2005- Heaven on Earth: Great Wall of China and Xi'An

For Robert and Sue, being at the Great Wall of China brought together all that is wonderful for us on Planet Earth. Beautiful scenery, exploring an ancient cultural icon, energetic hiking, great ethnic food, wonderful and friendly people but most of all the chance to feed our curiosity about yet-another fantastic corner of our world! There is so MUCH to experience!






http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20131025-chinas-ancient-capital-rises-again

2005- Great Wall of China!

Phone Mr Sun, hop on a local bus and go 110 kms. north of Beijing, near Jin Shanling. There is a "Heaven

 on Earth" here, no tourists and you get to ride in Mr Sun's nifty little moto-truck up to the Great Wall". 

Watch the sunset over beautiful mountains and then head down to Mr Sun's for a beer and a 10 course Chinese meal prepared by his wife. After dinner and buying souvenirs (natch! we have a T-shirt that says we slept on the Great Wall of China as well as a Mao fur hat complete with red star!) hike up to the watchtower on the Great Wall in the dark, settle into sleeping bags BUT then get up and watch the stars revolve overhead all night and listen to the wind (Barbarian hordes?) howl up the sides of the Great Wall! Then, as "Morning Has Broken" plays in your head, watch the sunrise and gasp at the beauty of it all as sunlight floods the mountain ridges and the Great Wall which marches miles away from you in either direction while mist curls up from the valleys. We counted 35 watchtowers on top of the mountain peaks! We had to keep pinching ourselves.....unbelievable experience......for Mr Sun's cell number just Blog this site and we'll get it to you.

2005- China- Lushan Buddha- Largest in the world!

China, land of contrast and YES, mystery. Photo at far left shows part of a 2200 year-old "army" of terra cotta warriors in Xi'An, constructed to protect 1st dynasty Emperor Qin who (foolishly?) wanted protection in the after-life. Incredible excavation which has been ongoing since the original discovery in 1974 and the chariots and horses are breathtaking (seen on the Chinese Yuan dollar bill).
The two other photos are of the largest Buddha statue (230 feet high carved out of a cliff on the river) in the world (can you see Robert peeking out?) a UNESCO World Heritage Site south of Chengdu. It is now part of a Buddhist monastery, alive with Chinese culture and tradition....the beautiful (climbable) Emei Mountain is nearby and needs to be experienced at sunrise.

2005- Cruising the Yantgze!

Another must in China is a Yangtze River cruise....we took 3 days on the East Queen cruise chip from Chongqing and loved every minute of it! The crew always made sure we had an English-speaking guide and, of course, the authentic Chinese food buffets were excellent, right Robert?
We went through the large 3 Gorges, the Qu, Qulang and Jiuling, and were awed by their beauty. The dam downstream is fast backing up the Yangtze so there are no more sandbanks, rapids and trackers (to guide the boats around the shoals) and by 2009 the 170 meter water rise will be complete. We took a side-trips: through Fengde, or Ghost City, where the souls of the dead are remembered in sanctuaries and monasteries with a multitude of statues and altars. Also, we went up the Danling River into the smaller 3 gorges and saw the old tracker routes, villages displaced upward into the mountains and even monkeys! The 3 Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, was incredibly overpowering.....the picture above shows us at a sunrise tour. Amazing sights!

November 2005- Xian's Terra cotta warriors-

Travels with Robert and Sue, Gonzo-style -Xi'An...magic on Earth! 8000 terra cotta warrior statues, created over 2000 years ago in "loving" testimony to the richness of Chinese culture (actually first dynastic Emperor Qui was scared of death and wanted protection in the after-life!). China , a land of surprises and wonderful hospitality! A MUST place to visit and relish the incredible history of an ancient civilization which is in metamorphis into the 21st century as we speak!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-44244493