This Blog is moving to http://dhugal.ninjaduck.net

Well, I've decided to start merging my blogs into the one that shall rule them all and in the darkness bind them:



http://dhugal.ninjaduck.net

So, by way of farewell to this spot, I thought I'd leave this rambling discussion of cool places to visit:








My top ten natural places in China:

1. Tibet, all of it.
2. Shennongjia National Park (near Yichang)
3. Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan
4. Emei Shan, just south of Chengdu
5. Jiuzhaigou National Park, North Sichuan
6. Longsheng - Dragon's Backbone terrace fields
7. Guilin - Yangshuo cruise
8. Yangshuo surrounds
9. Xishuangbanna
10. Suzhou - The humble administrator's Garden

Now some notes:

Shennongjia is like a summary of all the best natural scenery in southwest China.. Cloud seas, stone forests, waterfalls, lakes, valleys, caves, forests and mountains.  The only restriction is you can't go there if you've been in China less than three weeks.  It's an ecological preserve zone, so they dont want bugs from your dirty foreign shoes, etc.  It's a 4hr bus ride from Yichang, where the Yangtze cruise ends (or begins) and you should spend two days up there wandering around.  It is one park you need to be on a tour to visit, however.  Public transport is difficult or non-existent.  It seems the govt doesn't want to promote it too much because of the eco-reserve status.

Emei Shan has been a mountain of spiritual retreat and significance for over 2000 years.  You can feel it when you're there.  Take the lower walk and get to the monkey area...then keep going.  All the chinese tourists stop at the monkey zone and turn back.. leaving you alone in stunning natural surroundings for hours..an unusual experience in China... There's a covered bridge about 45 minutes further on that I sat on for at least an hour just pondering the world feeling like I was on the edge of epiphany.  Didn't take any photos there, never thought to even though it was stunning.

If you can't get to Shennongjia, try to get to Jiuzhaigou.  It is amazing, but is also the most expensive tourist scenic spot in China.  It's about AUD$50 per person for a day pass with the buses, but is worth it for the unbelievable scenery.

Longsheng is just north of Guilin.  Just go there and climb up it with every camera you have.  Then try and want to climb down.  It took me about three hours to even think about leaving it.

Having done the Yangtze cruise myself, here's my advice: Dont bother.  The only truly amazing thing you see is the boat going through the Three Gorges Dam.  That was the coolest part of the trip.  The problem is the river is now 175m higher than it used to be (and rising), so the gorge is at best 100-150m above the water.  It would have been truly spectacular before the dam, now it's a lame river trailing through some hills.

Instead of doing that, go to Tiger Leaping Gorge to see the last remaining Yangtze gorge as it used to be... 400m sides channelling to a raging river with stunning natural surrounds.. visit there before they dam that part of the river too (yes, they're planning to)... spend a day or two or three there, you can hike up and down it and stay in a heap of different places along the gorge.  On the way to the gorge from Kunming stop in Dali and spend a full day walking along the mountainside... it's frickin amazing.. then you can spend another couple of days there travelling around the lake, watch cormorant fishing, go to local markets in villages, or hang out in Dali... Then check out Lijiang for a night... stay in the Shuhe old town, K2 hostel is great stuff there.. there are three old towns in Lijiang, Shuhe is the quietest and best visit - dont bother with the other two unless you like to be surrounded by 10,000 chinese tourists shoving you along in their mad hurry.

In Kunming, go visit the Bamboo temple just on the hills on the edge of the city... the lifesize and lifelike statues there are amazing... and Green Lake there is great for a walk everyday.. the park is lovely, but watching the crazy chinese people is better...you'll see what I mean..

Guilin is famous for a few things, dog meat is one of them.  It tastes like lamb for the record.  There's a park called something like seven stars that is great...and the prince's temple is way cool...it includes a confucian school where they take you through the examination process and one of you gets to win the top place :)

The cruise down to Yangshuo is a great introduction to the place - and much better value than the Yangtze cruise. Moon Hill outside Yangshuo is a compulsory visit.  You can climb right to the top of it, above the hollow area that gives it the name.. I was there at sunset and can highly recommend the experience for sheer awe-inspiring scenery... Now the Bamboo rafting down the Yuelong river is also worthwhile, the scenery is good, but being on the raft is it plunges over a number of weirs is even better... Then there's the water cave, which is cool in itself, but the best bit is the mud bath :)

Guangzhou and Shenzhen are really just cities now.. I was thinking about visiting them as you did, but couldn't find any real reason to - apart from 'it's on the way to Hong Kong'.  I ended up taking the overnight train from Shanghai to Hong Kong, which was a cool trip... Now speaking of Shanghai, Pudong is awesome.  Get into the Pearl Tower and visit all the floors.  It's worth every cent and I kept getting happier with each layer we visited.  Get onto the observation deck of the World Finance Centre if you get a clear day... if you dont get a clear day, seriously don't bother.  The view is awesome, but the best part is the Jin Mao and Pearl Tower side of it.. Jin Mao is my favourite building there... The Science and Tech museum is number two for the crazy use of geodesic spheres...

Suzhou is worth a day trip from Shanghai and not much more...Same goes for Hangzhou really... nice to look at for a short time...Xi'an I found mostly disappointing, but this was after I'd been in Xiangfan and Jingzhou which have real city walls and buildings still standing...even Nanjing's is better.. the terracotta army is amazing... but after an hour, you're over it.. Dont get a guide there, everything they say is written in english on signs...which is where they learned it from.



Oh, in Chengdu, stay at Sims Cozy Garden Hostel... not sure if that's exactly the right name, but that'll find it for you.  It is the best hostel I've ever stayed in, anywhere in the world.  Everything is thought out for travellers, everything is easy, the staff are awesome and it would be unusual for you not to meet Sim and his wife at some point.  I stayed there three different times when I was passing through Chengdu.. they have the best deal to visit the Panda breeding centre too... And go to the Sichuan Opera deal they have in the _Teahouse_.. it costs just AUD$6 more per person, but is a very professional show.. the theatre version is really talented amateurs... Sichuan Opera is not the horrible high pitched singing nightmare that Peking Opera is... the night involves a number of different performances from musicians, comedians, actors, shadow play and finishes with the incredible face-changing show...

Dont waste your time visiting temples in China.  All the ones worth it were burned down in the Cultural revolution and rebuilt in the cheapest way possible to make it look like an old temple.  Go to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Cambodia if you want temples.  More commentary with evidence here: http://dhugal.ninjaduck.net/2009/12/19/

So farewell China blogspot and hello http://dhugal.ninjaduck.net