kenoathtravels.com - china

So, how the bloody hell did Edna and I finish up in China?
Well the original plan for us was to fly up to Bali then head over to Java and spend a month travelling around that part of Indonesia, checking out temples and stuff.
All was being planned until the airfare issue bobbed up.
They wanted over $1200 each just for the airfare from Adelaide to Bali! It had been $799 two weeks previous.
'Stuff that' said Edna 'we're not playing their game . . .'
We were continuously told that September was all booked out.
Anyhow the holidays were getting close and nothing was booked so we nearly resigned ourselves to just spending the month in South Australia possibly in the exclusive seaside port of Moonta Bay ! ! ! EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK ! ! !
But, at the last moment an ad in the Advertiser for a 16 day China Discovery Tour looked very attractive indeed, especially the price.
A few e-mails later and our passports were heading to Canberra for a Chinese Visa to be plonked in.
So, another organised tour, we seem to be getting into the swing of this group travelling lark.

And what did we get up to? Read on . . . .

Lawrence Trieu from Hanson Travel in Adelaide did more than enough to get us up to China.
If you are interested in heading up to SE Asia and surrounding areas don't hesitate in contacting him.
Very professional indeed.
Click on the logo and e-mail him.

Dirty Great Big Wall!
Don't worry, you will not get lost while climbing the
Great Wall of China.
Comes complete with millions of tourists.

Adelaide International(?) Airport is not the most glamourous jumping off points on the globe but it does suit the purpose and as long as there are no more than two planes ready to head off into the wild blue yonder you will not get crushed in the rush.
So here we were, duty free in hand and waiting to do the customs bit and getting to know some of the people in our tour group.
We were to fly Malaysian Airlines to Beijing via a stopover in KLIA (Kuala Lumpur Internationl Airport) at the Pan Pacific Hotel.
Smooth flight to Malaysia and finally landed. KLIA is bigger that Alice Springs!
And the Hotel was pure luxury on a stick.
Because we landed fairly late in the night it was more of a quick look around and into the cot for our departure next day.
Now I don't mind a bit of brekky in the morning but you should have seen what was waiting for us in the breakfast room.
I guess they do have to cater for many a nationalities taste but this would have even had something for a resident from Mars.

Spot the tourist.
Stand back . . . he's got an icecream!

Forget heading on the next plane to China, just leave me here!

Pan Pacific Hotel at KLIA.
Good digs.

With extra kilos of excess baggage 'in' our person we dragged our hand luggage from the hotel to the main terminal via train and waited patiently for our flight which would whisk us north to China and start our China Splendour Tour proper.

Landed in one piece at a rainy Beijing airport and headed for our waiting bus.
We met up with our guide Vincent who would be with us for the duration of our stay in China.
We stayed at the Central Garden Hotel. Not a bad hotel and the rooms were pretty good.
After a yummy dinner we all headed off to an Acrobatic Show which was held in a large theatre filled with very excited Chinese people, and of course us foreigners.
On the way back to the hotel a few of us sussed out the small shop across the road where it was organised for beers and soft drinks to be chilled during the day for our purchase after the days activities. Smiles all round as hundreds of nic nacs lining the walls of the little shop were being haggled for in broken English.

Very fancy foyer ornament was a hit for photo opportunities at our Beijing hotel.

Tourists rarely starve during their stay
in China.

Stadium or rather large pressure cooker?

Up again next morning and out the window as far as the eye can see we observed a very smoggy Beijing.
After another huge breakfast we ventured to Beihai Park where we had a pleasant stoll around this wonderful little neck of the woods.
Then off to Tianamen Square, the largest public square on the planet.
Heaps of tourists all over the place and not a tank track to be seen. We even got on the line to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall where the old fella is flat out on his back behind a glass cage. Doesn't look a day over 150, in fact he looks pretty good for a dead bloke.
Did the wander around bit and after another lunch that could feed an entire third world country we headed to the Forbidden City. Now this joint was big.
With 9999.5 (the .5 must have been a closet) rooms the Emperor had lots of fun with his concubines. Lots of hide and seek I'd say.
Up to the Jing Shan Hill where we got a great view of the Forbidden City and Beijing.

Beihai Park with its large erect thingy sitting on top of the hill.
Kublai Khan got the pick out and created the lake around this man made island.
It was once known as the Belly Button of Beijing
. . . now that conjours
up a mental image or two.

