May 20/17, Shanghai

This morning we visited the Yuyuan Chinese gardens and walked through the streets of old Shanghai. The gardens had no flowers, but lots of trees, water, fish and pagodas. Very lovely and peaceful indeed! Amongst the shops in old Shanghai was a place that made and sold lovely silk products. Before lunch in that area, we went to a place that sold Chinese embroidery or silk painting as it's also called. They had many gorgeous pictures for sale, some of which were even double-sided, with a different design on each side.

In the afternoon we saw the Shanghai museum, a world famous museum of ancient Chinese art. They also had relics of bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, furniture, jade, ivory carvings, coins, bamboo, wood and lacquer wares. Unfortunately I was too tired and my feet were aching so I didn't see much of it.

In the evening we saw a Chinese acrobat show - truly amazing, just like this trip! We've never seen so many wonderful things in any trip, but I've also never been so tired! It will also be our longest flight home so far, starting with a pick-up at 5:40 am for our flight from Shanghai to Beijing, followed by a few hours wait for the 11 hour flight from Beijing to Vancouver, then another few hours wait for the flight home.

May 19/17, Shanghai

Today we flew from Wuhan to Shanghai, the largest city in China. It's the most modern city we've seen so far, and also the richest city. More buildings have English words,  and there are many fancy shops and skyscrapers. The latter didn't exist until the 1990's, and now the river is lined with them. We took a river cruise after dark to see them all lit up, and it was quite a sight! Unfortunately they use mostly coal to generate this electricity.

We're staying at the Fairmont Peace Hotel, the fanciest one we've stayed in so far. Both Bill Clinton and Charlie Chaplin have stayed here! We're not accustomed to staying in 5 star hotels, and although it's quite an experience, we do feel rather out of place here.

May 18/17, Wuhan

We arrived in Wuhan today. It's a more modern Chinese city, and one of the hottest too. Before air conditioning, people used to sleep out on the street! It's also the most landscaped city we've seen so far, with a long park following the river, and lots of flower beds and shrubs. It even has a modern shopping area, including a Walmart!

We visited the Hubei Museum, which contains artifacts in a single tomb dating back to 433 BC. They weren't discovered until l978, and contain bronzes and lacquer ware. The most impressive was a set of chimes and bells that is the heaviest musical instrument in the world, weighing 5,525 pounds! There were other instruments too, such as a se, flutes, panpipes, violins, sheng, and various percussion instruments. The original bells can produce two different tones of melody and harmony, and these bells have been played only 3 times. Replicas were created, and we listened to a short concert performed with these instruments, which was very beautiful indeed.

In the evening we heard more Chinese music - a group of seniors playing percussion, flute, cello, dulcimer, pipa, erhu, as well as some other strings. It was pleasant and they were very good as well.

May 17/17, along the Yangtze

This morning we took a bus to visit a country school that is sponsored by Viking. The children danced and did a Kung Fu performance for us and then we went into their grade 4 classroom. They took us by the hand and led us to their seats, where they read to us some English words in their workbooks. Michael then volunteered to draw a Chinese character on the blackboard, and they said he did a good job! They really seemed to enjoy having us there. The desks were primitive and close together. School is free for the first 9 years, but getting into university in the larger cities is difficult if you're from a rural area, because they accept many more children from the city, and therefore competition for the remaining spots is fierce from the outside areas. Many of the teachers live at the school, as the travelling distance would be too far.

Before breakfast I walked slowly on the treadmill (the bike irritated my broken foot) and attended the 30 minute Tai Chi class which was led by the ship's doctor. To my surprise I found it relaxing, and am thinking of getting a DVD to continue with it at home. After dinner we saw another great show of music and dancing put on by the young ship staff.

May 16/17, along the Yangtze

In the morning we took a short bus trip back to see the dam. It's one of the largest dams in the world, and the largest hydro-electric project. It was built for flood control, and over 1 million people had to be relocated for it's construction. Prior to the dam, many lives were lost due to the flooding.

In the afternoon there was a talk about the history of China. Thirty years ago there was a famine in which thousands of people died. But after the death of Mao, things really improved in China, and now it's the second leading nation. Air pollution is a problem, but the government is working on that. Poverty used to be 64% but now it's 6%, and recently China has developed an impressive fast rail system that cuts traveling time greatly.

