| Thu 27 Sep | China Arrive Shanghai 07:59 Take taxi to Rebecca's place in Suzhou, relax, settle in and get over the flight. Suzhou is renown for it's gardens and canals and the beautiful women with mellifluous voices, the Venice of the East. - p243 |
| Fri 28 Sep | Shanghai Shanghai is the financial capital of China and was once known as the Paris of the East. We will walk along the Bund and visit the market and shoping districts and stroll through the French Concession. Shanghai is renown for it's restaurant, bars and nightlife. - p266 |
| Sat 29 Sep | Train from Suzhau to Chengdu Soft sleeper approx $?? USD Depart: ??:?? |
| Wed 3 Oct | Chengdu Arrive ??:?? for 2 Nights p710 Pandas The Panda Breeding Research Base has about 40 pandas, as we will be there in the autumn, we might get the chance to see the new born baby panda in the nursery. Chengdu is one of China's most laid back cities, it is rapidly being modernised but you will still be able to find bustling side streets and has an abundance of Tea Houses and Temples |
| Tue 2 Oct | Train Chengdu to Xian Soft Sleeper approx $?? USD Deprt ??:?? |
| Sun 30 Sep | Xian Arrive ??:?? for 2 Nights p409 Xian Town Things to see in Xian, the Bell Tower for daily musicaly and theatrical performance, the Drum Tower and Great Mosque mark the begining of the Muslim District, with its narrow laneways lined with mud brick houses, butcher shops, sesame oil factories, hidden mosques and Islamic Food Market. The Big Goose Pagoda and the Little Goose Pagoda. The old City Walls are some of the few remaining sets of city walls still visible in China. Terracotta Soldiers The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses at Xian, listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world most important cultural heritage sites, form part of the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, built around 246 BC. The site contains life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formation. There are 3 pits, pit 1 is the largest, there are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back. Pit 2 contain over a thousand warriors and 90 wooden chariots and pit 3 looks like to be the command center of the armed forces with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses. Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits, most of which have been restored. |
| Fri 5 Oct | Train Chengu to Beijing Soft sleeper approx $80 USD Depart 11:33 |
| Sat 6 Oct | Beijing Arrive 13:03 for 4 Nights p93 While in Beijing we will visit Tiananman Square, the Forbidden City. We will also visit the Ming Tombs and the Temple of Heaven Wander around, maybe hire bicycles and pay a visit many of he other sights that the capital city of the largest nation on earth has to offer. We will take a day trip out to the Great Wall of China, I hear it's great. |
| Tue 10 Oct | Train Beijing to Datong Soft seat approx $10 USD Depart 08:25 Arrive 14:48 2 Nights p401 Most people come to Datoong for the Yun Gang Caves, these caves are carved into the near by cliffs are about 1km long and contain 50,000 Buddhist statues, near by the caves is an older and less visited section of the Great Wall. About an hour away is the 1400 year old Hanging Monastery built precariously on sheer cliff above the Jinlong Canyon. |
| Thu 12 Oct | Train Datong to Suzhou Soft sleeper approx $45 USD Depart 18:42 |
| Fri 13 Oct | Suzhou Arrive 11:24 Perhaps have evening in Shanghai |
| Sat 14 Oct | Boat Suzhou to Hangzhuo - p310 Depart 17:30 and cruise along the Garnd Canal a pleasent way to spend an evening. |
| Sun 15 Oct | Hangzhou- p308 Arrive 07:00 Hangzhou is twined with Suzhou with it's gardens and cannals and is famous for it's views of West Lake. Train Hangzhou to Suzhou Approx 3 1/2 hours and roughly $10 USD 2 Days in Suzhou/Shanghai |
| Wed 17 Oct | Flight Shanghai Melbourne Depart 19:35 |
| Thu 18 Oct | Australia Arrive Melbourne 11:30 |