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Hong Kong China
Hong Kong China China, in September of 2002, was an exciting and memorable place for us to visit. We took an escorted tour of China at the suggestion of our son. As it turned out, his work schedule would not permit him to join us. It lasted 15 days, and it included not only the highlights of the cities of Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, Xian, Guilin, and Hong Kong, but cultural shows and dinner activities such as the Shanghai acrobats' show, Tang dynasty theater, Peking Duck dinner, Guilin cultural shows, and a Li River cruise. We were very tired when we got back home; it took us a week to recover from the trip. However, we would not have missed it for anything. The tour was well planned. You could check out http://www.bestour.com if your future travels include a visit to China. The total cost of the tour was $6,784 for the two of us. This price included flights, premier or deluxe hotels, tips, visas, entrance fees, food, and custom and airport fees. We had an opportunity to see much of traditional China before they made massive changes for the 2008 Summer Olympics. September was a time of the year when the weather was excellent, and the trip was a wonderful experience. It is important to make sure you have the proper travel documents; I can not emphasize this enough. We had a current passport. The company, Bestours, Inc., handled the applications for our visas. You should not forget to check the government web site (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/) to see if there are any travel or health issues. These issues can pop up suddenly. As I have mentioned in other articles about this trip, there were 12 of us in the tour group accompanied most of the time by our tour guide and a government member who helped us to get through all the security screening areas quickly. There was time included for us to shop or explore on our own. We flew into Shanghai. Then we went on to Suzhou, Beijing, Xian, and Hong Kong. We flew out of Hong Kong at the end of the trip. We had excellent guides, accommodations; and we saw many important attractions. Hong Kong was the last stop on our tour. We took a hydroplane boat from Gaungzhou known as the South Gate of China on the mainland to Hong Kong. The trip was fast and exciting going down the Pearl River to the South China Sea. We entered Hong Kong through Victoria Harbour. The harbour was alive with activity, and the weather was sunny assuring us of a great voyage. It is one of the busiest harbours. You can see countless container ships, junks, and sampans. As every one the world over knows, Hong Kong is a shoppers' paradise. You will always find the latest fashions and trends. The guide gave us some shopping advice. First, look around and compare before you buy. Second, always buy from reputable businesses. It's popular to bargain when shopping, and you should always be careful. We bought many silk items of clothing. Because we travel so much, silk is easier to travel with because it is lighter to carry; and it can be washed at night, and it will be dry in the morning. Ancient arts and crafts of China are easily available in the city, just be careful who you deal with. The architecture of present day Hong Kong is unique. Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Building, Bank of China Tower, and the Legislative Council Building form what is called Statue Square. Hong Kong has three main parts. They include Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. People came from the mainland to settle in Hong Kong at the time of Qin (221-206 B. C.) and Han (206 B.C.-220 AD) dynasties according to our guide. Excavations of tombs have verified that Chinese settlers from the mainland had an impact on the indigenous peoples of Hong Kong. Victoria Peak is a very expensive and exclusive area of Hong Kong. You can ride a funicular (Peak Tram) to the top of the hill called Peak Tower. At the top, you can view Hong Kong and Kowloon; it is windy but the wonderful view is worth it. The hill top includes a shopping and dining area. Believe it or not, Hong Kong has its own Times Square with many shops for the ultimate consumer. At night the city is ablaze with colorful lights. It is exciting to go to the many shops and restaurants in the evening. Let's not forget the museums, Chinese Opera, tea drinking, and traditional medicine is available for you to explore. Let's emphasize that your tour of China would not be complete without visiting a silk factory. We were given a demonstration of how silk filaments are extracted from the silkworm cocoon. Then they are used to create the best carpets using traditional Chinese methods and designs. Some of the weaved silk designs are double sided which to me was amazing. Another fascinating demonstration was the creation of cloisonne which the guide described as areas of colored enamelware separated by thin metal strip pieces. This work was difficult but beautiful. We watched craftsman carving jade pieces. Finally, we visited a fresh water pearl farm where you could keep any pearls you found. They would put it in a setting for you. Every location we visited had a store, of course, were you could purchase these products.
It was time for us to fly out of Hong Kong's modern airport for home. This is a vacation we would highly recommend to you. This is the tenth of several articles relating our experiences and impressions of a 15-day escorted tour of China we took in September of 2002. |
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This intel was contributed by The MUSEUM
The MUSEUM
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May, 2012
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