http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/CindyLooHoo/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from CindyLooHoo en-us Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:19:44 +0000 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:19:44 +0000 OK so I am a bit behind.....The next excursion we were offered was a trip to Fhengdu the Ghost City. Once off the boat the first thing you see are groupings of colourful stores. The first thing you hear is the incessant hawking. Oh well gotta make a living.Most of the people have been moved across the river to a newly constructed city. What is left are the temples and you get to them vi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Yangtze-River/blog-266182.html We were warned about not drinking too much this morning as the toilets on the ferry are squatties. We take a ride down the Shennong Stream where we transfer to peapod boats. The Shennong Stream is a tributary of the Yangtze River off of the Three Gorges area. We were told and I read that today is when we see the famous hanging coffins. I was glad I was on the right side of the boat and h http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Yangtze-River/Shennong-Stream/blog-258616.html The mist and sun are up and the river is smooth. Master Chin led those gathered in a basic tai chi sequence. I finished with some yoga poses facing downstream in the bow of the boat.Breakfast was sumptuous as are all the meals it is a 5star cruise. Afterwards we went to the upper deck to look at the Xiling Gorge followed by our entry into the lock system. This is a bit of a repeat here http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Hubei/Three-Gorges-Dam/blog-258612.html REMINDER this is from Day 3 I am going a bit backwards as I did some quick updates in the middle regarding the CHANGE in plans and all....We had supper at a restaurant that specialized in spicey food however we were told that they would not make it too spicey for us. You could hear the groans from all the people who like spicey food. On our way out of the restaurant was a woman selling http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-258606.html When we flew out of Shanghai we landed in Yichang. From the airport we drove through the countryside. There is canola everywhere you look. This area is also famous for tea and oranges. I feel like I am in the middle of a Leonard Cohen song..... The canola is easy to spot and you can see patches between houses on hillsides beside businesses etc. If there is a small bit of arable land some http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Chongqing/blog-258599.html Still no plans settled for getting home. In the making.Started yesterday with Tai chi on the sundeck.Entered the Xiling Gorge. It is just like you see in paintings and photos. We went through the Three Gorges Project shiplock and on the other side went to the actual dam.Canola everywhere when they can find a patch of land there is something grown.I had a Chigong massage from the guy who l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Yangtze-River/blog-258124.html I spent so long on the phone with the insurance compnay this morning never mind the hours last night that I missed breakfast. I have an hour before the bus leaves for the airport so I am going to hunt down a bakery. I think I deserve some baked goods. I am going to follow my nose.I cannot believe how packed some of the buses are but then no worse than the Bee Line in Vancouver especiall http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Hubei/Three-Gorges-Dam/blog-257691.html Ah yes the baby pants with the slit up the back. I forgot what a sight this can be to North Americans. At least this child has a diaper hanging out instead of a bare butt. The father or grandfather is ushering the child inside and the mother or grandmother is washing rice at the aforementioned tap on the side of the building. I had thought she was using a pink plastic basin but it turns http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-257501.html I'm on my way to get a massage. It's raining and there are lots of people in slickers my favourite being the one with raincoat written across the back the other option would be...........I came across a uniformed gentleman standing at attention under a very large umbrella it was affixed to a heavy metal stand sort of like those outdoor heaters at sidewalk cafes. I thought He looks qu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-257500.html I spoke with the folks at my insurance agency for trip interruption and they are recommending that I continue to Chengdu but then head home if the border to Tibet is still closed in 4 days time. That means I get to do the Yantze River cruise.Panda bear reserve here I come and hanging coffins and Ghost City and Three Gorges ........ http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-257497.html Your regularly scheduled blog has been interrupted to bring you this important message TIBET is CLOSED.If you're reading this blog to find out about Tibet you might as well stop now. The Chinese government has closed the borders thus concluding my journey to Everest.I'm crushed as are the people of Tibet. I'm disappointed bitterly but have nothing to complain about my vacation didn't end http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-257496.html I've taped a press conference off the TV. You can fill in the blanks.Peace.Cindy http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-257181.html I tried looking for a part of the old wall the original wall around ancient Shanghai. I didn't find it but saw life in back lanes and alleys. Water comes from pipes on the outside of houses and I nearly walked into an outdoor public biffy. I was in the neighbourhood of the Yu Yuan Garden so I stopped to find our tour group I knew the approximate times of their itinerary. A ticket seller http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-257176.html I've negotiated my way around the subway system. Woo hoo I was about to ask someone which way to the Huanpi stop and then realized it would be no different than in Montreal or NYCity. You find the line you need and then you either choose the right or the left side. The next station is clearly marked so it was a snap. I made a point of never using English a phrasebook is an absolute MUST. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-257171.html Our national guide has taken the English name of Snow. He comes from the south of China where there is not snow. He figured the name would make him stand out ane be cool. Nick is our city guide. He is from Suzhou. I think I butchered the pronunciation of his home town probably akin to turning Kanata into Kapiskasing.At the Jing An temple I watched everyone else and then bought incen http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/Jing-An/blog-257168.html I spent most of the plane ride practicing Where is the toilet and I need to vomit. Stop Ting. Ting. Ting. Ting. My seatmate Teri was from Hong Kong though she now lives in Vancouver and goes to Shanghai for business computer games quite often.6 Y 7 L 8 R 9 X for the sign language junkies these are the signs for some numbers.The airport had an underlying lingering perv http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/Jing-An/blog-256841.html I just heard the terrible news about the rioting in Lhasa. I have no idea if things will have settled by the time I am supposed to fly into Tibet. Time will tell and there is nothing I can do except hope that peace prevails. The Tibetans have kept their cool pretty much for 50 years can't blame them for being done with the whole thing.Watch wait pray if you do so.Peace.Cindy http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Greenland/blog-256182.html That's right folks the packing is done. I was up until 130 in the morning but the bags are packed and I'm ready to go. Hey who invited John Denver into this blogIf you know what my house or office looks like then you won't be surprised that I have one more bag than I planned on. What a packrat. There is the big green monster backpack and then my carryon suitcase that's the one I hadn' http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/blog-256112.html