SUNDAY 13TH MAY 2012 ­ BST +7HRS ­ Flying Home!

This has been an amazing trip, full of highlight afterhighlight and affording a remarkable insight into the China of today and yesterday. Shanghai, Xian and Beijing are attractive modern cities and wherever we have been the Chinese people have been friendly and welcoming. I cannot and do not wish to fault Viking River Cruises – the organisation and service was superb.  A big thank you also to Paul Liang our tour escort for his frank and interesting commentaries throughout the two weeks.  My only regret is that I hadn’t booked the extension to Tibet – another time perhaps.

 

Sad that in the bus to the airport which I shared with a couple from Ireland and Denmark – but luckily not from my bus group – they rubbished every aspect of this tour:

• It was advertised as 5 star throughout but the first transfer from the airport was a people carrier
• The packed lunches were disgusting – its a developing country and were certainly far from inedible
• The Peking Opera was rubbish – well it was optional, they were warned it was highly stylised and they didn’t have to go
• There wasn’t enough time for shopping or to explore on their own – the fact that they needed the hotel or guide to write in Chinese the destination for the taxi driver seemed to pass them by plus the fact that luxury goods are hugely more expensive in China because of a heavy import tax and round the corner from the Beijing hotel was a massive internal market with hundreds of small traders selling all kinds of high quality designer goods.
• And the last and best – why did we have to climb up all those steps to get from the boat on the Yangtze!  I can’t remember how many times we were told that this is the dry season when the huge lake behind the Three Gorges Dam is at it lowest!

I suppose there is just no pleasing everyone and I made very sure I was nowhere near them on the aircraft.  For me it was an inspiring and intriguing trip and I still want to go to Tibet!  I leave you with a photo of sunrise over Fengdu after the tropical storm until my next adventure!!