Kysorb said:
I have made up my anti-insanity plan. Next month the probable plan now is that the wife and I will go on a cross China adventure. I think this is my travel itinerary which because we will travel by train i can always cut short and hurry back to Beijing. We will stay in each city for a day or 2
Beijing -> Qingdao -> Nanjing -> Ningbo -> Fuzhou -> Xiamen -> Shenzhen -> Guangzhou -> Wuhan -> Chongqing -> Chengdu -> Xian (wife's hometown probably stay until after national week unless the Embassy PPR's)
Any tourism advice from anyone about any of these places?
I've traveled in China 6 separate times over the past 4 years and literally only scratched the surface. I never get tired of it! The highlights of the places and things I've enjoyed;
Beijing - the '798 Art District' (jaw-dropping sometimes subversive and funny stuff; "can they really get away with this in
Red China?")
Spinning grilled sandwiches on Shatan Houjie, and maybe the closet thing to good espresso (at the end of the alley) in all of Beijing.
Shanhaiguan, Hebei - where the great wall meets the Bohai Sea (Camel ride along the beach) and a very real slice of ancient village life in a older district that doesn't seem to have changed in centuries. The locals sing impromptu in the street at night in their own neighborhoods for themselves (not for tourists) such a wealth of living culture there.
Beidaihe, Hebei - a really odd, almost European resort town on the coast that seems to be geared mostly to the interest of Russian tourism. Excellent seafood, and real Italian style pizza right along the beachfront.
Chengdu, Sichuan - the biggest village like city I've seen. So many great and remarkably clean districts to take in. The best little hotel I've ever stayed in, called the Buddha Zen Hotel ("Round and Round," or Double O, in Chinese) smack in the middle of a village-like food court. Sichuan Hotpot-
mild; still Hot! Best Chinese teahouse experience here, too - subtle and rich....So clean really, compared to the Northern cities...
As cliched as it may be, don't miss the Panda park. Especially the nursery. Natural comedians, the young ones.
Rural Sichuan - How to see it...? You have to know someone. I stayed with a family on a Pistachio farm, and was treated like a visiting dignitary. No central village. Just farmers. Real Human Beings. All noble salt-of-the-earth, completely self-sufficient, though interdependent, and rich beyond money... totally unforgettable
Wudangshan, Hubei - the most incredible mountain temples and scenic views - to die for, breathtaking and ancient - the 'how and why' library of incredible feats of architectural beauty. Still active Taoist culture there with many older Gōngfu masters practicing and teaching.
Chongqing - the endless city. So huge, you could easy spend two weeks here and just see a fraction..., it could easily be its own country. The riverside scene is a carnival atmosphere with more vendors than you can imagine. Huge riverboat rides and kites galore.
Haven't been to the other places you've mentioned. As you may know, traveling in China can sometimes drive you nuts, but at the same time bring things into some kind of bigger peaceful perspective. Gives a certain pause, somehow even in the midst of all the hustle... "Anti-insanity," indeed - * of course traveling with princess of this region makes it an experience of a lifetime, no doubt
Would love to hear what you find. I'll be headed there in two weeks!
