Blog 11 - Back to China Again
CHINA AGAIN
An early start, collected by cab at 5.30am for the bus to Harbin. A long boring 15hr trip, but arrive at The Holiday Inn, to a luxurious room with the best bed we have slept in! Oooh luxury!
Once we negotiate our way across the road, dodging crazy drivers as is customary in China, we prowl a great shopping area, with beautifully illuminated older buildings. Walk to the waterfront, but is cold, and of course, so much smog, you can't see beyond the other side!
We spend 2 lovely days here. This is the Ice & Snow city, where the Ice Sculptures are done in January.
Then, we fly to Beijing. Good 2hour flight.
Caught a cab to Capital Hotel – right in downtown Beijing. I am amazed that there are not nearly as many people as I expected!
who stood alone and faced an army of tanks, during the student revolution.
An awesome tour of The Great Wall, where we climb to the 12th Tower. The crowds are immense, and it is push and shove.Takes an hour just to get up to here! On return, are directed down a dirt track to the bottom! No chance of ‘downward’ photos! But guess that they have to control the crowds somehow.
Then to Jade Factory – excellent, with some incredible carvings, and to a Silk Factory- fascinating again, and could have bought beautiful silk doona for around $100. (didn’t need one!) Finally to a Chinese Medicine Centre, where we are all given wonderful foot massage (tip of 20y - $3.) and doctors check our pulse, to ascertain what is wrong with us. Doubtful results, there! I was prepared to be convinced, but wasn’t.
At night, we wander the “walking Street” – a closed to traffic area, and it is packed. We find a great underground eatery, but cannot find a seat!
An early start, collected by cab at 5.30am for the bus to Harbin. A long boring 15hr trip, but arrive at The Holiday Inn, to a luxurious room with the best bed we have slept in! Oooh luxury!
Once we negotiate our way across the road, dodging crazy drivers as is customary in China, we prowl a great shopping area, with beautifully illuminated older buildings. Walk to the waterfront, but is cold, and of course, so much smog, you can't see beyond the other side!
We spend 2 lovely days here. This is the Ice & Snow city, where the Ice Sculptures are done in January.
Then, we fly to Beijing. Good 2hour flight.
Caught a cab to Capital Hotel – right in downtown Beijing. I am amazed that there are not nearly as many people as I expected! 
who stood alone and faced an army of tanks, during the student revolution.
An awesome tour of The Great Wall, where we climb to the 12th Tower. The crowds are immense, and it is push and shove.Takes an hour just to get up to here! On return, are directed down a dirt track to the bottom! No chance of ‘downward’ photos! But guess that they have to control the crowds somehow.
Then to Jade Factory – excellent, with some incredible carvings, and to a Silk Factory- fascinating again, and could have bought beautiful silk doona for around $100. (didn’t need one!) Finally to a Chinese Medicine Centre, where we are all given wonderful foot massage (tip of 20y - $3.) and doctors check our pulse, to ascertain what is wrong with us. Doubtful results, there! I was prepared to be convinced, but wasn’t.
At night, we wander the “walking Street” – a closed to traffic area, and it is packed. We find a great underground eatery, but cannot find a seat!
Next day we visited the Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace - an amazing place and really well preserved. Some of the exhibits are priceless and date back to 1400 ad.
We walked about 5km to the Bell Tower where they sounded the bell to let the people know the time of day. We went up the Drum Tower which is in the same complex and watched a fantastic display of drumming which happens daily.
That night we walked back thru Tienanmen Square and watched the biggest TV screen you have ever seen - 50meters long and really high definition, showing a kaleidoscope of scenes of China.
And that was it!! We left the smog behind us for the crystal clear skies of Brisbane..
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