All 27 in the group said they tremendously enjoyed the guided tour of China (October 19 - November 1, 1998).
Beijing - first stop. World’s largest McDonald restaurant and largest public square (Tien An Men), “Forbidden City” with Temple of Heaven and palace complex. Took a few steps on the 3,000-mile long Great Wall, still China’s No. 1 attraction. Tombs of some emperors of Ming dynasty. Summer palace. Chinese opera which I did not understand what it was all about since there was no translation in English; so, I slept off the second half of the show.
Xian. Archeological discovery site of terracotta Emperor guards, many on horseback (life-size). Digging has continued for 21 years already. Bell Tower and Wild Goose pagodas.
Shanghai. The “Bund” (German for river bank) of Shanghai river with busy boat traffic. Jade Buddha. Arts and Craft Center as well as Children’s Palace (a children’s special school). Breathtaking acrobatic show of juggling, balancing, card tricks with a touch of comedy (I did not sleep in this one at any time).
Guilin. Six-hour cruise on Li River with mountains of well-defined pointed peaks, water buffalos and ducks wallowing on water, villagers fishing or washing clothes. Stalactites and stalagmites at Flute Cave, short climb to Fubo Hill which gives a bird’s eye view of the verdant city.
Guangzhou. Most important seaport of south China. Ornate shrine of Chen’s family and Memorial Hall of Sun-Yat-Sen, founder of the China Republic.
Hong Kong: Three-hour night train ride to Hong Kong. Victoria Peak for a breathtaking view of the former British colony. Aberdeen with so many sampans and scenic Repulse Bay, Stanley Market to shop for bargains of name brands (the shopper’s heaven). Many went crazy (shopping!). They dug deep into their pockets to buy jade rings, earrings, bracelets, cameras, clothing, picture cards, scarves, and what-have-you. So, if you want to have a jacket for just one U.S. dollar, welcome to China! All I bought was one bottled water and ½ pound of chestnuts. I held tight to my wallet, resisting the shopping fever and not losing my head. At every meal including buffet breakfast, not less than 12 courses were served. Although food was a great temptation, I pledged to nail my weight to 126 pounds, m weight before the China trip.
Since the first time (1984) we toured China but with a different group, there has been visibly a giant leap to progress in China. There are more high-rise buildings for offices and for residence than in Los Angeles. The Hiltons and the Sheratons are a far cry from China’s recently-constructed hotels. The people in the cities are well dressed, many of them (men and women) in suits, even if they ride on bicycles. Evident also is a marked increase in private cars and public buses, but bicycles are still clearly “king of the road.” You have to be an expert and have a strong heart to drive in crowded traffic of private cars, public buses, motorcycles and bicycles.
Some are saying they would like to go back, primarily to shop! Some want to go to Scandinavia. So Scandinavia, here we come! In the year 2000, God willing…
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