Penny

I’m hoping some of you will share your comments on our China travel plans. My husband and I will arrive in Hong Kong on Mon,March 27,00 at 7 A.M. and depart HK for U.S. on Sat,Apr 8 at 10 P.M. We don’t speak the language and plan to pre-arrange escort service as necessary. <BR> <BR>We don’t have any firm plans but are considering the following: <BR>Guilin – Li River Cruise Mon night <BR>Yangshou Tues night <BR>Xi’an Wed-Thurs nights <BR>Beijing Fri-Sat-Sun nights <BR>Shanghai Mon-Tues nights <BR>HongKong Wed-Thurs-Fri <BR> <BR>Any comments on the above or suggestions for altering the plan, deleting or adding some other city? Does it make any difference if we do Guilin/Yangshou at the start or end of the two weeks? Are there travel/escort services that you can recommend. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated. PS <BR>

Ricky

Penny, <BR>I just come back from Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou few weeks ago. According to your schedule, you will spend only half day in Guilin (7am arrive HK & fly to Guilin). I think you can spend more time there. <BR>Also, consider to visit Suzhou as well. Day trip from Shanghai (1 hr train) is fine. <BR>After visiting Beijing and Xi'an, there are not much historical sights to watch in Shanghai. In my opinion, the sights really worth visit are Shanghai Museum, Bund & Yuyuan Garden. So, 1 or 1.5 day will be enough. <BR>Overall, I would suggest to spare more time in the early part of the trip. <BR>Any questions, send email to me. <BR>

Karen

We used Cameron Tours out of McClean, VA (800) 648-4635 to arrange for local guide/driver in each of our China destinations and were very pleased. A day/night in HK on arrival is nice in case you are late arriving/making connections and there is lots of walking/sightseeing you can do to work on the jet lag. The Li River trip takes most of a day. I would have liked to have lingered in the town at the end of the trip. Really enjoyed the ride back through the country to Guilin. We asked to stop at a working farm. It was facinating. I don't know why people like caves with lights and stories so I would avoid the Reed Flute Cave in Guilin. <BR> <BR>

clarence

Hi! <BR>my name is clarence guo,a taxi driver and tour guide in <BR>xi'an----the home town of terra-cotta figures,i often take <BR>travellers to a cave dwelling village after terra-cotta <BR>figures,you'll visit some family live in the cave houses <BR>which built hundreds of years ago,meet local farmers and <BR>kids there. <BR>if you need my help(airport transfer,hotel,tour) in <BR>xi'an,pls feel free to e-mail me. <BR>pla visit my web site www.taxitour.com. <BR>Regards. <BR>

sean

I happen to be following the same trail in January, entering by Hong Kong, hitting Guilin/Yangshuo first, though I'll be staying in the south of China to stay a bit warmer (not a concern for you). I too would suggest that you add a day in Yangshuo, perhaps skip the overpriced Guilin Li River cruise altogether. I think you could possibly shave a day off your stay in Hong Kong if you spend little time in Kowloon. Most of the real attractions are on the island side or the outlying anyway. Kowloon is mostly shopping and restaurants, nice, but not something you can't do somewhere else.

Penny

Thanks for your responses. Michael, your extensive fax/email info was very helpful! Sean, your suggestion about skipping the “expensive Li River cruise” surprised me. I understood it to be a “don’t miss…beautiful…one of the most scenic parts of China” experience. (Is that overstating it???)Karen, thank you for the Cameron Tours suggestion. We're now thinking of staying in HK for a couple of days upon arrival for the very reason you mentioned. I think Reed Flute Cave has been eliminated from our list…your comments help cement that decision! Any and all other comments will be appreciated. Penny

Les

Penny, <BR>In my opinion, the Li River cruise, although somewhat long, is definitely a "don't miss". I don't know what Sean was thinking about when he suggested you skip it. <BR> Les

Michael

Penny, <BR> <BR>I also agree; you cannot get the perspective of the mountains by busing to Yangshuo, etc. Also, seeing fisherman, villagers selling their produce, fish, etc. to the tour boat are things that you cannot see from the highway!

Karen

I verified with my husband (who hates to sightsee) and he says the Li River trip was a highlight for him. The view was so different, seeing local river taxis, a man harvesting grass from the river, etc. all among the scenery we associate with Chinese paintings. It was sad to see the boys wading the river begging from each boat. The trip is long, so it is an opportunity for a day you need a break/relaxation. <BR> <BR>We have been to HK several times now. Our favorites: the museum for an overview of the history, the subway to visit an ancient walled village (the subway is great and easy to use), the HKTA tour of the New Territories that was a great view of several parts of HK life, the Star Ferry at night, a ride around the island on top of a double decker bus (not for the faint hearted), the top of the island, the escalator sidewalk, the old part of HK where you can walk for hours through parks, antique shops, herb shops, etc. Everything we like to do is easily accessible from the north side of the island. We also enjoyed a day trip to Macau walking among the Colonial buildings. My husband wanted to ride one of the jetfoils. But you may want to save side trips from HK for your next visit.

cb

The Guilin River trip should not be missed. When we did this cruise, there were tourists who just got done with the Yangtse River cruise, and they all agreed that the Guilin River was more interesting, scenic, and worth spending the day on the river.

Penny

This is great! I'm starting to get excited now. Suzhou is now on the list as a day trip from Shanghai. If anyone out there has comments about touring the gardens, the Embroidery Research Institute, or the Silk, Mahogany Carving,Jade Carving "factories," please pass them along. (I think we need more time.) Thanks for continuing to add to this thread. It's very helpful. Penny

Les

Penny, <BR>We took the day trip from Shanghai to Suzhou (train). It was very easy, and you can see a lot in one day. We toured the gardens, the embroidery research institute, and the silk factory. All were interesting, in ascending order. What was most fun for us (after completing these tours) was walking around the town, along the canals. The Grand Canal and old city canal gate was fascinating, but the smaller canals give more insight into the everyday living conditions, and talking to the residents (OK, communicating rather than talking, since we don't speak the language) was very much fun. All were very friendly, interesting and interested, and that in large part is the joy of travelling. <BR>In short, Suzhou is one of those places where a day trip would be worthwhile (although marginally short), but I probably wouldn't consider it an overnight destination. <BR> Les

cb

Here are my comments about Suzhou points of interest. We were so impressed with the Master of the Nets Garden that our group of 6 requested our tour guide to show us another one - the Humble Administrator's garden. If you have time for only one garden, go see the Nets. At the embroidery institute were women embroidering works of art, including double sided embroideries. All products are for sale. It was fascinating to see silk being processed into spools of thread at the silk factory. They sell beautiful embroidered silk clothing; there are cheaper silk in the US. The silk factory also makes comforters. The jade carving factory makes beautiful jade art works in various colors; they are also for sale. <BR>A trip on the Grand Canal was also interesting. <BR>One night a week, the Master of the Nets Garden holds a classical night of Chinese opera, song, dance, and playing of musical instruments in various rooms in the garden.