In the evening there was a special event for previous Viking travellers, followed by a lovely show of dancing in costumes by some of the younger Viking staff.

May 15/17, along the Yangtze

Today we saw the Three Gorges and took a sampan boat into a tributary called the Goddess Stream. It was named after a rock at the top of the cliff that resembles a goddess, watching over everyone. The scenery was magnificent - a narrow channel with soaring vertical cliffs and craggy peaks. The vegetation was lush as well - lots of moss, trees and bamboo. We were so lucky to have a sunny day, as apparently it's usually misty and rainy here. In fact, we haven't had any rain on this trip so far! We also saw some caves on the mountains that contain warrior coffins. This afternoon we saw a presentation about the Three Gorges Dam, which we'll be seeing tomorrow, a Chinese painting demonstration, a Majhong lesson, and a short film about the building of the Three Gorges Dam ship locks, which we will pass thorough in the night.

May 14/17, on the Yangtze

In the morning we had to sort out our final flight from Shanghai to Beijing, as our tour guide said that the airport didn't have our passport information. Next was a talk about the Yangtze River, and then we put in an order with the ship's onsite tailor for silk vests, to be completed during our sailing.

In the afternoon we walked from our ship to the Shibaozhai Temple. The pavillion has 12 stories (99 steps) and the temple is adjacent. This temple is one of the legacies of the Qing Dynasty. At the top there was a great view of the Yangtze River.

In the evening we were entertained with a fun music trivia game. I danced once with Paul, a wonderful 88 year old man travelling on his own, who has many wonderful stories about his travels over the years.  The ladies were given a red rose and a chocolate dipped strawberry in honour of Mother's Day.

May 13/17

Today was a travelling day. We flew from Lhasa to Chongqing, where we boarded our cruise ship.

May 12/17, Lhasa

This morning we visited a nunnery, as the museum we were supposed to see was being renovated. The nuns wore the same deep red robes as the monks, and also had their heads shaved, so at first glance it was hard to tell if they were male or female. There are only 108 of them, and not many girls are interested in joining anymore. They sat in long rows facing each other, chanting and drinking tea. They break for lunch and chant again in the afternoon. We were fortunate enough to hear the chanting, which is all done by memory.

After eating at a local restaurant, we saw the Potala palace in the afternoon. It sits high up on a hill in front of the mountains, and is another UNESCO site. The original was built in 637, but had to be replaced in the 17th century due to a fire which destroyed much of it. It has 999 rooms, most of which are not open to the public. It consists of both a White and a Red palace. The former was the seat of the government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. The red palace, towering high above the white one, has murals showing Buddhist folklore and ancient Tibetan life. Amongst the chapels are 8 spectacular tombs, covered in nearly 5 tons of gold. These rooms contain the remains of the 5th through the 13th Dalai Lamas. There were about 300 steps to climb, as well as a rough, rocky surface in between sections of the steps. To my amazement both Michael and I were able to climb up to the top, although my recovering broken foot wasn't very happy at the end! We were very lucky not to have much trouble with the high altitude. Some people were quite sick and had to miss some of the excursions.

May 11/17, Lhasa

We started our day in Tibet with the Jokhang Temple. This is the most sacred building in Tibet. In the square outside the temple, people were performing praying rituals, sometimes for the whole day. These were not locals, but rather those that have made a pilgrimage from far away. Inside, the temple is filled with antique murals, statues, tapestries and scroll paintings. It's quite dark inside and the air is filled with incense  and the smell of rancid yak butter. (The temple is full of butter lamps!)  It's in the heart of the old town, and probably built in 647. Besides praying in front of the temple, people walk in clockwise circles around it, some holding prayer wheels and beads. Nest we walked to the marketplace around the temple. In one shop we were served Jasmine tea, and saw prayer flags, statues, jewelry, clothing and tapestries.

After lunch in a local restaurant we had a home visit to a lower-middle income dwelling. The owner was a seamstress who made the wall and ceiling covers with her Singer sewing machine! She offered us homemade yak butter tea, a staple here, consisting of yak butter, water, salt and tea. She also passed around bowls of seeds, grains and sweets.

