TOPBUZZ

When guides mention Workshops, it doesn't really sound that interesting at first; but don't overlook the opportunities to see crafts and local products being made by hand. You do not have to buy them of course. Above you will see a rug workshop where they are all made by hand. I think it is amazing that they can make these rugs using just a photo or drawing to make each rug individually. I have several in my home and they wear like iron. The other photo is a small workshop that makes leather products. I sketched out a shoulder bag that I wanted made for a day bag to carry my cameras, water and snacks in during the day. The young man made some suggested additions and I picked out the leather and color that I wanted. I came back in three hours and it was all finished. The quality and workmanship is excellent and only cost me $22 U.S. There are many large workshops as well as local small ones that craft many different products including pottery, rugs, clothing, cloisonne, furnitur...

There are many places to go biking in China; however Yangshuo area outside of Guilin is my favorite because of the scenery and the town. You can take the Li River Day Cruise from Guilin to the small town of Yangshuo set amongst the haystack like hills surrounding it and along the Li River. There are flat roads and trails to ride and you really will get the feeling of being out in rural China amongst the locals. It does help to have a guide with you and there are many local guides who speak excellent English and can translate and show you the places to visit. Bikes rent for about $2 to $3 U.S. per day. You can also hike in this area as well as go on a motorized rickshaw ride if you do not want to go biking. Guide costs vary depending on the length of day. The shirt I have on I picked out because the Chinese characters seemed nice....it actually says, "I have No Money". Great to ward off the sellers and got many chuckles from the locals who thought I didn't know what it sai...

Probably the top interest destination in China for most tourists is visiting the Great Wall. Perhaps no thought is given to where the best place is to visit for lack of knowledge however. For the average tourist, my favorite area on the Wall is the Mutianyu section. Not many tourists here and it is the most beautiful section with lush green vegetation. The large group tours go to a closer section to Beijing accessible by freeway which is called the Badaling section where you will often find 80 or more buses in the parking lot and very crowded. Both sections have cable cars that take you up onto the Wall. Once you are on the Wall at Mutianyu you may hike out left which is quite level. About one mile out is a section not repaired to show you what it was like when it was in ruins. Few tourist go beyond 100 yards so often you may hike out to areas where there are few if any tourists for great photos. For avid hikers there are other sections with more challenges which I will be glad to shar...

For those searching the internet for the best deals in hotels; one needs to be very careful to read the fine print. My wife and I just returned from a trip to Spain. Although I am a tour operator to China, it is our off season vacation which she arranges every year. Needing a hotel the night before we left Madrid, she looked for a location close to the airport and reasonable just for one night. On Price Line she found the Hotel San Pablo just 5 minutes from the airport since we had a 07:00 flight the next morning. The cost was $49.90 Euros or $67.37 U.S. dollars. When we arrived posted behind the desk was their rack price of $39.00 Euros or $52.65 U.S. The clerk was embarrassed about it and gave us a large suite to compensate since we had pre-paid the one night. No breakfast was included. In China it can be the same when booking a hotel. Be sure the hotel is as they listed as a Sofital and Sofitel are two different hotels. One being a major international hotel and the other ...

Taking a train in China is a bit different than other countries. You can only buy a train ticket 3 to 5 days before the departure date. You can only buy a ticket from where you are departing from to your first destination. When you get to your first destination, the same rule applies for on going destinations. You can not buy train tickets at one place for your entire tour by train. Many trains are over night. Take only First class Sleepers as second class is very noisy and the car is all open only separated by metal mesh and are three bunks high. First class has two uppers and two lowers and closed compartments. If you are less than four people you may share the compartment with others of mixed sex. The people who have the upper bunks have the right to sit on the lower bunks until it is time to sleep. The toilet facilities can be both western and Chinese depending on the age of the train cars. Some only have the hole in the floor in the more remote areas. Dining cars usually have poor...

Before you arrive on your international air flight to China, your airline will hand out an Arrival card and a Health card. The health card asks simple questions wanting to know if you have a fever, where you came from and where you will be staying. You will drop this card off at a collection station as you arrive. The Arrival Card will ask your Airline, fight number, date of arrival and where you will be staying the first night. Keep this card with your passport. Upon your arrival follow the crowd which will take you to the Security counters. There you will present your passport and the Arrival Card. You then go to the luggage area where you will see your flight listed on a board in English and the luggage carrier number. After you pick up your luggage you may exit the luggage area (there is no customs check) through double doors (once you exit you can not return to the luggage area) There you will find a crowd of people with many of them holding up signs with names on them. If you hav...

China is the size of the U.S. in square miles; so think in those terms when planning a trip to China. Questions to ask yourself: 1. What are my interests? 2. How much time do I have to tour? 3. What budget should I set? All good questions as you can not see everything so you should plan to see what interests you. The average person goes for about 17 to 19 days. If you only go once in your lifetime a good basic introduction to China is Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Shanghai and maybe even a Yangtze River Cruise squeezed in. That gives you a fairly good idea about China. People going a second time might consider LiJiang, Chengdu, Lhasa, and the Silk Road up through the Northwest part of China. For national parks, historical or more remote interesting areas, you should use an experienced tour planner who is more familiar with China and can help you plan to your specific interests and needs. I teach a one session class on Touring China each quarter here in Seattle and many realize how complex ...