travel page three
In the fall of 1999 we joined an organized tour and went to China. We flew non-stop from Los Angeles to Beijing using China Eastern Airlines. It had been several years since our last trip to the country and we found it much changed. The impression today is of a westernized nation, busy and open. No police or military presence is visible. Tourist facilities are excellent and the people friendly. English is widely understood now as a result of years of teaching as a second language in the schools. Our next trip will certainly be an independent one.
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| Inside the Forbidden City | The Self and Friend | The Spouse on the Wall |
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| Toll Gate on Super Highway | Ernestine at the Moon Gate | West Lake at Hangchou |
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| Shanghai, The Bund | Lushan, Street Scene | Shanghai, Bridal Shop |
We stayed in the capitol city of China for only the time needed to recover from the long transpacific flight and to visit again the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, The Great Wall, and the Ming Tombs. We flew a shuttle then to the Shanghai airport and took a tour bus directly to Wuxi. On the successive days following, we went to Hangchou, Nanking, and Suzhou. Each of these famous places had much to see. A lake cruise, a stop at the tomb of Sun Yat Sen, and a look at the gardens and canals of Suzhou were included. Each night we halted at a truly palace like hotel with every comfort. Returning to Shanghai we boarded a ship for a four day cruise up the Yangtse river. Daily, enroute to Wuhan we took trips into the mountains. At Wuhan was a remarkable new museum with artifacts from a 6th century B.C. tomb. Then it was on to Shanghai again by air for two days before the flight home.
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| Mask in Shanghai Museum | The face of new China |