The Town of Tongli Part 2 Upon Entering the main gate, we walked down the narrow lane leading to the town. The lane did not appear touristy at all. There was a little stand selling Baozi (Stemed Stuffed Buns), one where they ground rice into flour, and all along the lane were baskets of drying fish and shrimp. A little further on, there were a few restaurants. After walking along the narrow lane leading into the town, we then entered the town itself. We were stunned by it. It was so beautiful! The entire town is crisscrossed with canals. The canals [View Full Entry]

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Tongli Gardens Part 1 The gardens of Tongli were exquisite. Although not as refined as Suzhou's famous gardens, the gardens here were no less beautiful, and because they are not as famous as Suzhou's, they are far less crowded. Since at 2:30, the tourist busses leave Tongli, the gardens are empty of people in the afternoons. The peacefullness of these gardens combined with their exquisite design, makes them enchanting. The gardens are perfectly designed so that only a small part of them can be viewed at a time, so visitors wandering down their meandering paths have new sc [View Full Entry]

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Tongli Gardens Part 2 This is another of Tongli's gardens. It is quite a bit smaller than the first, but no less beautiful. The main feature of this garden was its large pond and surrounding buildings. What a beautiful way to spend the afternoon! [View Full Entry]

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Yangtze River Cruise Journal Day 1 Today I began my tour to China’s Yangtze River. This morning I arrived in the city of Chongqing. My tour guide Violet was waiting for me when I arrived at the airport. She took me to my own personal car, and driver, which I thought was pretty cool. She took me to my hotel. I am staying at the Chongqing Holiday Inn, a four star hotel. I have never stayed in a four star hotel, and it is really nice. Everybody here is really friendly, and speaks really good English, which is a huge relief. [View Full Entry]

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Xian's Small Wild Goose Pagoda Scenic Area Xian is famous for its two wild goose pagodas. They are named the Large Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. I visited both, and the small one was definately my favorite. It is not as frequented as the Large Wild Goose Pagoda so it has less crowds. I always find that a bonus. It has recently undergone a lot of development and been made part of a much larger scenic area. Located in the southern suburbs of Xian, the scenic area consists of the Xian Museum, and an ancient Tang Dynasty [View Full Entry]

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Xian's Drum and Bell Towers and Night Market Xian has so much to offer visitors. So much more than just the terracotta warriors. I found that out when I visited in 2006. I instantly fell in love with the city, and sadly have not returned. I will have to do that soon. I loved that city! My travel consultant suggested I stay for three days instead of the one I had planned, and I am so glad she did. There is so much to see there. Two really neat features of Xian are its drum and bell towers. They are located [View Full Entry]

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Xian's Terracotta Warriors When I decided to write a blog about Xian I thought I'd write one blog about the whole city. After all, what's there to see in Xian other than the terracotta warriors right? Sadly, that is what most people, including Chinese think. I found Xian to be an amazing city full of wonderful things to see and do and experience. My Mother was accompanying me, and because this was her first trip to China I wanted to make sure that she had the best time possible. I had originally intended to only spend one day in Xian, but [View Full Entry]

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Indescribable Tibet How to describe Tibet? I have heard it called “Shangri La”, and I have heard it called “The Rooftop of the World”, but there is really no accurate way to describe this amazing and mysterious place in a few simple words or even paragraphs. It is an absolutely amazing place that time seems to have forgotten. It features some of the most breathtaking man-made, and natural sites in the world, and as a whole, has the friendliest people I have ever met. They seem to smile and laugh more than any other people in the world. The sky [View Full Entry]

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Chengdu teahouses When I took a trip to Chengdu, one of the things I planned to do was visit one of Chengdu's tea houses. I am a lover of Chinese tea, and living in Guilin, we don't have many traditional tea houses, and so I wanted to check out what a real traditional tea house was like. There are a lot of teahouses scattered throughout Chengdu. I think I'd like to live there just to attempt to try them all out. It'd take a lifetime, but time well spent I believe. Drinking tea has become quintessential part of Chengdu people’s daily [View Full Entry]

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Chengdu's Leshan Giant Buddha I have been dreaming of visiting the Leshan Giant Buddha for many years. Finally in 2006 I got my chance. I took a tour to Chengdu with China Odyssey Tours. It was wonderful! I didn't know it, but the Leshan Giant Buddha is actually an entire park like area. It is located near Leshan City, which is near Chengdu City. The Giant statue is not actually of The Buddha, but of Maitreya, a fat laughing Bodhisattva who symbolizes brightness and happiness. The park in which the Giant Buddha rests is located in the mountains, so the area [View Full Entry]

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