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China Japan 2019
  • Kerry Newdick

China Japan 2019

Terra-cotta warriors, Great Wall and then cruising to Japan Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 14, 2019
    Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    The House - our new home at the airport

    November 14, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Such a leisurely start to our trip. Packed early, lovely catch up with Connor then Uber to airport. Check In smooth, no queues. And to our new favorite place- ‘the house’ lounge which is a part of our priority pass which comes with our credit card. So peaceful no crowds- champers, great food , table service even southern comfort for Royce. So happy. A great way to spend a couple of hours waiting for a plane.Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Xi'an China

    November 15, 2019 in China ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After 19 hours of travel we have arrived at our first stop- Xi’an. 4 movies and a few cat naps after leaving Sydney on Air China’s 777 we arrive in Beijing. Food is a big surprise as our vegan special meal is delicious with dinner and breakfast providing nutritious fuel for our long journey! We tour around Beijing airport attempting to find our connecting gate and stumble across another airport lounge where we can rest and recharge in comfort. A second breakfast of dumplings and sesame cakes and coffee and we are on our flight to Xi’an. A 2 and a half hour domestic flight. We meet our cruise 1st guide easily and walk to our bus for an hours ride to our hotel which is quite luxurious with a lovely foyer and cosy bar area with log fires. Off for an explore to find something to eat and we discover a huge shopping mall with a lovely food court . We navigate a self select steamboat which ends up being really delicious. China is bright and shiny and very gimmicky which is different to other visits. Xi’an is a cultural Centre with a long history some of which we will uncover tomorrow. We walk to the bell tower to view the surrounding walled city and expansive avenues radiating from the bell tower. We have met many of our fellow tourists today and we all seem in good spirits. We are exhausted by 4.20pm and flop in our room and try not to go to sleep yet.
    An early start tomorrow to see the terra-cotta warriors .    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler
    1

    Warriors

    November 16, 2019 in China ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    A great nights sleep! The bed is as hard as a rock but it didn’t matter at all. Breakfast was delicious, such an array of different cuisines. Congee and pickled things, hot pot, dim sum and all the western things as well. Off to the warriors via the obligatory shop to buy souvenirs before we actually see the warriors. The bus is comfy, it’s quite chilly outside - definitely puffy coat weather. The warriors are a highlight! The complex is enormous and not as crowded as it can be so we have room to see and take many photos. Such a painstaking process to reassemble and excavate. The history is fascinating and we have an amazing day.
    Late lunch with many different vegetables ! And a chicken head!
    A magical walk along the old town wall - misty night with beautiful lantern lights.    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Beijing

    November 17, 2019 in China ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    We’ve arrived at another luxurious and comfortable hotel via a very fast (300kmph) bullet train. We can’t help but be impressed by modern China. Our new guide is very respectful and grateful to the government for pulling 600 million people out of poverty in the great urbanization of China. As we whizz ( literally) past abandoned villages and see endless sky scraping appartments being built we can see what he is talking about. The millions of pushbiles we saw on the roads 4 years ago are gone. Our guide explains they have been replaced by ebikes paid for with smartphone apps in fact everything seems to paid for via smartphone and barcode scanning. Streets are super clean, shops are modern and everyone seems to be working, I’m not sure who is buying all these amazing goods. However there is certainly a veneer of affluence and modernity that was not evident last visit.
    The trip is comfortable and we get to know more of our group. Our new hotel overcooks the birdsnest ( Olympic stadium) and we enjoy a light show drinking Chilean wine eating Chinese delicacies in our room watching fantastic beasts after a spectacular dinner of another hot potty thing with lots of veggies and a bit of fish. A big day traveling - it’s freezing! Great Wall tomorrow!!!    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    The wall

    November 18, 2019 in China ⋅ ☀️ 1 °C

    Freezing cold beautiful china day. To the jade factory before the Great Wall. The skies are blue and Royce and I are up at 5 am and go for a walk in the park across from the hotel after breakfast. So many options including old Beijing tofu brain which is delicious ! Frank is our new guide and he is very informative about the culture. It’s so cold and windy at the wall but amazingly beautiful. We walk the easy path and then the harder one. I walk up the steep path but just high enough to get a photo! Inside for coffee with a view and to lunch at the jade factory. To the hotel for a wander around the shops and restaurants to pick up some wine and snacks and then a delicious meal in the hotel restaurant. A long soak in the tub ends a great day.Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Forbidden city and beyond

