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Rice terraces have a beauty of their own and the Longji Rice Terraces near Guilin are some of the most beautiful and accessible in China.  Just about 2 hours by car and you will be able to visit villages of the Yeo, Dong and Zhrung minority peoples with their colorful dress.  The Yeo women only cut their hair once in their lifetime and for a few yuan, they will unwind their hair for you to take photos.   If you are a hiker, you can hike the Dragon's Back Ridge above the Rice Terraces.  There is a wonderful family hotel where you can have lunch which overlooks the rice terraces too.   If you want to stay overnight and enjoy a sun set or sun rise the Longji-Pingan Hotel is a nice clean 3 star hotel with excellent food.  With a longer stay you can visit the Silverwater Dong Stockade and the Longsheng Hot Spring Hotel.  For more information contact us at interlak@eskimo.com     Click on the photos for a full screen view.

As a tour operator to China, my clients often ask me what they should wear and what is not acceptable in China while touring.  I have a complete set of information on preparation for touring for my customers but here is just a rough idea.  For more information contact me at  interlak@eskimo.com     Shorts are o.k. but perhaps not short-shorts especially in the countryside.  China is casual everywhere and jeans, cotton slacks, knit shirts for men are quite acceptable for every occasion including nice restaurants.  Sport coat and tie only in very formal occasions or  business meetings.  For women, slacks are just fine or skirts if you prefer with blouses or knit tops.  Good walking shoes are very important especially for uneven sidewalks at sights or in the rural areas.  High heels are not recommend but low heals are o.k.  A light jacket, sweater or layers is best for the different areas of China that you might be visiting e...

Many people travelling to China do not know what to expect from a Chinese hotel.  It is all quite good to relieve your mind.  If you are on a prepaid hotel tour, all is taken care of.  In either case you will need to sign a credit card slip to take care of any charges you make to your room.  The slip is torn up on your departure if you do not charge anything. Tipping is not needed as there is a charge already in your hotel cost except perhaps the Bell Boy taking your luggage to your room and then only a minimum.   3 star hotels and up will usually have a safe in the room where you can set the combination yourself to keep your valuables in when you are away.  Two bottles of mineral water are usually included however anything in the small refrigerator that is in the room, can be expensive and charged to you upon checking out.   There is a free tooth brush and something that tastes like tooth paste  (I recommend taking your own)  a razor and sha...

Donkey carts and horse drawn wagons etc. are mostly disappearing from the cities these days except in the rural areas.  This man I found on a motorcycle taking a very large pig to market after he killed it at home as we came into the metro area of Chengdu.  One can still see chickens and ducks being taken to market in small trucks and on occasion beef and sheep; but this was a first for me to see and I had to take a photo. Now and then I see something that would make a good photo but do not have my camera with me.  So I now take a smaller camera with me at all  times when in China just in case I see something unusual and interesting. A few years ago we were in a small village and a passenger bus came through and on the top of the bus were wooden cages of about 200 white geese all with their long necks sticking out facing front.  Seeing those geese with their orange beaks riding on top of a bus like they were on tour was extremely funny and I didn't have my camer...

 China is known for Peking Opera but unfortunately the Chinese people do not especially like it and do not support it.   The government supports it with payments to the performers who these days perform in hotels and small theaters or restaurants. If you would like samples of it, the government has performances on t.v. and you can see these in your hotel room when you are there.   The Cultural Revolution more than likely was responsible for this.  Even my Chinese friends did not want to take me to the performances so I usually went by myself.  As a Tour Operator to China for the past 25 years I must see everything myself.  For the tourists on a group tour they take you to a hotel where you see a short performance lasting 45 minutes and just a few actors on stage with no scenery but do have a sign board which gives you the translation of the singing.   I have also attended some of the small theaters one of which is pictured  here.  I love the ...

Hand Made carpets are one of the many things you will find throughout the Middle and Far East part of the world as a craft.  It takes a bit of education to know which are hand made and which are machine made.   Turning a carpet over and looking at the number of knots per inch is one good way to determine its value although not always.   There are many patterns which sometimes denote the country, area of that country and sometimes even particular peoples.   Patterns are often unique and special to this unique craft.  We have several carpets in our home both on the floor and hanging on the walls.  The one shown here is from Xinjiang province of West China and has a very traditional Muslim design.   Carpets can be made of different kinds of wool as well as silk.   The one shown here is silk and hangs on a stairway wall in our home.  When we walk up the stairs it is shows a dark sheen but when we come down the stairs it shows a much lighter sheen...

As a Tour Operator to China for the past 25 years, I am always looking for special places to send people especially around or near by Beijing for those with limited time.  For history buffs, I checked out Shenyang where the Last Emperor Pu Yi went after he left the Forbidden City.  He was considered a puppet for the Japanese who occupied north eastern China.  The photos here are the home where he lived for a time before the revolution had him sent to prison.  If you have seen the movie  "The Last Emperor" you will know more about his banishment to Shenyang.   Besides this historical mansion you will see the Guanju and Qingning Palace, a much smaller version of the Forbidden City in Beijing built in 1637.   Few tourists tour this area not far from North Korea so there are not the large crowds of people.  This area is also more similar to China of the 1980's and '90's which has not changed much.   Click on the photos for a full screen view.