Xiling Snow Mountain Chengdu
We had an ski vacation in Chengdu which is Panda’s hometown during New Year Holiday. We have fully enjoyed the two days in Chengdu Xiling Snow-capped-covered Mountain Skiing Resort— renowned as the Oriental Alps.
95km away from chengdu, it is located in national scenic resort. xiling snow-capped mountain, which is famous for its scenic beauty and mild climate. the traffic is easily accessible with high class cement road connecting chengdu. it takes only 2 hours by bus from chengdu to the resort.
it covers a total area of 482.8 square kilometers with the altitude here between 1260 and 5364 meters (ideal for skiing). the highest temperature here in summer is only 25°c and the lowest in winter is -10°c. the snow-capped season lasts from late november to the end of march the next year. the average depth of snow-capped coverage is more than 60 cm. due to its sharing the same altitude as well as premium snow-capped quality and snow-capped season with the european alps, xiling, a marvelous spectacle, is billed as the oriental alps.
Good choice for the skiing lovers …
Yinhe Dynasty Hotel Chengdu
The Yihe Dynasty Hotel greeted us with a huge panda tiled on the wall outside the entrance of the hotel. The hotel lobby and common areas are lovely and very nicely maintained. My daughter and I were traveling with friends from home and with a “Return to China” tour and this was the first hotel that adjoining rooms were unavailable.
Not a huge problem except when we were told not to prop our doors to let the girls (8 year olds) go back and forth between rooms which were next to each other. The maid knocked and pointed to the door and said “not safe.” Maybe she thought there wasn’t an adult in the room. But the same happened to others in our group as well. Not a big deal, we were not in our rooms a whole lot anyway, it just made us appreciate adjoining rooms more!!
The rooms had large windows that overlooked the city with 2 chairs in front of the windows and a little table. The twin beds were quite comforable. Compared to the lobby and common areas of the hotel, the rooms were a bit shabby and thread bare but both the room and the bathroom were very clean. I can’t recall if the room was a designated non-smoking room but it did not have an old smoke smell that I noticed on another floor.
One thing I did notice was, that because we were gone for long periods of time throughout the day, the air conditioner would be off when you removed your key from the electric wall jack. (A slot you put your room key in to turn the electricity on in the room. I had never seen these before and they were in every hotel we stayed in on this trip to China.) This made the room very humid as it was rainy and humid outside and gave the bedding a damp feeling. It took a long time with the air conditioner running on high and very cold to get rid of that damp feeling, so we never really could.
The Yinhe Dynasty Hotel had an outdoor pool that looked quite nice. Others from our group used it and had a great time but we opted out during that free time to do some shopping in some great shops that were all within walking distance of the hotel.
Although there were at least 2, if not more, options for dining at the hotel, we only ate breakfast there. The breakfast was a buffet with Western and Chinese choices (even something Sichuan, which my daughter loved!) and was excellent.
The service at the Dynasty was excellent and the hotel was quite lovely except for the rooms needing some updating. It was very clean and to me, that is more important then some faded wallpaper. I’d definitely stay at the Dynasty again!
More informations of Yinhe Dynasty Hotel, Chengdu…
Touring around Chengdu…
Night train to Pingyao
We were met after a sleepless nights train ride to Pingyao (thanks to the loudest snorer I have ever had the pleasure of meeting) by a man and his electric tuk tuk, holding a sign for JOHN TILLER. We were quickly kidnapped and whisked away to Jin Jing Lou’s Guesthouse. Admiring our new surroundings along the way, we were happy with our lastest destination- Pingyao.
More informations of Pingyao…
Pingyao’s enchanting ancient city walls encases the old town and it appears to be in a time warp. Once again, Red Laterns are hung outside everydoor, but the modern world quickly crept back in…in the form of Sue Witcombe!! We were wealking along the lanes of Old Pingyao when we both said at the same time ‘is that…sue???’ and sure enough it was! We went over and grabbed her and her travel mate Adil, and headed to the neaest pub for a few drinks and catch ups. Johnny went to Primary and I went to high school with her, so we caught up on some goss, lotsa fun!!
We met up with these guys a few more times over the next day, aswell as thier tour group buddies, all really fun people, aswell as fitting in all the sights. We visited Chinas first Bank- impressive as it was run way ahead of its time.
We visited a couple of temples and climbed up the lookout point at the South Gate part of the wall, which looked down over the walled city. Johnny was stoked as he had some fairy floss, made then and there on the back of a bicycle! One of the best things about our stay in Pingyao was the size of our bed…. there was a table originally dividing it, so once we moved that, it was HUGE! we both only took up about a 1/3rd of it….a classic. All in all we really enjoyed Pingyao- and would recommend the stop!!!
