Chinese Whispers

Chinese Whispers Margaret Moulton, our manager from Wells, has been lucky enough to be invited on a Wendy Wu educational taking in the wonders of ancient and modern China. This was a wonderful opportunity and Margaret kept us up to date throughout her adventure.

Shanghai

Chinese Whispers Embarking on our Wendy Wu tour, we travelled with BA from T5, World Traveller but with a courtesy glass of champagne and access to Galleries Lounge - a very nice touch. Exit seats made the 10 hour flight more bearable but, as the aircraft was not full, we had lots of space to stretch out. We arrived in Shanghai in over 20 degrees, unseasonably warm after a chilly UK, and we saw the famous Maglev train that takes 8 minutes from airport to city centre. Shanghai is a very industrial city with some unattractive modern high rises, even the 18th floor residents hang their washing out of the balcony! However, once by the river, the older areas with more architectural character can be seen, and we soon arrived at the Anting Villa, a traditional 4 star hotel. Rooms are not huge but very clean and modern, with good bathrooms. We were soon whisked off for lunch, our first authentic Chinese meal, which did not disappoint. We were then taken by coach to see the famous Bund area of Shanghai. Traditionally it has names that translate as the French Quarter or the Concession area, as this is where you see 19th century European architecture facing ultra modern skyscrapers on the other side of the Waung Pu river. This trendy boulevard is where tourists and locals alike come to see and be seen, and the designer shops that line the route were interesting as one was actually holding a fashion show for dogs - poodles in high heels? Bizarre! After the sunset, the neon lights bring the skyscrapers alive and this spectacle was best seen on a river cruise, before our welcome evening dinner. A great way to start the trip but been awake now for 27 hours, time for bed!

For a great night out in Shanghai I would definitely recommend Xintiandi, or the French quarter. Attractive Art Deco buildings and quaint alleys filled with smart restaurants and wine bars and best of all a great atmosphere. Next morning we flew to Guilin, a 2 and a half hour flight from Shanghai on China Eastern. We went straight to visit to Reed Flute caves, set amongst the beautiful limestone sharp pointed hills of this more traditional and green area. The impressive caves were used by the locals as shelter from Japanese bombs during World War 2, but are more used to tourists and concerts nowadays. We checked in at the centrally located 4 star Universal hotel Guilin, with large river view rooms and modern bathrooms but the hardest beds I have ever slept on! Tonight our highlight is the cormorant fisherman display on the Li river, after dinner at a local restaurant. We have national guides with us at all times, very useful at busy airports, and in each city there is a local guide with expertise in their city or attraction.

Li River

Chinese Whispers We woke up to torrential rain but it did not stop us enjoying our Li river cruise, but we did wish we had brought some wellies! The beautiful scenery around Guilin continues down to the town of Yuangshaou, where our 4 hour cruise ended . We took a packed lunch on board and picnicked while enjoying the view and photo opportunities.

Yuangshaou was a shoppers' paradise with bargains from North Face jackets to jade and every variety of tea. There was even a McDonalds and a KFC for those in need of western style toilets, rather than the Chinese style squat ones! Our guides understand their guests' needs well and anticipate and deliver - we even asked for a guitar so Diogo, our guide on the trip, could entertain us this evening and it was already waiting for us in the hotel when we got back! The tour is very well organised and although we are a group, it's still possible to mix with the locals and try out a few words of Chinese , especially useful when negotiating a purchase in the market or simply being able to say "no thank you" to a persistent trader. Local tips on culture and customs are provided and bring the tour to life. Good points? Better wifi than expected, more "normal" toilets than anticipated and friendly and fun locals. Bad points? A couple of grumpy bar staff and below average transfer vehicles!

Beijing

Chinese Whispers Today's itinerary took us to Tiananmen square and the Forbidden City. We saw the two hour queue to visit Chairman Mao's tomb so our guide said, as it wasn't such a popular place for British tourists, we would continue our visit around the square for photo opportunities in front of the famous entrance to the Forbidden City itself - through the arch, above which a huge image of the Chairman himself hangs. Only open to ordinary people and tourists since 1925, the Emperor's Palace complex covered the Ming to Qing dynasties for over 500 years and consists of a number of open plazas or large courtyards, surrounding by various halls and royal buildings with wonderful names like 'hall of supreme harmony' and 'the palace of heavenly tranquility'. You will need at least 2-3 hours to explore the inner and outer courts and don't miss the concubines courtyard where you can discover all about the last dowager Empress Cuxi, otherwise known as the 'dragon lady', and the sad story of the last Emperor Puyi.

After lunch we went to visit the Hutong area of Beijing, which consists of small alleys or lanes with families living around a central courtyard. We explored this area by rickshaw and stopped to visit Mrs Chang in her traditional home - I recommend this trip as you get to meet the real people of Beijing and the rickshaw is great fun. We then went onto a clothes market for some "knock off" bargains - Mulberry handbags, Ralph Lauren shirts and Ugg boots were popular buys. Tonight some of us choose to pay extra and go to the theatre to see the story of Kung Fu - it turned out to be a very professional and exciting production and not cheesy at all. Again, at £29 for a good ticket, I would highly recommend it and it's only 10 minutes from the hotel. Our hotel, the Jiangxi Grand, is a well located 4 star hotel, hard beds and average breakfasts but certainly clean and comfortable with large bathrooms with terrific power showers and complimentary bottled water. Tomorrow? Up early for the Great Wall.

The Great Wall of China

Chinese Whispers Great Wall day - around an hour outside of Beijing and we arrived nice and early to beat some of the crowds. The views were stunning but the steps are a challenge, uneven and worn which is understandable as they have been there since the 3rd century. The visit takes at least 2-3 hours, depending on your fitness levels, as it's possible to reach around 12 of the watchtowers along the wall. Our guide gave us lots of details about the national Chinese landmark including Mao's quote that you are not a man ( or woman) until you have set foot on the Great Wall, and the legend that it the longest tomb in the world as so many workers were buried at the foot of the wall. The wall was originally built as a defence against the Mongolians and is the only handmade structure that can be seen from space - it truly is a wonder of the world.

Temple of Heaven and Peking Duck!

Chinese Whispers We returned to the city to visit the Temple of Heaven and gardens, where we joined in the exercise and tai chi activities with the locals, some very fit and flexible senior citizens. The temple itself is a complex of 14th century religious buildings set in lovely gardens, where the emperors would come to pray for a good harvest. After some further essential shopping time at the markets for some last minute haggling we were taken to see a Chinese acrobatic show. I was not expecting such an amazing display - extraordinary contortionists and an incredible motorcycle ball of death (not wall) where 4 motorcyclists raced around inside a large metal ball narrowly avoiding crashing into each other, hard to explain but very talented. Our farewell dinner was of course , Peking duck, delicious and also a chance for us to thank our guides for their care and attention on this trip of a lifetime.