. "

Helpful.

Polite and friendly.

Great. Worked hard. Drivers too. Carried us safely through chaotic traffic!"

Sightseeing:

" I loved all the sights. Slender West Lake was so pleasant and peaceful.

Wonderful! Varied and occupied all our time.

To walk along the Wall was a dream come true. Hope to do it again.

Things you would not see only with Di arrangements. So exciting."

Food:

" I tried and enjoyed all the food except the chickens' and ducks' feet.

It was always so artistically presented, table decorations were beautifully arranged. Restaurants clean, and food delivered speedily.

The hot towels were always gratefully received.

Really great.

Everywhere we went it was A1.

Loved it!"

China Birds dining in style.

Travel within China:

"It was good to mix with the locals on the train and to see what they eat. It was great to have our own coach. How they managed to get us there on time was a miracle.

Very good. Oz could learn some things from the train system we used.

Happy with service."

Train trip, Yangzhou to Suzhou.

Your favourite city:

" How can I choose a favourite city. I loved them all.They were all so different, and each had so much to offer. The gardens and waterways in Suzhou were spectatular, there was so much history to absorb in the old cities. The tea gardens in Hangzhou, the peony roses in Xi'an...no, I can't choose.The official part of our tour in Yangzhou was such a privilege to be able to be part of. So much to learn at the agricultural college, and our escorts were just great. The kindergarten brought some of us to tears. The official welcome was very moving, and what great memories the Chinese people have ( they remembered me from my last trip!).

I found every city had something special to offer and it was good and a variety of sight-seeing made every day interesting.

Yangzhou, Suzhou, Xi'an, Beijing- everywhere really!! Loved the fact that we were busy all day- even if half of us slept through most of the Tang Dynasty concert!!

EVERY ONE WAS ENJOYABLE."

Most memorable moment :

"Just to be able to walk on "The Wall" was a dream come true.

Where do I start...? Xi'an was special, because I missed out on seeing it when we were in China 17 years ago.Xi'an seems to have a lot more to offer, apart from what we saw. Hutongs was VERY special.

Seeing the soldiers and walking on the wall.

Didn't have one particular moment- every day was so full of enjoyment."

Other comments:

The friendliness of the Chinese people. They made us feel so welcome, whether it be in a hotel, in a restaurant, or just on the street.I felt that we remained friends after getting our own way in the "bartering" system. What a challenge to our way of shopping. Hard to understand the open pants on the children. What a lot we have to learn. I feel I should go back to school.

Getting dearer no doubt but still a shopper's paradise. I was impressed with progress over 17 years. Seems that when China does Modern, it does it well. People charming, interested in us, trying hard to give good service to tourists.

Looking at all the cities. Lovely gardens and street lights. Also, all the lovely buildings."

Pauline,Geoffrey and Angela meet up in Yangzhou.

Altogether a memorable trip. I can't wait to do it again. We have only scratched the surface. Thank you Di for inviting me to join you and for all your organising.

I was particularly delighted to see the abundance of arts and craft. Sometimes this is a displaced priority when a country modernises and adopts a global position.

Slippers- Muslim Market, Xi'an