Chinese Navy displays its latest version of the old WW2 U boat

Kangaroo Group saying 'Ah . . . Cheeeeeeeeeese'

The Forbidden City. Lots of climbing stone stairs. Better than step aerobics.

Forbidden City Fire Brigade water supply containers. Gold coating was pinched many years ago.

Chairman Mao's resting place.
He looked pretty bored with all the attention.

Up with the sparrows, into brekky and out the door again.
Headed to the Great Wall today, but before we get there, a few stops. First, we headed to a Jade Factory.
All very nice but you could spend a week trying to pick out what you wanted to buy.
We then stopped to have a squiz at the Ming Tombs with its underground tombs and other ancient artifacts, at least the stuff that wasn't pinched when it was raided many moons ago.
Then off to a Cloisonne factory to see how this exquisite craft is made in all its different shapes and forms.
At last, off to the Great Wall, or at least the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

Now this has always been a dream of mine to not only see but climb the Great Wall of China. So here we were. Parked the bus, walked past some extremely smelly and bored black bears and up the hill to get our first glance of The Wall close up.
It was awesome! The highlight of the trip for me at least. We had enough time to climb it and maybe head to the eight tower. A few of us made it but most stopped at the fourth tower. At the same time about 100,000 tourists had the same idea at the same time, so not much of a lonely trek here!
To think that this wall is around 7000km long and man made by hand is mind boggling. But I don't think it was happy days for too many of the workers who toiled to keep the likes of Ghengis Khan out of China's back yard.

Many comments were made, and just about everyone in the 'Kangaroo Group' took a photo of this. What the bloody hell was it?

What can I say? Make sure you have plenty of water on you. It's steep and gives the old calf muscles a good workout, as well as the cardio vascular system.

The 'Kangaroo Group' mob that made it to the eighth tower.
Where is a taxi rank when you need one?
And by the way, Pauleen was behind the camera.

Stand back . . . It's a duck!

The 'Kangaroo Group' show off their enthusiasm of conquering the mighty Great Wall of China.
Someone at the back is trying without success to display some kind of scale . . .
very sad indeed.

And, after you have conquered the mighty wall, what do you do then?

You get into some Peking Duck!

So, after a hard slog on the Wall, we headed back to Beijing for a feed of the famous Peking Duck Banquet.

Do they really wash the duck?

Beijing's answer to Daffy.

Failed medical student finds alternative employment.

Up and out the door after a big brekky again.
Where to today? Well, we headed to the Summer Palace.
In 1888 Empress Dowager Cixi used money from the Chinese Navy and spent it on the Summer Palace.
Her best example of over indulgence was building a marble boat which was constructed for the sole purpose for the Empress to sip green tea in the afternoon.
The Navy went broke but little did anyone know that she was creating one of the most popular tourist sights in Beijing. Three quarters of the park is occupied by the Kumming Lake. Nice cool spot on a hot day.

I'm on a boat to nowhere . . .
Tea sipping ceremonies were a popular pastime in the old days of the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Unlike the marble boat this bridge did go somewhere.

After wandering around through the park, then along the Long Corridor and a boat ride we headed on the bus again to put the feed bag on for lunch.
Then we headed off to the Temple Of Heaven.
In ancient times this place was regarded as the closest place to heaven in the world.
Now that's a pretty big statement!

Up and out the door after a big brekky again.
Where to today? Well, we headed to the Summer Palace.
In 1888 Empress Dowager Cixi used money from the Chinese Navy and spent it on the Summer Palace.
Her best example of over indulgence was building a marble boat which was constructed for the sole purpose for the Empress to sip green tea in the afternoon.
The Navy went broke but little did anyone know that she was creating one of the most popular tourist sights in Beijing. Three quarters of the park is occupied by the Kumming Lake. Nice cool spot on a hot day.

I'm on a boat to nowhere . . .
Tea sipping ceremonies were a popular pastime in the old days of the Summer Palace in Beijing.

See? Tea!

More tea?

After guzzling green tea we headed to the local Cloisonne factory for a look.
Here we saw the various stages of making Cloisonne and a display of many of the works made here.

Cloissone at its best. A bag full of this stuff would really play havoc with the excess baggage limit.

