I'm feeling guilty because I found decent tickets to Vietnam and decided we should go there for spring break in March. Guilty because it would be a vacation we really can't afford and if I'm going to spend the money for even decent tickets we should stay more than 3-4 days to get our money's worth. Guilty because I think we may live in China for a number of years and never get out of the Jing. Then I found great tickets to the following places:
Lijiang. It's 800 years old, and UNESCO site, I believe. So cute, a minority village, albeit touristy, so I'll lots of things to look at and lug back to the Jing with me. It looks adorable, and the weather would be warm-ish.
Tibet. It's far away and the best time to visit is probably not when the average temperatures are around 30 degrees. We'll have to up the quality of the hotel so we have decent heat. We'll have to fly straight into Lhasa...and may have some issues with altitude sickness since we'll be at 15,000 feet without the adjustment we'd get on the train. On the upside, well, it's TIBET. Hello. 
Guilin...home of those iconic karst mountains. A trip down the river, then over to a nearby area to a place called the Dragon's Backbone, rice terraces so steep and sharp and green that fall away forever below your feet. Sigh. Not sure about the shopping, though.
What do you think?
4 comments:
The only one I've been to is Guilin. The scenery is absolutely stunning! If you go, and have a choice, get a *very* early boat down the river, ahead of the other tourists - it may be different in March but in the summer it was crazy busy with tourist boats. Oh, and don't eat on the boat itself, even though you'll be on it all day. The boat I was on, the toilet appeared to empty right into the river, and we saw people on another boat washing table cloths in the river. I ate on the boat and got very sick - the only time in my 3.5 weeks in China.
In Guilin we also visited a hospital for a talk about traditional Chinese medicine - where they correctly diagnosed a shoulder injury a PT in the US had been trying and failing to fix for months! They even sold me some pills that made it feel better for the first time in years. Goodness knows what was in them - they looked like rabbit droppings!
No matter where you go, it will be wonderful, but DO get out of Beijing!
That looks so amazing! Lucky you!
Thank you so much for popping your head in while we were visiting! It was great to meet you, though quickly. I probably could've spoken to you for two hours...but we both had lots to do. But I really appreciate you taking time out to say hi!
We are making decisions galore! Busy, busy, busy!
Jen
I got altitude sickness when I was in college and climbed Mt. Whitney. Nothing to mess a round with. Expect to be really sluggish for a few days. I'm not sure what you can do if someone gets really sick--probably should find out. I had to go down the mountain. humm...
Have fun!
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