Day 7 Thursday October 22, 2015 Xi'an/ Chongqing

Day 7 Thursday October 22 2015 Xi'an city tour

We are bused to an art gallery. Next we do Xi'an's city wall.

( older than Forbidden City. After lunch we do the National History museum. A. 1 and half hour flight to Chongqing ( population 30 million, the largest city and commercial center of southwestern China.) 

a bus takes us to the waterfront. What a beautiful city all lit up .We board the M.S. Yangtze 2. we are on the 3^rd floor. Rooms very small. Another late night. All have a very small balcony  

Day 6 Wednesday October 21 2015 Xi'an Terra Cotta warriors

Day 6 Wednesday Xi'an a full day. We visit 3 pits and are amazed to see the 6000 life size terra cotta warriors. A mausoleum for the first emperor Qin Shi Hang who unified China in 211 BC. Each warrior was different in facial expression. Some had their weapons by their side,Their horses and chariots were there too. Really amazing. ( all in organized rows). WE visit a museum on site showing close up of weapons and are shown how everything was made. Tonight we have a special dumpling banquet followed by Tang Dynasty music and dance show.

Day 5 Beijing to Xi'an

Day 5 Tuesday Beijing to Xi'an

This morning we get an early visit to see the panda bears. We are in time to watch them eat their bamboo shoots. Next. we visit the Temple of heaven, a materpiece of 15 century architecture where former emperors prayed for harvest every year. We take a high speed bullet train to Xi'an- a beautiful smooth ride. We pass many farm lands. We stay at Titan

Times hotel. Very nice.  

day 4 Monday we visit the soul stirring GREAT WALL

Day4 Monday October 19 Beijing We bus to the Great Wall wow 12,000 kilometers in total Snaking across China. It is the only earthly evidence of man visible from space. We climbed a short distance some went all the way to the 3^rd tower. Back to Beijing Still blessed with great weather-23”. We have lunch then go Hutong-

Hutong

a 700 year old traditional cottage neighborhood. We visit a family in one of the quadrangles. We get a fun rickshaw tour around ancient alleyways of Hontong. Tonight we have Beijing Duck dinner. Very good no bones

Day 3 Sunday October 18, 2015

Day 3 Sunday October 18 Beijing Breakfast is a western buffet. We take a bus today. a along walking day we got a wheelchair for Ruth Ann with a driver $50.With pusher.

We start with Tian'anmen square-HUGE ,the largest

public square in the world and the site of many historic events. What a crowd of people worst than Disneyland. Next is the Imperial Palace, also known as the forbidden city. Here 24 “sons of heaven” ruled from the Dragon throne. We had lunch Chinese style with large turntable in the middle. Very good didn't know what I was eating but tried most.

We visit the Summer Palace , the retreat for the former Empress . It was located by the Kuming lake. Beautiful views. Before dinner we go to a traditional pharmacy . We also visit a jade factory

.We had to pack our big suitcase to transfer to Xi'an ( we stay at same hotel) and we take a bullet train tomorrow. .  

Day 2 Saturday October 17, 2015 Beijing

China

Day 2 Saturday October 17, 2015 China Beijing

We have a good sleep @ the airport Travel lodge after a good breakfast we go to Park and Fly then the airport. Air Canada gets us wheelchair assistance for Beijing airport as it is huge. Good thing we did .We were able to pass long line ups for customs and baggage claims We are met by local guides at 2pm and go for a local resturant for our welcom dinner. Things are looking good temp is 23 with smog. Roads are very congested ,

 China used to run with bikes but now cars are everywhere new cars too. Bikes , petal and electric and motorcycles do not use headlights, they also do not wear helmets. Sure would not want to drive in China. Supposed to be a special lane for bikes, rickshaws also use these lanes ?????We are taken for dinner before the hotel. Typical round tables with lazy Susans. A good variety of food lots of vegetables including rice and a beer. We stay in the Oriental Bay hotel. We are on the 22 floor. Beautiful large room with huge bath and shower. No view just more buildings and smog. Beijing was formally known as Peking.

day one in China

China

Day 1 Friday October 16 Vancouver to Beijing China 

We have a good sleep @ the airport Travel lodge after a good breakfast we go to Park and Fly then the airport. Air Canada gets us wheelchair assistance for Beijing airport as it is huge. Good thing we did .We were able to pass long line ups for customs and baggage claims. 
Day 2 Beijing
Things are looking good temp is 23 with smog. Roads are very congested , China used to run with bikes but now cars are everywhere new cars too. Bikes , petal and electric and motorcycles do not use headlights, they also do not wear helmets. Sure would not want to drive in China. Supposed to be a special lane for bikes, rickshaws also use these lanes ?????We are taken for dinner before the hotel. Typical round tables with lazy Susans. A good variety of food lots of vegetables including rice and a beer. We stay in the Oriental Bay hotel. We are on the 22 floor. Beautiful large room with huge bath and shower. No view just more buildings and smog. Beijing was formally known as Peking.

Ready for China

 October 15 2015 Thursday -Thanksgiving has come and gone. Sherri and family, Hudson and Dina blessed our party. All our medical stuff is done-eyes,teeth,and body. Cliff and RuthAnne arrived on schedule. Today we go to Marlen travel where Lin will get our seats for the plane and book our Park-fly. Hopefully I will be able to post in China

.