Adventure of the month

February 2008 The scene: Around 20 of us are taking part in an escorted tour through China. In the span of seven days, we are whisked through Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. It is very much a checklist tour. Great Wall: check. Terracotta Warriors: check. Endless shopping stops: checkity check check. For the most part, we are subjecting ourselves to this style of travel because of the unbeatably low price. While lamenting this rushed presentation, a philosopher amongst us says something along the lines of:' Let's look at this as a highlights tour. There is no way we are going to appreciate anything in depth so let's see this as a way of figuring out where we want to spend more time when we come back.' This made a lot of sense to me and became the mindset I used to stop myself from flattening the tires on our tour bus. Fast forward to May 2017 Almost a decade later, I am finally back in China. It is an even shorter stay, two days in Beijing, but at least it is a chanc...

Cruising Suzhou"s Grand Canal Inside the Master of the Net's Garden And just like that, it was our last day in China. It's amazing how quickly the time went, like a "travel week" is an alternate unit of time playing out at a noticeably higher rpm than real time. On this, our final day, we heeded a lesson learned at the start of this trip...that not all "optional tours" are to be mocked, avoided and summarily dismissed. We already knew we had a great guide and an easy-going, enjoyable group, so we saw no reason to follow through on the original plan of venturing out on our own. Instead we signed up for the last tour and joined Michael, Mr. Bell/ Bill and all the rest on an excursion to Suzhou , a 2,500 year old city, saddled with the predictable moniker "the Venice of the East". The nickname comes from the city's abundance of canals and bridges, but truthfully, I was reminded more of Bangkok's klong district than Venic...

View from the Bund China's "Chinatown" Huxingting Teahouse Resident of Yu Yuan Gardens The Shanghai Museum Bronze arrowhead from the Museum's collection Bronze neckrest Bronze Ox-shaped wine vessel (early 6th century-476 B.C.) Nan Jing Pedestrian street Rush-hour commute It may look like I have gone a little over the top while posting Day 7 photos, and I probably have, but this was a really busy (and photogenic) day. Plus it was warm (in the 50's and possibly even low 60's). And I had found a cough syrup wonder drug, Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa (which I have since found in both NY and Philly's Chinatowns) so I was no longer hacking like a 5 pack-a-day smoker. It was glorious. We started the day with a group visit to The Bund , the landmark waterfront area along the Huangpu River. If you have ever seen a postcard from Shanghai, you have seen the Bund. As we drove along the main road, our local guide Mr. Bell (or maybe B...

One of Xian's antique markets Daoist monk Inside the Temple of the 8 Immortals Xian's Drum Tower Day 6 and our remaining time in Xian was pretty limited. We had only the morning to ourselves, before we had to rejoin the group for a flight to Shanghai. Some of the more ambitious members of our group used the free time to rent bicycles and ride around atop the city walls. We opted for a more relaxing morning at the Temple of the Eight Immortals , a Daoist temple a short distance outside of the walled city. Our cab driver dropped us as close to the temple as he could, but that still required us to walk through a thriving "antiques" market where much haggling ensued. Shawn, for reasons known only to him was trying to ask a saleswoman about the tiny three-legged stool she was using, so for the rest of the gauntlet, vendors, one and all, were popping out of their seats and trying to sell them to us. Passing up the porta-stools, we could have also bought fake...

Soong Ching Ling's home A pyromaniac's dream Teas, teas, teas View from the Drum Tower Temple of Heaven Michael leading the way By the fourth day, we were finally ready to venture out on our own. We had the morning to ourselves and my guide book had a suggested walking tour of the Hutongs , so a plan was set. The Hutongs , as they are known, are the small alleys and lanes leading to a jumble of simple homes which used to proliferate most of Beijing. But sadly, progress always has a price and in the story of Beijing, it is the hutongs that have paid the most dearly. Swath by large swath, they are being eradicated to make way for high rises and Olympic stadiums. The area near the Drum Tower, which is where we went, has become quite popular with tourists looking for a glimpse into the days of Old Beijing, so it appears to be safe from imminent destruction, although, it may now face a similarly disappointing fate. On one of the main intersections, there no...