Monday, February 11, 2008

Grand Tour of China 2007

Con's: "Can't rent a car."
Pro's: "A full-package deal that hits all your spots."
In a nutshell: "More than you can see in a lifetime."

Beijing - Badaling - Pingyao - Xi'an - Nanjing -Yangzhou - Suzhou -
Tongli - Tunxi - Huangshan - Hongcun - Shanghai - Beijing








Autumn is a great time to travel to China. Lush foliage colours go together well with both understated monochrome Ming architecture and the flamboyant palette of Qing eaves. In autumn, the lakes in China are at their serenest and the mountains at their most enchanting. The heart-warming orange colour of the seasonal fruit - persimmons and mandarins - looks strikingly good against the clear blue sky.
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Great Wall of China in autumn colours In many ways, China exceeded any of my expectations - it's bigger, brasher, cleaner, friendlier, more modern, more expensive, more culturally diverse and has more to offer to the traveller than one could ever imagine. It both defies and confirms the many stereotypes in the most enjoyable manner. And it also does deserve all the superlatives and ecstatic epithets you will come across below.


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It is a known fact that China is one of the oldest continuous civilizations of the world, but it may be hard to fathom that before arrival just how much build-up has occurred here during the last few millennia, and how much is still left of it, despite all the wars and destruction. Before your brain gets blocked in information overflow -- mine did on a daily basis -- give in to the serendipity of it all and enjoy whatever wonders you may stumble on as you elbow your way through jostling crowds.
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