Blogs from Huangshan, Anhui, China, Asia - page 6

At the main entrance, we had to pay an entrance fee of 115Y (student discount) while Cherry and Se Young also had to pay 80Y more for a cable car ticket. They didn't like the idea of hiking all the way up the western (front) path with their back packs. The other two girls Se Won and Helen decided to take the cable car after 5 minutes of hiking up stairs. Joey led us for a while at a decent pace, each of us sporting 2.5 Liters of water and all of our other extra weight! It was going to be a workout, but I was extremely excited. We tried to speed past group tours (which we didn't see that many of at first) and didn't stop for the first 30 minutes. Our first break was ... read more

Days 19-20 Hua Shan On day 18 we again board a chartered boat for a direct transfer back to Bai Chay, then onto a private bus for a drive to the border of China, Friendship Gate (approx. 6 hours). We then travel on by bus via Pingxiang and Ningming to Hua Shan (approx. 1 hour). We spend two nights in a charming guesthouse, set near a little village of wooden Dong and Zhuang-style houses. On day 20 we meet with a local guide and explore the local villages and countryside by foot. --------- Arrived at Butterfly Valley to where we were staying which was little wooden huts on stilts. Very magical but quite scary with all the insects outside. Had somesort of insect hatching in our doorway and a Geko in our bathroom. Had dinner which ... read more

Suzhou's No.1 Silk Factory When I heard I was going to the No.1 Silk Factory I was not too thrilled. I've been to a lot of different "factories" and they usually are just places where they try to sell overpriced souvenirs to tourists. I was quite surprised and happy to be wrong. It was a real factory making very high quality silk items which were reasonably priced. I bought a lot there and if I had more money would have bought much more. When entering the factory you can see the process of silk manufacturing from silkworm to silk. They had live silkworms eating mulberry leaves on display YUCK! After I learned the process I was then shown how they sort the different silk cocoons by quality level. They then showed how they unwound the silk ... read more

Suzhou's Pan Gate Suzhou's Pan Gate is a large scenic area named after the Pan Gate which is one Suzhou's two remaining city gates. The scenic area is beautiful and quite large. The area is filled with gardens, pavilions, lakes, and pathways all beautifully manicured. It is a really beautiful place. The two main features of the area is the Pan Gate and the Auspicious Light Pagoda (Ruiguang). Both are cool in their own right. The pagoda is the oldest pagoda in Suzhou. It costs six kuai extra to climb it, but I thought it was well worth it. The views of the area are really gorgeous from the top. The interior of the pagoda itself was rather run down though and there was a lot of garbage inside. The Pan Gate is a dual gate ... read more

Suzhou's Lingering Garden Suzhou's gardens are world famous and I have no doubt whatsoever why. They are simply stunning. I have visited a lot of them and would give anything to own one of my own. What really amazes me is that they were at one time private gardens only visited by their owners and his family. They are an amazing blend of nature and architecture. The Lingering Garden was the first Suzhou garden on my tour. It is stunning. The garden is filled with ponds and streams and has beautiful pavilions and building scattered throughout. Each is designed to offer unique views. In different pavilions located throughout the garden are live musicians performing. They add to the already incredible atmosphere of the garden. They sing and play music. Many different instruments are represented and as ... read more