Tangkou Hotel Huangshan
This is a small hotel of about 50 rooms, right at the base of the Huangshan Scenic District, just 5 minutes drive to the South Gate of the Scenic District. The hotel is very clean, with all the basic necessities one needs (except no in-room hair dryer but maybe available on request - which we did not do). All the staff from reception to the housekeeping and restaurants were very friendly, helpful and well informed. At only RMB360/room incl buffet breakfast (about USD54) net, this hotel offers great value. Invested by HK investors, the room is designed well for foreign visitors. Air conditioner worked perfectly and quietly. We had a nice comfortable big SuperKing bed. Hot water in the shower was instantaneous, and toilet amenities were well presented. The restaurant offers simple but nice food with bilingual menus, at reasonable prices.
The car park is rather small, with spaces only for about 9 vehicles, although we had no trouble to park during our recent stay. Although some construction was nearby, the double glazed windows provided sufficient sound proofing. A bigger hotel about 100m on the same road sent their people to the front gate of the Tangkou Hotel to try to dissuade guests arriving - shows that this little hotel is really winning the business away from the bigger hotel.
I would definitely stay at this hotel again. Their website shows the rooms and facilities as they are. Definitely suitable for all travellers, single, family, young or old.
Yellow Mountain Trekking
Last week I treated my staff members an incentive tour—Yellow Mountain Trekking. The reasons are as follows:
The hiking could encourage a challenging spirit in the staff especially when they were climbing along the narrow and steep path up to the summit.
The team work could be greatly improved and upgraded as the staff must co-operate closely within the three days. Frustrations and depressions might be completely relieved and the staff could get totally relaxed in the great landscape for three days’ fun and sun. And back to their posts, the staff would become more energetic, more focused on their work at hand. The business would turn over a new leaf. In my opinion, a yearly out-trekking is much more rewarding to the staff’s enterprise orientation than a big bonus allocated to everyone at the year end.
On Friday afternoon we packed closely in a 50 seat bus and rode toward the foot of the mountain. The scenes on the roadsides are fabulous, especially along the Hangzhou-Huangshan Express Way. Your eyes were filled with the green hills with tea bushes and white cottages now and then on the slopes. The water buffalos were lying the in the ponds or plowing in the rice fields. The most surprising scene on the express way is the rare traffic and I almost did not find a chimney so there is no pollution for the whole areas.
We started to challenge the mountain tracks early next morning. I asked all the staff members climb to the top. The whole trekking to the top took lasted almost 5 hours before we gathered in the hotel to enjoy the lunch. Some of the guys tripled their usual amount, which surprised nobody as we all became a big eater. Though dog-tired, everyone was intoxicated by the scenes along the paths, vivid-looking rocks, and gnarled pines on the cliff with white clouds in the blue sky. The long-bottomed desires were released free and our shouting was echoed in the gullies for a long time.
The sunrise in front of our hotel was splendid and attracted all the dwellers on the top. Camera flashes almost suppressed the sun’s shining. We were all satisfied with the tour effects and I really hope that my staff would appreciate my intention to provide them a chance to get close to the great nature.
How to Reach Yellow Mountain
Shanghai — Huangshan City
There is daily flight.
By train:
A: N418/N419 departs Shanghai at 22:35 and arrives at Huangshan City at 10:00 the next morning, takes 11 hours and 25 minutes
B: 2182/2183 departs Shanghai at 12:40 and arrives at Huangshan City at 00:27 the next morning, takes 11 hours and 47 minutes
By bus:
It will takes about 5 hours to arrive at Huangshan city and 6 hours to reach the foot of the Mountain and you can stay overnight on the top.
Beijing — Huangshan City
There is daily flight.
By train:
K45 departs Beijing Railway Station at 11:45 AM and arrives at Huangshan City at 07:33 AM the next morning, takes around 20 hours.
Hangzhou — Huangshan City
There is shuttle bus to Huangshan City every half hour from West Bus Station and only 3 hours will cover the 220 kms. by the newly completed express way.
Guangzhou — Huangshan City
There is daily flight.
Tips:
You can go to the Mountain by taking the shuttle bus just in front of local railway station, 2 hours bus journey to reach the foot of the nountain.