    November 19, 2019 in China ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Drinking dubious red wine and eating Italian while catching up with blog. What a fabulous day! A great nights sleep followed by breakfast extravaganza- pretty much everything you could want and stuff you would never have thought of. To the bus and to Tiananmen Square. A beautiful blue sky day- cold but not as freezing as yesterday! So vast and crowded but not as crowded as our last visit. I get quietly overwhelmed that I have been fortunate enough to be here 3 times - once in 1986 and then in 2015. Modern China is pretty formidable. Great infrastructure and modern technology. Makes us look like a 3rd world country. We decide to forgo the optional afternoon tour ( we have done previously) and instead explore by outrselves which turns out to be a great idea. We wander through old Beijing and then stumble across Prince Kungs mansion which is like a mini forbidden city with a massive rock garden and we line up with others to go through a grotto got touch the emperors carving of fu ( blessings).
    We navigate the subway to Olympic stadium- the only non Chinese users. Lots of fun not too tricky at all. Wander through Olympic park back to hotel. To dinner at Italian delicious dinner, French wine. What a fabulous day.    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Traveling day

    November 20, 2019 in China ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    So busy at breakfast they open an overflow room. We meet 2 lots of travelers, a couple from Bolivia and 2 women from Miami. All just arrived in China. A pleasant meal swapping stories and information. Breakfast is Chinese and Western and lots of plants available for us plant eaters. To the bus to visit Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre( different from last visit). We are offered a consult and I am told my yin yang is out of balance , lack of sleep and a predisposition to high blood pressure and cholesterol. I am damp ? And my skin is dry and inflamed. She prescribes 2 types of herbal remedies and I buy them to give them a go. Why not? We have sushi for lunch (again a bit confused as to what country I am in). And to the second bullet train experience . Frank our guide has been very informative . Again we are impressed with the infrastructure . Huge train stations, many trains, so fast and modern. 1200 kms to Suzhou just outside Shanghai - small town 11 million people. Lots of canals bridges and lakes. Too late for dinner on arrival. Royce and I split up on the train - tickets not together. I sit with a well travelled nurse and her husband who are interesting company. Luckily on arrival we are first to get our keys and there is a huge wait for lifts after us. The hotel has a more traditional Chinese decor and is gorgeous. Room is really spacious big bed nice bathroom. We explore outside for some snacks and then to sleep. A big traveling day.Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Suzhou to Hangzhou

    November 21, 2019 in China ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    A morning wandering in the lingering garden is delightful! So tranquil ( once we left the group and wandered on our own). Then to the silk factory where I am entranced bb the silk foo as and pillows and the talk of health promoting properties so of course I buy the whole set and a LV scarf! Royce did not enjoy this part of the tour 😐. To the canals for a tour of the little houses built in the canals and the local markets. Frogs of all sizes, eels and half dead fish! A colorful and interesting look at life in Suzhou. We eat at a local restaurant - vegetable sandwich and tofu vegetables and noodles washed down with local beer. On the bus for the 2 hour drive to Hangzhou. The hotel is great again- huge bed , so comfortable and an enormous shopping mall across the road. Such rapid advancement in such a short time.Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Shanghai

    November 22, 2019 in China ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Hangzhou is brand new - well where we are anyway! A beautiful restful nights sleep in a huge comfy bed. Breakfast has all the deliciousness and nutrition you could ask for. The shopping mall restaurants across the road provide a wide variety of food.
    To the tea plantations in the mountains for beautiful tranquil scenery and a tea ceremony with a hard sell for the benefits of polyphenols and armed with some fresh green tea we head for a cruise on west lake for some more Chinese relaxation. Lunch is some boiled lettuce ( better than it sounds) , spicy seaweed and tofu mushrooms soup which we believe had some pork in it!
    To Shanghai and we marvel at the wide highways, busy traffic and billet trains that whizz past. A long afternoon drive brings us to Shanghai and the most disappointing hotel of the trip - holiday inn express. Guide says it’s a central location. We beg to differ when trying to find somewhere to eat. We finally find a restaurant that looks half decent and share a surprisingly nice dinner with Ross and ? From Wollongong and swap travel stories. Fried fish, cauliflower, bok Choy and beer. A chardy in the room and to bed! Such an adventure!    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Shanghai again

