Arrive in Shanghai
4. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
We're here after a pleasant enough trip (although seats on the plane weren't the most comfortable ever experienced. First impressions. They don't do skies well here -- cloud/smog mix. They seem toLes mer
Interesting fact
4. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
To own a car here you have to have a licence -- have your licence plates. You have to buy them at auction and that can cost around $25,000! Once you've outlayed that, you then can go and buy a car.
IfLes mer
A snapshot of Shanghai
5. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Since we arrived a day early for the tour, we had time to investigate Shanghai on our own. And since my personal tour director has previous China experience, off we leapt. Metro to the ShanghaiLes mer
Official start to the tour
6. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We started off with a stroll around the district. There was a nearby park where people bring their birds to 'socialise' and they can have a chat themselves. It is quite an appealing district with theLes mer
Another day in Shanghai
7. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
We took a stroll to the former residence of Soong Ching Ling who was the wife of Sun Yet Sen, the father of Chinese independence (1911). He formed the Nationalist party which subsequently took issueLes mer
Some random photos
7. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
Some leftover photos from Shanghai
Observations on Shanghai
8. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
They say Shanghai is an international and not a Chinese city. I see what they mean. Put aside the 24 million residents and there's not a lot to distinguish it as Chinese. I liked it though. The partsLes mer
Harbin
9. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
We're now in Harbin, a village of 10 million people in the NE of China. It took a Maglev ride (at 300 k/hr) and a 3hr plane ride yesterday to get here. The Maglev was a demonstration gift from GermanyLes mer
To Beijing
10. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
We had a Disneyland night last night with dinner at a Russian restaurant Tatoc complete with Chinese people speaking Russian, a serenading saxophonist and absolutely chaotic service. A bit of fun inLes mer
Out and about in Beijing
11. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Big day today. Tiananmen Square. It's huge. The locals say it holds a million people -- or 500,000 Americans. The scale of the Forbidden City was amazing. Apparently there are 9,999 buildings.
WeLes mer
Some other photos
11. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
(Not) hitting the wall
12. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Sad faces on please. We didn't make it with the group to the Great Wall today. I've come down with a heavy cold and needed to isolate. Despite my protestations, Sue kindly stayed to mop my brow andLes mer
On to Pingyao
13. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
We went to one of 7 Beijing railway stations ( you would need a month in a place to work out where to go -- or go on a tour) to catch the fast train to Pingyao. It took a bit over 4 hours (600 km fromLes mer
Out of Pingyao
14. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C
Today's sojourn took in two major sights and a lunch. First up, a Buddhist monastery dating back to (I think) the 4th century, but no longer in operation. Buddhism came to China from India via TibetLes mer
On to Xi'an
15. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Another day and there has been no spanning. We had the morning to wander as the train to Xi'an didn't leave until mid afternoon. We checked out a banking museum (the world's first is said to haveLes mer
Terracotta warriors
16. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ 🌙 26 °C
A full-on tourist day. Off to the terracotta warriors, which were discovered by a farmer digging a well in about 1974. You should see the place now. Quite an enterprise and a place to come toLes mer
Little warriors
17. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C
Before taking the train out west, we went to another burial site (at the Yangling Museum) where they have unearthed soldier guards and animals that are about 1/3 life-size. They come from the HanLes mer
Now in high country
18. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
That's the end of trains. We loaded onto a bus and headed into the mountains. We went along a valley plateau, with every flat square cm under crop against a mountain backdrop on both sides. A fair bitLes mer
More photos
19. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
Yak country
19. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Further elevation today into the grasslands -- yak country. This is the territory of the nomadic Tibetans. Yaks and yak butter are the overwhelming production items. The folk have permanent residencesLes mer
Jiuzhaigou valley
20. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The hotel was pretty good but the mattress was not to Western specification and the breakfast was not to Western tastes. And altitude was getting to some of us.
Nevertheless, we bussed off on aLes mer
The national park
21. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Stunning scenery. Reminiscent of the Rockies with turquoise tarns, steep mountains and dense forests. It was great to commune with nature, even if you had to commune along with 200,000 other tourists.Les mer
On to Chengdu
23. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
There was another foray into the national park in the morning and then a bus trip back up the slope where we stayed overnight in order to reduce the length of the bus trip the next day (today) toLes mer
Pandamania
24. mai 2024, Kina ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C
Apparently, China has sourced some pandas from Adelaide and housed them here in Chengdu. The city is panda mad (it seemingly does not have a lot else to offer).
We journeyed out to the panda researchLes mer
Here we are in NSW
26. mai 2024, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Just the short flight from Sydney remains for us to get home. China was good, impressive in many ways and provided a bit of adventure. Not straightforward to navigate (eg payments, communications)Les mer

























































































































































ReisendeGlad you’ve made it safe and sound!
Thanks for sharing Dean. Interesting facade of the building. Art Deco? In American Concession? [Peter vR]
ReisendeYes there are lots of Art Deco buildings. This one was around the corner from our hotel in the French Concession
Reisende
Nice view!