Last day in Beijing . . .
We headed to the Beijing Alleys where we went for a rickshaw ride through to the Hutong, an old quarter of the city, which is on prime real estate.
Here we were invited into a house to see how they lived before the populace decided to live in multi storey boxes called apartments.
Off then to the Wang Fu Jing Shopping Centre and then to the Beijing Silk Alley Markets where lovers of haggling had more than their fair share of fun.
Then to a supermarket for munchies to take on our train ride to Xian.

'Kangaroo Group' learns the ancient art of loitering in the streets, Beijing style.

'Kangaroo Group' enjoy the exotic decor of the dining car whilst the scenery rushed past us enroute to Xian.
Beverages were all served at a standard room temperature.
Viv later expressed his delight of train travel to me and stated that this trip had been 'unforgettable'.

'Kangaroo Group' let their hair down as the Chinese countryside rolled past in the dead of night.

Arrived safely next day in Xian.
Where is a porter when you need one?
And how do you know if he is one?

Arrived at Xian International Railway Station where we all disembarked.
A little bloke approached Tess and offered to carry her bags, at a price of course. She was just about to do the deal when two railway guards, both either side of him, whisked him away to destinations unknown. Don't really know what happended there but it seemed that not only did he want to get paid but wanted to keep the luggage as well!

The Old City Wall in Xian can only be described as BIG.
Surrounded by a moat it's smack bang in the middle of the city.
Keen observers of the group witnessed a local being caught short using the wall as a 'dumping ground'.

Xian's Old City Wall . . . lots of climbing
Not unlike climbing the Great Wall of China

Old City Wall in the way of progress? No worries, just go through it!

After trampling around Xian we went for a squiz at the Big Goose Pergoda.
Aparently the Little Goose Pergoda is bigger than the Big Goose Pergoda, you work that one out . . .
It was here that 'Monkey', yes, from the TV series, started his journey to India with Pigsy, Sandy and that bald headed monk.
We later went to an opera, which was pretty good actually, and then headed for a feed of dumplings.
Bit heavy on the guts I thought!

After a day of climbing all over the Old City Wall of Xian 'Kangaroo Group' were host to a feast of dumplings, all 18 versions of the little blighters.
I think this lot pictured were the owls.

Big Goose Pagoda.
No, we did not climb this one!

Stone blokes = BIG tourist money earner.

Woke to a rainy morning in Xian. Headed off to see the spectacle of the Terracotta Warriors. These stone blokes were discovered by a farmer digging a well in 1974. Notifying the authorities they quickly claimed the land and got scientists moving to preserve this fascinating army of 6000+ still figures and horses. The story goes that around 2000 years ago Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of a united Chinese people, had a thing about his mortality. He wanted his army to accompany him into the afterlife with him so he commissioned countless sculptors, stonemasons, etc to build his army. Qin carked it and 4 more years later his army was finished. Years later during the Famers Revolution they found his army and stole all the weapons which were with them, smashed them up and set fire to the wooden ceiling which covered them all. Most of the Terracotta Warriors had to be painstakingly stuck back together. This process still goes on in the 3 huge pavillions housing the warriors and I would say many years of work are still to be done. Oh, by the way, you can meet the farmer who found them as he signs books in the foyer.

The Terracotta Warriors . . .
ready for action!

Once were Warriors . . .
All of the Terracotta Warriors, horses, carriages, etc were painted and each were different. As soon as the air got to them they quickly faded. Scientists are waiting for technology to come up with a solution to this before they expose the rest of them.

In 1974 a well, 2002 big bucks!

Years of work will see their scones replaced.

Why not take a Warrior home with you?
All sorts of Terracotta goodies available.

They look fierce but nothing to
'Warrior' about!

Reed Flute Caves just outside the city of Guilin. Our ever observant group keeping an eye out for the bat S#@%!

Lots more stalls to be pounced on at the Reed Flute Caves and surrounding area.

Great little cave this, lots to see and the coloured lights looked good. Our ever informative and entertaining guide explained what some things were supposed to look like. Much imagination needed here!

Bloody tourists can even be found underground!

A famous peak just on the outskirts of Guilin is called Bubo Hill.
The locals, or at least our guide said that it is pronounced Football Hill.
I have absolutely no idea why! Still, it was surrounded by beautiful gardens right on the river and we even had a haggle at the nearby stalls on the way back to the bus.

Big brekky again and then headed off to the airport for our flight to Guilin. Even got a pressie when we left the aeroplane.
Booked into the hotel and then headed off to the Reed Flute Caves, very famous around this neck of the woods.

What more do you want? Bottomless beer!

