I get to go to China!

Sorry to disagree with John but you should go to the warriors there are some new “digs that are great”, but that’s not all Xian as a city is very good on its own, well preserved walled city. After your evening meal get out and walk the streets, it is safe and interesting.

There are so MANY great places to visit you will never see it all in one trip.

Shanghai is just another big city, but you can spend a year or two discovering it !! I loved it but as for a tour 3 days is enough, You must get out around Shanghai get away to one of the water cities ( I see you are doing this)

I did this part of the tour when my family visited me in Shanghai, you will be very rushed, the carpet factory is too long but interesting, you will enjoy the Yunnan garden even though it is a tourist mecca, if you could get free the old Shanghai near by is great to visit ( see it before it all goes)

The hosted lunch is a bit of a gimmick you visit a home and get a snack, but you can impress the house owner with your knowledge.

Beijing is good to visit but do not spend too much time there may be 4 days max as there is so much to see in this big country.

The wall is a must but the climb can be a problem for some. One section has a chair lift but is very crowded, and there are sections at bus level on some tours.

Take the option or go by yourself to Grand Palace while in Beijing I recommend you go there on your free time it is well worth it allow at least 3 to 4 hours to relax and enjoy the “park and lake”

THEN PLAN YOUR NEXT TRIP There is so much more to see as a tourist, then you can get serious and see the rest for real

Kunming and also the stone forest are great, Dali, Lijiang Gulin well worth seeing.

Many more place in Yunnan but save them for the next trip

im sorry but i must agree with john - i didnt find the terra cotta soldiers too awesome... if you're going, you might as well see it because it's at least something everyone back home will be jealous of, and who knows, you might love it, but if you go linger on every word your guide says, because the story and history behind it are the most interesting things - it's not that much to look at to be honest... and i actually am an archaeology buff haha... but if you go to xi'an go to the city wall - i think it's second only to nanjings; and if you can, see the yellow river - i thought it was a beautiful area, despite the condition of the river... and i must say, im hella jealous! haha have a good trip

I think I'm going to look up some culinary tours, too. :) The idea of getting some cooking instruction while in China is pretty exciting!

I've been to Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang (THE BEST!) in three consecutive years (2005, 2006, 2007) all due to the fact I can't get enough of Yunnan. I could have gone to any other place when some friends wanted to travel with me, and each time I picked Yunnan, even though I haven't been to Guilin, Hangzhou or Xi'an. And I would go again! I highly recommend it, especially if you want to be somewhere where there is blue sky and mountains (which Tianjin sadly greatly lacks)

chittywangler, it's a nice idea, but do you really think it'll be taken up by a 75 year old lady? I think she'll be overriding fun with comfort almost every time.

I recommend finding a dart... a map of china....and going where it lands

getting there will be the fun bit

and then back to shanghai for KTV OH YEH!

Yes John and Tvan, last December, I did the Kunming, Dali, Lijiang 7 day tour after 3 days in Kaifeng, it was fantastic, Henning you are right about the food in China, I missed it so much after returning to Australia, that I went back to Kaifeng last week for another good feed, I would most likely of needed Chinese diarrhea pills if I picked what and where to eat, but my friends who live there take good care of me. Julesong, you will love it Have a great time, one day I will get to Xian, and Shanghai to vist the CP team :)

Henning & Cpod team,

Is there somewhere an up-to-date list of the best Shanghai-Huangpu or Shanghai-Luwan restaurants between 50 and 150 RMB ?

John - are you an archaeology buff? If not, I can see how you might not find them interesting. I do want to see them and the dig site, and there's no way I'd be able to talk Mom out of it since she missed them the last time she went. I've been wanting to see them since about the 4th or 5th grade, so it would be a shame for me not to go. :)

Jule,

the main attraction in China is food!

Gather all the lessons on food (except the Fast Food one) on all levels, write down the names of the dishes, and try them out in a restaurant. Better order the rest on the menu, also.

Of course the 26th monestary with famous Buddha statues is impressive, but believe me: If you want to claim to have been in China, go to the restaurants (But don't forget to by those Chinese diarrhea pills).

Julesong, I've never been to the terracotta warriors, so I can't comment on them. However, the reason I've never been there is that I fell in love with Western Sichuan and Northwestern Yunnan. I know you're on a tour, but I'll second John; Dali, Kunming, and Lijiang are topnotch.

Great to hear!

This opinion may not be popular here, but I do not recommend making the trip to Xi'an for the Terracotta Warriors. It's just not that interesting (sorry!). There are so many other places in China that are more interesting and more fun.

I recommend Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Yunnan (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang), and Guilin/Yangshuo.

