Join a journey through China and explore the many wonders!
Where: Marlin Travel, Sherway Gardens Mall
When: Thursday Sept 03rd 2009
Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm (Includes 1/2 an hour for questions and answers)

RSVP: Aug 26th 2009 by phoning our office at 416 622 8161
or email us: melissa.feeley@marlintravel.ca

View details here

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12 days in China - A slide show

Shanghai

We are at the end of the trip - but what an end! Shanghai has re-claimed it glory as one of the key financial centres in the world. We arrived quite late - and headed to "the bund" for dinner on the river! What a skyline!

The next day was a full one - but wonderful (again)... Our first stop was a silk factory where we saw real silk worms - and the cocoons being un-spun to make the incredible fabric that we have come to know and love. Did you know that approximately 30% of the cocoons are "double" - with two silk worms working together. The cannot be un-spun but are used to make incredible silk duvets. They keep you warm in summer and hot in winter (that is what we were told). Now many in the group will be able to decide if this is true - because lots of us bought them!

Then it was onto the Maglev train - that went up to 300 km when we were on it - but during rush hour goes up to 430 km! A 1 hour bus ride was replaced by an 8 minute train ride...

After a great lunch in the Pudong area, we headed to an incredible bazaar area with shops and street vendors selling everything from jade (or maybe what looks like jade) to dumplings, silk garments, chopstick sets and more! There was even a Starbucks! It is a very popular place... It is also the place where you can find the Wu Garden and the crooked bridge (there were too many people on it to take a picture!)...

After an hour there, we were ready for.... the "fakes" shopping. The Asia Collection has found a 3-story "mall" of knock-offs! We all had lots of fun - and no one came back empty handed (although our wallets were lighter!)... Sorry - no pictures!! This was definitely a "no pictures" place - but we can tell you that everything your heart would desire was here!! You "name" it - they have it!

After an incredible dinner (again!) - off to the Chinese Acrobat Show. It is something to see - many of us agree it is better than the Cirque! What a way to end an incredible visit to China.

The East King

Our ship, the East King must be commented on, because it is so wonderful. With only 80 cabins, at full capacity there are only 160 guests on board! The food was wonderful, and with a "west meets east" buffet for breakfast and lunch - everyone could find something they loved. The evening meals were events - with a Captain's welcome dinner and an Emperor's feast - you can see the emperor himself at the entrance!

Other things the boat included were a spa, a library, many indoor and outdoor sitting areas to admire the view, a small fitness centre and a doctor that was able to give acupuncture and cupping as well as traditional medical assessments.

One of the highlights for many is the Three Gorges Dam and locks. The ship goes though the 5 locks - and it is a man-made marvel to watch. A visit to the 90% complete dam was incredible, you cannot believe how big it is. (there was also the most amazing washrooms - but you will have to ask your travel advisor about that!)...

Cruising along the Yangtze River....

Cruising along the Yangtze on the East King reminds us of something out of a 1940's movie... Elegant, refined and calming... The scenery is spectacular...

Our excursion on the sampan boats was incredible. As we cruised up the stream, we saw hanging coffins, incredible landscape - and heard the traditional folk songs of the local people (our guide sang for us!)...

The Yangzte River Cruise

You may have noticed that we haven't been able to update this lately - the internet connection on the boat was slow - so sorry! We'll have to try and explain how incredible the last 3 days on the Yangtze were...

We left from Chongqing after dinner - and straight to bed the first night - so nothing exciting.... But the next day...

A misty visit to the Ghost City of Feng du seemed so fitting... The city of Feng Du was one of the towns relocated (over 150,000 people were relocated due to the higher water levels due to the new dam) - but they left the Temples of Death - that were at the pinnacle of the mountain. There were two ways to get up, walk or by cable car - which was actually just like a ski lift!!

Once up there - there were many temples - all beautiful, with many Buddhas... The god of Hell is the black figure - even though he is not supposed to be scary - his presence and temple with his 18 horrible disciples was quite chilling for all!

AIRPORTS

As you may have noticed, we do a lot of flying during this itinerary - but it couldn't be easier. With Marlin Travel Asia Collections trips - the team has brought the process to a fine art. Our checked baggage is whisked away, and we get our boarding passes literally as soon as we step out of the coaches... And the airports are modern, clean and have shops, massage, restaurants that make any spare time fly by! The planes also couldn't be more modern, and with incredible service - we had a meal served to us on the 50 minute flight from Xi'an to Chongqing!!

Chongqing and the Pandas

We flew to Chongqing (pronounced Chongching) and couldn't believe that we had never heard of this incredible city! It was so modern, and beautiful - and BIG - almost 30 million people live in the city and suburbs!! The city seemed green - with beautiful parks and landscaping everywhere - even on the side of the highway! But the real highlight was seeing the pandas at the Chongqing zoo - an amazing garden in itself.

We also got a private lesson with a professor from the Chongqing school of fine arts. He explained all about Chinese art and read a poem to us. He also showed us incredible paintings on Banyan leaves... A couple of moments walking around the gallery was lovely....

After lunch, the next stop was the incredible ancient city of Chongqing. Small narrow passage ways with vendors selling everything from pastries to octopus tentacles on sticks (barbecued!), jewellery, haunted house rides and more! You can see it is a popular place on a Sunday afternoon!

The Terra Cotta Warriors

Today's weather started off quite sketchy, but cleared up by the end of the day. But as they say "There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate dressing". This time we were ready with umbrellas and layers.

The Terra Cotta Warriors museum and complex was really a site to behold, with 3 excavated pits to see. This is definitely a must do - because you can't really show it with pictures. The pits are massive, and all the terra cotta warriors really are all different. Do you recognize the marionettes? These massive structures were used at the Beijing Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.

Dumpling Dinner and Show in Xi'an

Wow. What can we say? A dinner and show that was colourful and wonderful in all respects! Check out the pictures of the 18 types of dumplings served. Many are shaped to look like their contents, can you guess what they are?

Our "fearless leader" Alex Lee, with two beauties! The show was spectacular!