After a full day of exploring caves, climbing rocks and haggling with the local merchants we settled in for yet again another banquet for dinner. A bonus, well for some, was the beer jug that continued to be topped up. Heaven ! ! !

No, I did not climb it.
I think others did though . . .

Day 10 of our trip.
Headed by bus to the famous Li River where we hopped on a boat for a 5 hour cruise.
Very relaxing indeed and the views of the famous mountain peaks were spectacular.
A lot of these mountain peaks have been imortalised over the centuries in paintings done by local artists.
Our yummy lunch was cooked at the back of the boat.

All aboard . . .

The famous mountains along the Li River . . .
Heaps of them

'Kangaroo Group' having fun on our cruise down, or was it up, the Li River.

Some interesting fare could be had on this cruise, including a guzzle of snake blood wine.
Pass . . .

Viv and Lian relaxing on the cruise. Viv later told me that although the cruise was good nothing could compare to our recent train trip.

All together now, say cheeeeeese . . .
Viv was still wondering about that train trip.

The Li River.
Lots of boats heading in the same direction.
The scenery was wonderful.
If you are ever in this neck of the woods it is a must.

After our cruise we disembarked at the village town of Yang Shuo for some haggling.

All sorts of vessels ply the Li River.

And what's better after a cruise . . . a bit of shopping to get the sea legs back!

After our busy day we headed to the airport for our trip to Shanghai and a nights sleep in Su Zhou, 2 1/2 hours later!

Friday the 13th . . . another day, another city.
Checked out of our hotel and headed to the garden of Lingering In. Bloody massive fish in the ponds here. Headed to a silk factory for a demonstration and a chance to buy gear to take home. Even went to a pearl factory to check out their wares. Then we had a 5 hour bus trip to Hangzhou. Very eventful trip, the traffic was more than interesting. Stayed in the Holiday Inn at Hangzhou. Bought some beer across the road from hotel (has the Chinese ever heard of refrigeration?) and relaxed after dinner.

Not quite sure what this demonstration was for, maybe how to use a squat toilet?

We had lots of entertainment while travelling on the bus to Hangzhou.

This bloke appears to be happy despite his situation, as he hammed it up for the 'Kangaroo Group', but wait till he tries to explain to his boss what happened!

The Cuppochino Machine from Outer Space!

So that's where my silk pillows come from.

No, it's not a Pizza making demonstration it's a silk quilt demonstration.

Go ahead . . . spin me a yarn!

Still in Hangzhou (better known to the Chinese as the 'Pearl of China') we headed to a tea plantation, in fact it was the famous Dragon Well Tea Plantation.
Here we were shown how to prepare and sip tea and were even shown how to relax eye strain with a cup of tea.
Now that was different . . .
Headed then to the Six Harmony Pagoda where all the girls haggled for the various shaped bells for sale in the stalls.

Tea for me . . .

Hang on, this doesn't look like a Blackjack table!

The Dragon Well Tea Round Table?

Just what you always wanted, a 44 gallon drum of tea.

Just like home . . .
take a 30 pack of beer tea back with you from the trip.

At the Six Harmony Pagoda someone did not look happy.

Later in the arvo we had a boat ride on the West Lake which is in the centre of Hangzhou City.
Lots of locals relaxing in and around the lake even though it was raining.

Where the hell is Footy Park??
The 'West Lake' not to be confused with its southern cousin in suburban Adelaide.

And just for something different . . . we had a banquet that night!

Our smiling guide Vincent takes the lead in the 'Open Brolly Stakes'.

After a good nights sleep we had another breakfast that could easily have fed a small African nation and then jumped on a bus and headed towards Shanghai.
Ah, Shanghai . . . pure Capitalism at its best, you could smell the money as we jumped off the coach.
Today we toured the Yu Garden, checked out the Jade Buddha Temple, went for a walk up the Shanghai Shopping Mall, walked along the Bund, the old colonial area of Shanghai which followed the river, and then went to, appropriately named, Chinatown where we got down to the serious business of SHOPPING!

The Shanghai Mall shopping district, just a tad bigger and bussier that Rundle Mall in Adelaide.

The Bell Tower in Shanghai, better known as 'Bloody Big'. 'Kangaroo Group' wizzed up a very fast moving lift to view the city from the top that night.

'Kangaroo Group' having fun on the Bund.
Ah, all say Cheeeeeeeeeeeeese (again).

