I was going
to blog while I was on vacation in China but the government had just blocked
all access to Google :( That was certainly a blow to any attempts. Another
problem that occurred was the lack of time. We were so busy every day that
there was no time to blog even if I had had the capability! So I’ve decided to
put a few things together.
First of
all an itinerary. This itinerary is not
exactly what we did. Mainly because we added in a trip to my father-in-laws
village. The trip cost us 3 full days and unless you are interested in carved rock it’s probably not worth the time. I’ve also taken out a few things
that we visited and thought were a waste of time and added some places that were on our itinerary but we never got to. Also keep in mind that we traveled with two children which means that if you don't have children you can probably fit more into a day!
This is a very sparse outline. I hope to add further blogs with more details about what to look out for and how to get to places.
Our travel
plans took us first to Hong Kong then to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xi’an and finally
Beijing.
Hong Kong
Day1:
Victoria Peak Garden. The Edward Youde Aviary. The museum of tea ware. Pool.
Day 2:
Walking Tour. Western Market. Cat street bazaar. Man Mo Temple. Pool. Star
Ferry. Light Show.
Day 3: Pak
Tai Temple, Wanchai. Bank of China Tower. Chi Lin Nunnery. Nan Lian Gardens. Temple
Street night market.
Day 4: Hong
Kong to Shanghai (by air)
Shanghai
Day 6: East
Nanjing Rd. The Bund. Shopping.
Day 7:
Shanghai zoo. Shanghai to Hangzhou (by train)
Hangzhou
Day 8: Lingyin Temple.
Ziyun Cave, Sunrise Terrace, Baopu Taoist Temple, Baochu Pagoda.
Day 9: Boat
trip to the island “three pools mirroring the moon” on the Hangzhou lake. Quyuan
Gardens. Yuewang Temple (Mausoleum of General Yue Fei).
Day 10: Bike
around southern part of lake (Jingci Temple, Leifeng Pagoda).Tea plantations.
Day 11:
Free day! Catch the night train or a plane to Xi’an.
Xi'an
Day 12: City
walls. Muslim quarter. Great Mosque. Muslim quarter by night.
Day 13: Terracotta
Warriors.
Day 14:
Bell tower, drum tower, ice skating! Catch the night train to Beijing.
Beijing
Day 15:
Lama Temple, Confucius Temple and Imperial College, Hutong alleys.
Day 16:
Great Wall
Day 17:
Tian’anmen Square, The Forbidden City.
Day 18:
Temple of Heaven Park, drum tower, bell tower.