Details of train schedule to Huangshan City…
Touring around Huangshan in 1-7 days
Suzhou hotel with great value and great location
I recently stayed at the Suzhou Hotel on a trip to visit the beautiful traditional gardens of the city. The Suzhou hotel was an excellent value, clean, good sized room and great location. It is within walking distance to the Garden of the Master of the Nets. There is a cultural music/dance show in the garden at night which shouldn’t be missed. The garden pavillions lit up, their reflection on the pond, a full moon, and a flute playing classical Chinese music in the distance were certainly romantic. The performances are in various rooms and pavillions in the garden. The hotel is Shiquan Rd. which has many little shops, including a fabulous tea shop with a great collection of clay teapots and where you can sample the many varieties of tea. There are also many DVD and music stores on the street. Everything was much cheaper than in Shanghai.
More information of Suzhou Hotel…
Express ovenight train Beijing to Xian Z19
The overnight train z19 from Beijing to Xian leaves from the Beijing West train station. If you get the 4-person cabin, you can wait in the VIP area behind and to the right of the station convenience store. Sleeping on the train is difficult for some, but can be made easier with the use of earplugs and eye shades. The cabin temperature can be adjusted. Also, there is an outlet (220V) for charging your cell phone or lap top. Bring your own mug and you can make your own coffee or tea with the boiling water available near the wash room. Bring your own towel, wash cloth and toilet paper. Also, hand sanitizer solution is a good idea. Some reports indicate that sleeping on the top bunks is easier. Be sure that your train tickets specify the day that you ask for. Get the return ticket from the train station at Xian as soon as you get off the train. Also, note the car and cot number. Each cabin has four cots starting with 1. So 1-4 are in one cabin, 5-8 in the next cabin and so forth, up to 29-32. The western toilet is near the washroom at the low numbered end and the squat toilet is at the other end of the car. The dining car is car number 9, but it’s probably best to have dinner before boarding the train.
more information of Express overnight train Beijing to Xian Z19
Subway tour to Tiananmen Square
Early in the morning Tiananmen Square was the destination. The subway lines in Beijing are easily accessible by English speakers–in large part thanks to the Olympics. The atmosphere within the Tiananmen square is hard to explain. Entering the subways, or the square through any of the side streets, one is greeted by a couple of guards checking bags and persons with metal detectors and x-ray machines. Once through, the views are a bit surreal.
People walking around are enjoying the scenery, taking pictures, or some are just waiting for the next foreigner to go up to start up a chat. We walked past the Mausoleum, the Obelisk, and looked in awe at the entrance to the Forbidden City. After taking a stroll around the biggest city plaza in the world, we were met by a couple of tourists from Shanghai who wanted to practice their English. In front of the gate in the square, we discussed a bit of Chinese history, and planned to meet back for lunch at the same time.
The area directly south of the square has been reconstructed for tourism, blocking old housing. The hutongs can still be explored though. That’s what we did. We explored and got lost for about an hour or two around these neighborhoods, and those southwest of Tiananmen. We decided to go into one of many restaurants. It was cheap and delicious, just as I am sure any one you choose will be cheap and delicious.
After lunch, we walked a bit more, walking by markets and shops. The scenery and smells were a great experience. Around one in the afternoon we headed back to where we had met the guys from Shanghai. Unfortunately, they were not there; luckily, and ironically, we met another
couple of students from Beijing, on the same spot, that also wanted to practice their English. After twenty minutes of talking, we each headed our way. We went up to the large city gate that is found on Tiananmen.
The tour is worth it, and it takes no longer than an hour. The views that it provides, along with some history, are amazing. At high places, one can really notice the smog within the city.
More informations of TianAnMen Square…
I didn’t think the Lhasa Hotel was too bad
The Lhasa hotel was recommended to us by the tour operator we used for the Lhasa stage of our China trip. It was listed as a 4-star hotel, but after having stayed in many hotels in China I’ve learnt to knock a star off the rating the hotel claims. So I was expecting to get a hotel that held a reasonable 3-star level, and that is pretty much what we got.
Our room was on the 2nd floor in the right hand wing facing the inner courtyard. The room was fairly small, and the bathroom was pretty basic. However, both the room and bathroom was reasonably clean. The bed was quite small and a little bit hard, but that is quite common in hotels in this part of the world so about as expected.
The buffet breakfast was pretty good, with a large selection of food including fruits. The main issue with the breakfast was that it was served in a restaurant right at the back of the hotel, so a bit of a trek from our room.
During our stay my wife felt unwell, possibly caused by the altitude, although no definite cause were ever found. She visited the hotel doctor and was prescribed some Chinese medicine as well as some Western medicine. She found the Chinese medicine to be completely ineffective and only made thigns worse, and it was also hard to swallow.
The hotel staff was quite friendly, although most spoke quite poor English.
More informations of the Lhasa Hotel…
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