Hee hee. Just wanted to make sure that you knew about the "sedan chair" option in advance, so that you can do some research on the market price first, instead of being ambushed by the difficult job of having to decide on the appropriate "zeros" after the price only when you are standing on the Great Wall. Bon voyage, for now, even though I know that I won't be able to resist re-posting on your thread as the actual date of your trip approaches!

Aunti68 - "Everything about the tour sounds brilliant, aren't you excited?"

I'm beyond excited! :) I can't believe I get to go! Actually being *in* China is something I never anticipated. Learning Mandarin was for business purposes over here in the States... and now, here I get to use it (what I've managed to absorb, at least) in its native country. Wow! :)

"I especially like the sound of the "Home-Hosted Lunch". There's some good vocab for you there in the Newbie lessons "I'm so full" and "Dinner guest"."

I've been downloading those lessons like crazy, yep. I'm printing out so many dialogues that I think I'm out of paper, now. I've got to run to the office supply store later tonight...

"If you can say to your host, "需要拖鞋吗？“ (xu1yao4 tuo1xie2 ma; "Must take off [our] shoes?") as you enter her home, she probably will never forget how considerate you are. The "Dinner guest" lesson goes through all these things."

Thank goodness! I'll probably have to convince Mom to let me bring something for the hosts, which I'd like to do even though we're paying for dinner. It's only polite.

A sedan chair for the Great Wall - what a good idea! I'm spending the upcoming months getting in shape for the trip... I don't want to get exhausted before I've seen everything. But Mom in a sedan chair is good, if she gets too tired (which she very well might).

I am currently in Chengdu (if for only one more day.) It is defintiely a must see and eat place. Last night, I had a hot pot at "Lao Mo" that was out of this world!

Morning julesong. Everything about the tour sounds brilliant, aren't you excited? I especially like the sound of the "Home-Hosted Lunch". There's some good vocab for you there in the Newbie lessons "I'm so full" and "Dinner guest". If you can say to your host, "需要拖鞋吗？“ (xu1yao4 tuo1xie2 ma; "Must take off [our] shoes?") as you enter her home, she probably will never forget how considerate you are. The "Dinner guest" lesson goes through all these things.

Speaking of shoes, I'd like to recommend tackling the Great Wall ONLY if you are wearing the grippiest, most stable footwear that money can buy. Some sections of the Great Wall are so curvy underfoot, and smooth, that it's like trying to walk up -- or down, down is worse! -- the back of a dragon with teflon scales. But my 80-year-old grandfather had a blast when HE visited, because he paid to be carried along the wall in a sedan chair; they can arrange that. My brother said it was worth the huge expense because my grandfather enjoyed zipping past gasping, slipping, and sliding tourists. There was no question of insurance of any kind, though.

I feel so excited about your trip!

Mom and I have been talking a little, and she's looking at tours for the trip. As she's 75 now, I'll probably have to stay with the tour much of the time, but there's no way I'm going to be in Shanghai and not spend time at CP HQ. I'll just have to ask her to stay with the tour for the day while I spend time with CP. :)

The terracotta army is scheduled, so that's taken care of. When some of the artifacts traveled to the states in the 1980s, I went to see them in Seattle, but nothing can compare to seeing them on site.

The tour Mom is looking at is:

http://tinyurl.com/2vskou

Oh yes, fudawei, I definitely want to! I wanted to be an archaeologist when I was little, and was in the 4th grade when they were discovered in 1974. I still have, somewhere, the first Nat Geographic that has them in them. :)

Ken, no worries. I wouldn't want to sadden you! I'll definitely come visit you. Just tell me where and how!

xiaohu, I am so excited about going my head is spinning. :) (Well, not literally.) I have so much to plan! And I'll keep your recommendation in mind. By the way, is "我就喜欢四川，成都真美" the same message from you in characters?

Where can I find more info about CPod HQ? It's in Shanghai, yes?

Julie:

Congratulations on your trip! You'll have so much fun you won't know what to do with yourself.

I highly recommend going to Sichuan, specifically Chengdu.

我就喜欢四川，成都真美。

Great news juleson. I hope you will keep us up to date with your plans. I've just got back from my second visit to China and it still feels like I've only seen the tip of the iceberg.

juleson,

If u come to China and do not visit us we will be saddened.

Be one of the few Westerners to make it here.

Oh my, I never even thought about that. How cool would THAT be?

And geez, I've gotta somehow afford to get my account upgraded from basic. I see a lot more work hours in my future. Ooof.

Get on the Practice Plan if you can swing it, and DEFINITELY plan a trip to CPod HQ. You won't be sorry. :)