Epic Landscapes. Amazing Tea. Mouth watering food. Thousands of years of history. China has it all and then some. Take a journey with me as I recount my details of this amazing trip in October of 2015. We'll start in Beijing, hike along the Great Wall and end in Yangshou floating down the Li River surrounded by limestone giants.
Adventures in China! The Great Wall (Shanna Ungate)Ni Hao!
Welcome to the journey I took in China. By far, it's one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen.
Let's start this journey where all journeys start...at the beginning. So grab your China map and let's get moving.
I arrived to the Beijing International Airport late at night only to be greeted by one of the BEST guides. Her name is Jessie.
Jessie's hometown in nestled in Southern China in the province of Guangxi. She, and Mr. Chao *our driver" took me to my hotel-the Bamboo Garden Hotel.
Here's the basic scoop on hotels in Beijing, the best ones are either in the Hutong Province OR close to the Forbidden City. I stayed in the Bamboo Garden Hotel in the Hutong Province of Beijing. A total gem. The hotel was once owned by a prince and is now owned by the government. Most homes in the Hutong Province are characterized by the size of their courtyard. In old days, the wealth and status of a family was noted by the size and privacy of its courtyard. The Bamboo Garden Hotel boasts a large courtyard surrounding by traditional Chinese architecture rooms. Stay there if you can, it's lovely.
My second day was all about the Great Wall of China, that and food (but we'll get to the food later).
The Great Wall of China extends from the far East of Inner Mongolia to Liaoning Province on the coast of Eastern China. While there is a spot located near Bejing which would minimize your drive time, by all means take the drive and visit the Jinshanling section. It's about a two hours drive from Beijing, but beautiful beyond measure. Here's an insider's trip: bring trekking poles. I'm an avid hiker here in Missoula, but even I needed to take multiple breaks along the 4 mile stretch. Of course, you don't have to walk a full four mile section of the Great Wall, there are multiple exit points along this stretch...but do yourself a favor and tackle it if you can. You can either start in the further parking lot and hike downwards (the easier way) or park at the lower parking lot and hike upwards (the more difficult path). Either way is beautiful and either way you'll have to pass over the "Stairway to Heaven" which is a very steep portion of the wall (thus the suggestions of the trekking poles). My day consisted of hiking along the Great Wall of China and asking my wonderful guide, Jessie, to pinch me every so often as to remind me it wasn't a dream. Back to Jessie's greatness, she guides hiking trips in China and specializes in more active trips. She was knowledgeable, personable and a great companion for a solo traveler such as myself.
After the hiking, my day ended in the Hutong Province at a local restaurant where they made their own wine.
I spent 2 entire days trying to find my Alaska small boat trip, with no success. Then Erin from Adventure Life gave me 4 choices on the same day I contacted her. She was caring and very efficient. I'm very excited about the cruise she found for me.
Janet Houts
3 days ago
Everything about our Galapagos experience was top-notch. I highly recommend this trip if you like be active. Everyone from the planners to the guides to the crew set us up to experience and soak in everything the Galapagos has to offer. They took care of every detail so we could learn and enjoy.
Luanne
4 days ago
We had an amazing trip. The accommodations of our hotel first 3 nights and the accommodations of the ship were perfect. Our guides were amazing. They went snorkeling with us everyday and took amazing pictures and pointed out various species of fish. On the land adventures, they explained everything about the islands and animals that we were looking for and seeing. They also took amazing photos and videos that they shared with us in a whats app group with the entire ship. This gave us the ability to upload our own video and pictures along with other shipmates so we all got these great photos from everyone. It was a once in a lifetime trip that left us with many amazing memories and very possible we would consider going back.