IMPERIAL JEWELS OF CHINA – Charles and Laveta's Web Site

IMPERIAL JEWELS OF CHINA

A Viking Cruise
Beijing to Shanghai
Chuck, Laveta, Jim, Carol
1-14 October 2010

PDF, trip journal, 7pp

Departing San Francisco and in route. The trip began in University Place, WA USA (Seattle)

Our hotel in Beijing: the Ritz Carlton located in the Financial District

Views of and from our rooms

Walking around the Financial District, "Financial Street" on a Sunday morning

Charles Wang: our Viking Tour Guide

Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

Leaving The Forbidden city and lunch

The Summer Palace

The Great Wall

"Everyone has an obligation to present authentic personal information" Roadside Census promotion sign on the way to the Great Wall
(taken through the bus window)

Far right: The group photo of us and our bus-mates at the Great Wall

"Serial Downgrades" and the dreaded "Black Spot"

The Sacred Way to the Ming Tombs

Peking Duck and the Peking Opera

Lindgang Hutong We were the guest of a local resident- who dyed her dog’s ears orange.
Hutongs are very old communities with narrow streets. Beijing is trying to preserve some of them.

Beijing Airport & arrival in the city of Xi’an. Lots of construction and dirty air.

From the Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show, which was just outstanding!

The Kempinski, our hotel in Xian

The Terra Cotta Army Museum, Xi’an

The smoggy city of Chongqing (metropolitan area population ~31 million) where we boarded our river boat.

The Viking Century Sun

Counterfeit Jack Daniels. It tasted kind’a like whiskey

Ivy- our server on the Century Sun

On the Yangtze

Shibaozhi Pagoda and Temple

We walked from the boat through part of the town to the pagoda.

A pedestrian bridge leads to the pagoda

Shibaozhi temple from the top of the pagoda and inside

Local card game near the temple

On of many contracted boats skimming junk from the Yangtze

The Three Gorges (Qutang, Wo & Xiling)

The Hanging Coffins

Last lock on the river at the city of Yi’ Chang. Note the drop!

The city of Jinzhou and the small town Viking sponsored elementary school 40 minutes from the city.

Captain’s Dinner

Arrival in Wuhan

Hubei Provincial Museum A simply marvelous place!

Extraordinary 2400 year bronze casting

The 2400 year old Bells of Wuhan

A concert with bell replicas (video)

It seemed that everyone wanted to be photographed with a Westerner.

Our hotel- the Portman Ritz Carlton– Shanghai

Old Shanghai and Yuyuan Gardens

Modern Shanghai Wow!

Typical whimsical and beautiful architecture

Silk Embroidery

Farewell Dinner

Shanghai Airport and our flight home