Next we visited the Sera Monastary. Completed in 1419, it's a fairly large complex, with 3 religious colleges (rather run-down looking buildings) and important collections of manuscripts, tapestries, statues and murals. At 3 pm they rang a gong, and the monks gathered in the courtyard for "debates." The style of debating is very animated, with the monks being paired up and discussing Buddhist philosophy in the form of questions and answers.

Tonight we had dinner and watched a show of Tibetan music and dancing. The grand finale was the Crazy Yak dance, with a couple of people wearing a yak costume and parading around the stage.

May 10/17, Lhasa

Today we had breakfast at 5 am to catch our early morning flight to Lhasa Tibet. Airport rules and security are very strict here. Technically I wasn't supposed to take any syringes in my carry-on bag (although insulin is okay!). Our guide wrote me a note in Chinese saying that my life would be in danger if i couldn't carry any needles, but luckily they didn't stop me. After our 3 hour flight, we had a one hour guided bus trip to a local restaurant, then on to our hotel. On the bus, our guide gave us all a white silk scarf which was our welcome to Tibet! Upon landing we were surrounded by bald rugged mountains, and not much else until we arrived in Lhasa. Our guide warned us about the things we couldn't do, like taking close-up photos of people, police stations and check points. He also wasn't allowed to discuss politics with us. We saw some yaks along the road and got to taste them for lunch - very yummy!  The stories we were told showed us that Tibetans are very superstitious. Our hotel room had a lovely painted box at the foot of the bed, Tibetan decorations on the walls, and a lovely courtyard outside our window, which had a pathway and a couple of pagodas. The altitude is 11,000 feet. We were warned to walk slowly, drink lots of water, eat a light dinner and not to take a shower or wash our hair until the next morning. There were oxygen tanks in our rooms, a peaceful Oxygen Lounge with comfy chairs and soft music downstairs, and a doctor in the hotel, which some people on our tour needed to make use of. The Tibetan characters are very different from Mandarin Chinese, and in fact look a lot like Sanskrit letters. Tibet is run by the Chinese government, and we understood that perhaps all are not happy about this, but of course even the guides were not allowed to say this, so we can't know for sure.

May 9/17, Xi'an

Today we rode the bus for one hour to see the Terracotta Warrior's Museum, another UNESCO site. They were discovered in l974 by farmers digging a well. It has about 8,000 warriors guarding the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of a unified China. He wanted to be buried with these soldiers in order to be protected after death. Each figure is unique and they come in various forms, such as archers, infantry, cavalry and chariots. Relics are still being discovered, but have to be carefully removed to protect the painted surface. And some are still in pieces and are in the terracotta ICU!

In the afternoon we saw a factory where they make and sell lovely pieces of furniture, jewelry, clothes, as well as replicas of the terracotta warriors.

We had dinner at a show, which consisted of dances and music telling the story of a Tang Dynasty (618-901 AD) empress. Very interesting musical instruments, beautiful costumes and good food!

May 8/17, Beijing & Xi'an

We started out the day with a rickshaw ride through the old hutong areas in Beijing. A rickshaw is a bike pulling a two-seater covered carriage. The hutongs are communities of small attached homes with narrow alleys between them. Everyone watches out for their neighbours here. We witnessed the sights and sounds of everyday life in these run-down areas - people chatting, baking, doing laundry, sweeping, etc. Some had small garden boxes or birds in cages outside their windows. We visited a local family who served us tea and told us briefly about their lives. The owner was a retired artist, and her niece was working in the back while we were there, doing the same type of painting on glass snuff bottles that her aunt used to do. The painting was done on the inside of the bottles, so she had to use a small angled brush. The detail was very fine and beautifully done.

Next we rode to a place in the community that does tea demonstrations, and we were shown how to hold the little cup and sampled 5 different kinds of tea. All of them promised to cure or prevent various ailments and diseases (you can image what Michael thought of that!) They also showed how some of their mugs could change colour and design when hot water was poured into them, and of course they sold them, as well as many tea sets and types of tea, in their shop.

In the afternoon we had a flight to Xi'an, a city of 8 million people in the central part of China. A bus then took us to our Shangri-la hotel. The view from our window was very different from the one in Beijing. The latter overlooked the downtown, whereas the one in Xi'an overlooked many tall and short apartment buildings, all of which looked the same.