You want to buy a raincoat? Going Cheap!

With over 2000 breweries in China success of West End pomotion in Shanghai unknown.

Haggling in Chinatown.
'This bracelet, very cheap. Sorry, no, arm does not come with it . . .'

While enjoying another banquet we were entertained by an aerobics show. Not recommended after a gutfull of dumplings.

Chinatown was quite the shopping paradise and down a little alley Edna discovered a $2 shop. The rest of the girls were told of this and vanished in that direction. 'Kangaroo Group' were revolting due to the lack of retail therapy which they craved for during the trip!
Ah, the capitalist consumer yearnings that stirred within them . . .
Yummy dinner with floor show and the band even played Waltzing Matilda on ancient Chinese instruments.

Ah, all together now, Tie Me Panda Bear Down Sport . . .

After the tucker and a show we headed over to the Bell Tower.
It was lit up like a spaceship ready to be launched into outer space.
From the observation deck at the top clouds blew past in the high winds that even made the tower move under feet.
Not recommended for people afraid of heights.
Once the clouds shot past the view was truly magnificent.

Bell Tower at night.
Still bloody big . . .

Last day in Shanghai and of course China . . .
Edna was having a great time haggling with a bloke in a little shop in the hotel lobby. Of course we were all packed and ready to depart but Ed was finalising a deal. Sweat was pouring off the bloke's brow as I came into the shop and he declared that Ed was 'killing me' in the haggling stakes.
So close but so far as we had to depart much to her disgust. As she departed his shop with items in hand she vowed and declared to him that she would one day return for unfinished shopping business.
Our itinerary stated that on the last day in Shanghai we would 'enjoy it at leisure' and that we would 'finish your last day shopping'. Hmm, we finished up at the local Shanghai Museum.
I'm not even going to repeat what a majority of the 'Kangaroo Group' uttered, but I gather that they were less than impressed.
Anyhow the Chinese retail economy was the loser here as 'bags' of Yuen went unspent and finished up back in Australia instead (but to be spent at a later date during a return visit to China?).

Like Arnie in the Terminator, Edna declared to the little shopkeeper 'I'll Be back'.

We bid a final farewell to China as we cruised down the
Shanghai Airport runway.

On a wing and a prayer we headed south back to Adelaide via Kuala Lumpur.

Most on the mob from the trip spent a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur before heading back to the sunny and exciting capital of South Australia, Adelaide.
All in all it was a great trip, although we were on the go most of the time, but it was a 'Highlights Trip', so that was to be expected.
It has whetted our appetite for a return trip to China in the future and now we know were we would like to return to in the future.
I myself would do a week or two trek along the Great Wall and of course Edna has lots of unfinished shopping business to do in Shanghai!

So who were the people on this trip?

Dr Kong Meng Wong
Patrick Choong Tam
Noi Lam
Pauline Tam
Chin Foo Lee
Moy Yok Hew
Monica Y-Lan Kok
Lai Wah Wong
Sion Mue Lim
Nyuk Heng Kuan
Seng Kiew Quek
Siew Kiat Khoo
Kak Looi (the fly) Chan

China Splendour Tour
September 2002

And our guides?

Vincent (vinny)
Cherry (madame lash)
James (007)
Garry (gazza)

And of course, thanks once again to Lawrence from Hanson Travel who must be congratulated yet again for his organisation of what can only be described as an excellent trip and a fantastic insight into China and Chinese life and history.

Vivian Ross Helps
Soo Lian Helps
Colvin G Burgess
Jacqueline Bonnell
David Ewer
Jennifer Ewer
Teresa Dale
Eileen Spencer
Franciscus Schoof
Maria Schoof
Ken Hanlan
Edna Lock

A special thanks must go to Doctor Wong who supplied a lot of the photos which have been used to make up the pages of this China Splendour Tour trip web site.
He sent up a disk containing over 800 digital photos! Also I had hours of video to get pics from!
No wonder it has taken me so long to get these web pages finished!
Also Tess for a photo or two which we picked up from her on our way back from Adelaide to Alice Springs in October, we had 3 weeks in South Oz after the China trip.
Where are all the other photos that were taken by the rest of the mob, hey????
Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy this site and I will eventually expand on it (when I can get the bloody time!) and will update from time to time.
If you have any stories that you would like to add to this site just email me and I will add it to future updates.

Cheers and Happy Travelling
Ken and Edna