CHINA SUMMARY

Day 1 - Our first stop in Beijing was the Summer Palace (including a walk down the world's longest corridor). After a brief visit to a pearl shop, we visited the expansive Tian'anmen Square and the incredible Forbidden City.

Day 2 - We drove through the huge city (which was an interesting combination of old and new) to a jade shop. We then got to climb a section of the Great Wall! On the way back, we swung past some of the sites for the upcoming Olympics.

Day 3 - We visited the Temple of Heaven which was comprised of several different temples and courtyards. I even got to stand where once only the emperor was allowed to set foot. We then headed over to the old historic district of town where we had a wild rickshaw ride and visited with a local family. We hopped on an evening flight to Wuhan.

Day 4 - Our first site of the day was the Hubei Provincial Museum, including a lovely concert performed on the famous Chime Bells. After lunch, we paid a visit to the Rock & Bonsai Museum, home to the largest crystal in China (the building was actually built around it!). We then boarded the Princess Sheena for our 5-day cruise on the Yangtze River. There just happened to be an amazing firework show that evening.

Day 5 - The scenery was gorgeous and there were plenty of activities to do on the boat as well.... tai chi, informative lectures, buffet dining, a tour of the bridge, music and dance performances, and of course socializing. In the evening was also the captain's party.

Day 6 - We left the flat countryside and were now among the hills. We passed through the locks at Gezhou Dam and entered Xiling Gorge. We got off the boat for a tour of Three Gorges Dam (China's largest construction project since the Great Wall) then passed through the locks (it takes 4 hours to go through the five levels of the shiplock).

Day 7 - We took a trip down Shennong Stream where our small boats pulled along with ropes by 'trackers'. This used to be a necessity before the dam was built but today it's mostly just a tourist attraction. Upon returning to the cruiseship, we continued through both the Wu and Qutang Gorges.

Day 8 - We took a tour of the city of Wanxian, visiting a museum (including a section on foot binding), a local market (ranging from vegetables to fresh animal slaughter) and meeting a relocated family (who lost their farmland because of the dam). We then enjoyed our final night on the boat.

Day 9 - We drove to Dazu where there were over 50,000 rock carvings, some dating back to the mid-600's.

Day 10 - Today we got to visit the pandas in Chengdu. So cute! We also visited a local monastery. We then flew to Xi'an.

Day 11 - In the morning we visited the amazing terracotta warriors, made around 210 BC to guard the first emperor in the afterlife. The evening consisted of beautiful performances at the Tang Dynasty Palace and a sensational dumpling dinner.

Day 12 - We got a tour of many different city sites including a furniture store, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (which I climbed), a mosque, and part of the old city wall. We then hopped on a plane down to Guilin.

Day 13 - The first stop of the day was the Reed Flute Cave with its colorful light and laser show. Then came a visit to Solitary Beauty Peak (including a climb to the top for amazing views). After a walk around Elephant Trunk Hill, we ended the day with a cormorant night fishing excursion.

Day 14 - We took a cruise down the beautiful Li River to Yangshuo. After a short walk around the lovely downtown, we loaded into golf carts and made our way into the countryside, seeing rice fields and visiting a local family. After dinner, there was a large performance on the water called "Impression Liu Sanjie."

Day 15 - We flew to Shanghai where we visited a silk factory and the Bund (the city's famous riverside promenade). After dinner we saw some amazing acrobatic acts by the New Shanghai Circus.

Day 16 - Today was a free day, so some of us spent the afternoon exploring the old part of town and partaking in a tea ceremony. We had dinner in the French Concession, which looked a lot like old Europe.

Day 17 - I got to take the Maglev train to the airport, then sit through the very long flight home!