Stories from the other side.
In & Around Suzhou Suzhou is a 30 minute train ride away from Shanghai and I can’t believe that we missed it on our earlier trip to China. Last December, we spent two days in Hangzhou before taking the train to Suzhou. Suzhou is about an hour and half away from Hangzhou. We took the…
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Getting In Hangzhou’s proximity to Shanghai makes it an excellent choice for a weekend trip. High speed trains connect Shanghai to Hangzhou and the total journey is under an hour. We had made online reservations (trip.com) before arriving in China. The great internet wall can be quite challenging without a VPN and it’s wiser to…
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We had three hours to spare after reaching Yangshuo. Many tourists headed towards their hotels. There were people everywhere. It kind of spoiled the beauty of the location. The weather was pleasant and yet we were too tired to appreciate it. I couldn’t bear to walk the town after 4 hours on the cruise. We…
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Listed as one of the top 10 things-to-do in China, the River Li Cruise, should feature on your China travel itinerary. The cruise lives up to the hype created by travel portals and the local tourism department. The magnificent Karst mountains closing in on the Li River – as you cruise by – is an experience…
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We woke up at 5 am to board our morning flight from Xi’an to Guilin. After a good night’s rest, both of us were pretty refreshed and excited to explore China’s rustic countryside. The flight time is roughly two hours – not adding the half-hour delay on the tarmac. The Xi’an – Guilin tourist circuit is quite…
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It’s not possible to cover the vast expanse of a country like China. Skipping Xi’an from your travel itinerary, might seem like a sensible thing to do, if you’re pressed for time. But, if you’re a culture enthusiast – it might prove to be a mistake. After four days of exhaustive walking in Beijing, we headed to Xi’an, the…
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The Summer Palace is one of the top historic sights to visit in Beijing. It wouldn’t take much – to guess why – Emperors chose it to unwind in its tranquil gardens. After three days of back-to-back walking (including the Great Wall Hike), we decided to slow down the pace and experience a bit of tranquillity…
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“You’re going to CHINA? You must surely visit the GREAT WALL OF CHINA!”, squealed my elderly neighbour. I smiled warily. Her enthusiasm was palpable. Despite her age and average health, given an opportunity, she would have most definitely have walked the great walk herself. I probably kept her in mind, when I reluctantly signed up…
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We’d never recommend 8 days to explore a country, leave alone – China. And yet, we managed to squeeze Xian and Guilin, along with Beijing, in our China travel itinerary. I’d have to admit, and Basil will agree, although reluctantly, it’s not been one of our best planned trips. With few days in hand, we…
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