    November 23, 2019 in China ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After breakfast to the bus to take us to the Bund along the riverside. We see the old and new sides of Shanghai. Such an amazing city! We walk through the fairmont foyer and to a hostel coffee shop - very cute place. To the Shanghai museum and view the ceramic antiquities. Walk to Nanjing road to see Sofitel and rest in a French bistro beer garden for western food and wine and beer. Walk to yuyuan gardens and old Shanghai market for shopping and catch up with group. We over order dumplings after waiting in long queue watching them being made. To the river for everyone spectacular light show. So so pretty. We pay the extra to sit right at the front for the best view. Very special. ⭐️Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Sea daze

    November 25, 2019, East China Sea ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Breakfast in silver dining and the simple delights of soy cappuccino! We wander the ship , go to the international jewelry show while R explores the casino. So many $100 US notes. Lunch a big rest and reading afternoon. Dinner at Chops Grille uses the first of our dining packed coupons. Plenty of delicious food and wine and a beautiful atmosphere - fine dining experience!
    We see the Silk Road show in the 270 lounge which a spectacle and full of amazing technology. To the headliner show - too busy and to bed after a very relaxing sea day.    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Life on the high seas!

    November 25, 2019, East China Sea ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Boarding was a little confusing, we managed to skip some queues and then got stuck in a couple of bottle necks. It wasn’t too bad though. On board and straight to silver dining room - much quieter, lovely food. Plenty of choices for us! The solarium area is peaceful and quiet and we are very happy. We explore the ship get the 3 restaurant dining package, make our reservations. Dinner in the silver dining room is relaxed and there are some ala carte choices and buffet.
    Our room is spacious and has a lovely balcony with 2 deck chairs and a BATH to soak in - fabulous! Our first night is a bit rocky but we sleep.    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Travel goals

    November 26, 2019 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    To the early morning stretch class in the sea plex before another delightful brekky in the silver lounge. Asian and western food and lots of choice.
    To the solarium and the spa is open ( after some hassling by me) and we relax in the bubbling warm spa watching the boat sail into Japan.
    New travel goals - to drink champers in infinity spa pools overlooking the ocean!
    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
    I think I’ll have to add a caveat- no whining children ( one just walked by) and no people shouting into their phone( one Chinese lady behind my sun lounger ) they have both gone now!
    We dock in Osaka today and everyone has to get off and do a 1-1 immigration check . Expect delays they said!!
    However we were off the ship and in a taxi and before we know it we are in Hogwarts!! Universal studios - quick entry and straight to Harry Potter - a wand at Olivanders and then the forbidden journey ride and a stop for butterbeer before visiting jaws.    Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Kobe

    November 28, 2019 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Life onboard the Spectrum of the seas is delightful. The ship is beautiful, the dining is delicious and the staff are helpful. The special dining area and free drinks every evening is an added bonus. Kobe shire excursion is to Osaka castle and a Buddhist temple. The guide is very confusing and a bit all over the shop and the excursion is not the one we planned as they rushed us through to the wrong bus. We are in a more expensive excursion but with not the free time at Dotunburi area which is disappointing. However we grab some yakatori, sweet potato chips, custard buns and Ramen and the view from Osaka castle is worth it. We still don’t feel we have experienced Japan. Hopefully we will get a more authentic experience in Tokyo.Read more

  • Kerry NewdickChina Japan 2019Traveler

    Tokyo

    November 29, 2019 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    We dock in Tokyo at 1 pm so a sea morning sees us take advantage of the spa and pool and solarium for general relaxation and reading. We try the main dining room for lunch and no vegetarian options but the head waiter produces a delicious Singapore noodles. Very helpful! The Tokyo trio turns out to be fantastic with a bus ride to Tokyo a look at the Gonzaga crossing , a stop at the imperial palace for a photo ( bit of wasted time) but then a 2 hr free time at Asukasaki a market , restaurant, old town temple place. It is fabulously interesting. It’s freezing and we find a small cozy udon noodle restaurant filled with locals and we really enjoy our tempura and udon meal set. A wander to pick up some treats and we find an owl cafe and go on however we don’t have enough cash for the entry but we get a good look at baby owls on the counter and the whole place looks amazing. So happy with our Tokyo tour. We see the lights of Tokyo from the bus - a great night view. We get back in time for some free drinks 🍹!Read more

    Trip end
    December 2, 2019
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