May 7/17, Beijing

Today we rode the bus for 1 1/2 hours to get to the Great Wall. We saw sections of it along the way, but much of it was in ruins. For this reason it's not possible to walk the entire length of the wall.  The section we were on was popular and busy, and not at all flat! It was possible to climb to a tower at the top, but not many in our group made it that far. The pavement was uneven, and with my air cast and my blood sugars dropping rapidly on the climb, I soon decided to return to the start and let Michael carry on without me. The revered leader Mao once said that you were not a hero if you didn't climb the wall, so this may explain why so many Chinese people were there. A few of them wanted to have their pictures taken with us, so despite it being a huge tourist attraction, we still saw many more natives than tourists. I looked around in some of the small shops at the start while waiting for the others in our group to return, but felt uncomfortable with the pressure to buy, so ended up waiting outside.

Next stop was the Jade Factory, where we had lunch and a tour of the workshops where many of the jade items for sale are produced. They have a shop and a gallery, the later of which had some amazing pieces. I hadn't realized before that jade came in colours other than green. In the shop there was extreme pressure from the saleswomen. If you showed interest in anything, (like the earrings I eventually bought) they held onto the item and followed you around, offering discounts every time they caught up with you, until you just wanted to buy the item to get rid of them!

The last stop was the Walk of the Ming Tombs. We followed a path that led us through many stone figures of animals and people. It was a pleasant walk, and I had no trouble keeping up with the group in my air cast.

Today we experienced public toilets (or "happy places" as our tour guide called them) for the first time. Mostly they consisted of one or two toilets, with the other stalls containing holes in the ground that you had to squat over. If you were lucky, there was toilet paper, so we learned to carry our own supplies. The used paper was supposed to be put in a basket beside the toilet, rather than being flushed, which was pretty disgusting. Our guide would always encourage us to use the better happy places; I would have hated to see the ones that weren't considered to be as good!

That evening we had Peking Duck in a fancy local restaurant. Each duck is cut into 120 pieces and prepared in a special way. The skin was very dark and was amazing! You roll up tiny pieces in a paper-thin tortilla, and add veggies and a sauce if you wish. They served several other dishes, finishing with an imperial dessert (cranberry tofu) plus dragon fruit and melons, which are very common here. Michael was able to eat the duck, but wrapped it up in lettuce instead. Unfortunately he couldn't eat many of the other dishes in the buffet. Our tour guide had not been informed about Michael being celiac, so at first his meals were pretty basic (broccoli and rice with no sauce), but luckily they improved as the trip went along, especially after we got on the ship, where there was much more selection. But there's no getting around the fact that it's not easy being gluten free in China!

May 6/17, Beijing

Today there was a lot of walking, so our tour guide arranged for a local person to push me in a wheel chair. There was only one group of 30 people on our tour, and I couldn't have kept up with everyone in my air cast. The gentleman was very kind, and even took pictures of Michael and I in front of some of the sights! We saw Tiananmen Square, which is the world's largest public square, followed by the Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the world's largest palace complex, home to 980 buildings with 9,999 rooms! It was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. We were surprised not to see a big police presence at the square, but apparently there were a lot of undercover police, and our bags had to be scanned before entering. The Forbidden City was much bigger than we had imagined, and all the buildings looked very similar. After dinner we saw the Legend of Kung Fu. The skill level of these acrobats was truly amazing!

May 4&5/17, Beijing

Both flights (to Vancouver and to Beijing) were delayed but were uneventful. The one from Vancouver to Beijing was 11 hours long, and we arrived late in the afternoon of the next day, as there's a 14 hour time difference. I can't say enough about the comfort of having bulkhead seats, which we ordered because of me wearing an air cast. (I broke my foot March 12th, but it still wasn't healed completely before the trip started.) Our first night was dinner on our own in a hotel, as all the people would be arriving at different times. The table service included bowing, placing napkins on our laps, wiping crumbs off the table, and in general being very attentive to our needs. Michael slept better than I did, but he hardly slept at all on the plane. Luckily I didn't have a difficult adjustment with my blood sugars. After sleeping I just set the insulin pump 14 hours ahead, and had very little trouble.