August 2008

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Want to Visit Lhasa? Now’s the Time.

August 26, 2008 in On the Road, Travel Tips, WildChina Travel Guide by Emma | No comments

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, China

Working for a travel company, people often ask me where they should visit in China. While it always depends on the season and the situation, right now I’ve got a clear favorite: Tibet.

Normally, May – September is peak tourist season in Tibet, yet this year travel to this region has  diminished considerably, due to factors like visa restrictions and the March riots (People’s Daily).

However, our local partner on the ground in Lhasa has told us that most sites in Tibet are open and ready for visitors, with the Drepung Monastery just re-opened today in time for the annual Shoton Festival.

There have always been guidelines for traveling to Tibet – foreigners must have a guide at all times, can only stay at star-rated hotels, and need proper permits – but these are easily met, and the breathtaking landscape and incredible people make this trip unforgettable.

If you’re interested in traveling to Tibet, check out a sample WildChina itinerary here.

Yunnan: Experiencing the Power of Lijiang & Zhongdian

August 24, 2008 in On the Road by Anita | No comments

My month of travel came to close with two more stops in northern Yunnan province: Lijiang and Zhongdian. Traveling with two French-speaking families, I had many “lost in translation” moments (bonjour, ça va and merci can only get you so far).

Fortunately, feeling the power of the local people, their surroundings and their spirituality was a shared experience that required few words.

Our first stop was in Lijiang’s lovely Old Town, which was restored after a devastating 1996 earthquake. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lijiang is considered the “Venice of the East” as it features cobblestone alleyways, arched bridges, weeping willows and canals. Despite the rain, which seemed to be following me everywhere on this trip, we enjoyed our easy stroll through the town’s bustling market and shops.

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WildChina on the Web – 08/21/08

August 21, 2008 in WildChina on the Web by Emma | 1 comment

One of our new associates, Sarah, happened to find this picture of  WildChina at work on the Great Wall at Mutianyu on the China Daily website.  China Daily is China’s English-language newspaper.

WildChina on the Great Wall at Mutianyu

For this event, WildChina brought costumed guards to the Great Wall at Mutianyu for our clients to take pictures with. I bet the China Daily photographer wanted one too – maybe next time?

We also had a yo-yo master, a taichi expert, and Imperial costumes for guests to wear for photos on the Wall. We’ve been doing similar activities in the Forbidden City recently, and it’s been really fun for everyone involved, especially for people who’d been to those places before. (OK, maybe not so fun for the guards wearing all of that armor in August Beijing sun, but they had great attitudes about it and didn’t complain at all. Really nice guys!)

Yunnan: Observing Life in Dali

August 18, 2008 in On the Road by Anita | No comments

Since my last post, I have:

  • Visited the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, walking through an actual tropical rain forest on the grounds
  • Traveled by car along the Mekong River to visit Ganlanba, a picturesque Dai minority township 1 hour away from Jinghong
  • Substituted the car for a motorcycle taxi (called a “tuk-tuk” in Thailand and “auto-rickshaw” in India) to take a joyride through Ganlanba’s banana plantations
  • Managed, again, not to fall down.

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WildChina Featured in Marketplace Report

August 15, 2008 in In the News by Emma | No comments

WildChina’s Vice President Paul Moreno was recently interviewed for Marketplace, a popular news radio show featured on public radio stations across the United States.

About the piece: While Beijing- based businesses of course had high expectations for the Olympics, WildChina was always realistic about the challenges that the Games would bring to touring. In a part of the interview that wasn’t quoted, Paul goes on to talk about how WildChina has navigated last-minute road and scenic spot closures and changes in hotel policies. Thanks to the careful planning of our staff and good relationships with networks in Beijing and greater China, we have proved that we can handle trips at very high levels of complexity and still live up to our reputation as the best in China.

Overall, I think the message that might not have come across in the piece is that our trips have been different — more tours around Beijing, quick jaunts to Xi’an, a day here and there after the closing ceremony — but that this was to be expected in context of the Games. All in all, the Olympics are showing the world that China is an exciting place to be, and WildChina is of course happy about anything that gets people interested in experiencing China, especially if they want to experience China differently.

Yunnan: Hiking in Xishuangbanna

August 14, 2008 in On the Road by Anita | No comments

It’s a bad sign when the highlight of your day is not falling down during a very muddy hike (note to self: buy hiking boots).

Thankfully, for me, there were many other (cleaner) highlights during my trek through parts of Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province. Located in the far south of the province, near China’s border with Myanmar and Laos, Xishuangbanna is an autonomous prefecture known for its tropical weather, rain forests and ethnic minorities. It’s a lush area that closely resembles southeast Asia in climate and culture.

The day after landing in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna’s small capital city (small = only one baggage belt at the airport), I embarked on an eventful day-and-a-half trip with WildChina’s local partner, Michael/Oliver (one English name wasn’t enough!) and two of his younger staff members, Ian and Vincent.

We started with a visit to a local market in Menghai county, which offered some interesting people-watching, particularly of ethnic Dai women wearing traditional sarongs, jackets and head scarves. The Dai, the largest minority group in Xishuangbanna, speak their own language with its own script, and their people are found throughout southeast Asia. They follow Theravada Buddhism, rather than Mahayana, the school of Buddhism practiced in much of the rest of China—which explains why their temples and pagodas remind me so much of Thailand.

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Guangxi: Soaking in the Natural Beauty

August 8, 2008 in On the Road by Anita | 1 comment

The 2008 Olympic Games officially open today…and I’m nowhere near Beijing!

I am in the same country, though, and in a beautiful, serene part that is a great reminder of all the natural wonders China has to offer.

As with my other stops, I have met interesting people here in Guangxi province, south of Guizhou, including an artist famous for his “shan shui” (mountains and water) paintings.  But this time, it is the stunning landscape that has made the deepest impression.

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WildChina on the Web – 08/06/08

August 6, 2008 in In the News by Emma | No comments

  • Here’s an interview our founder Mei Zhang did for Everett Potter’s TRAVEL REPORT.* In it, she talks about China travel safety, little-known but incredible locations, and finding the off-the-beaten-path  China even in Beijing and Shanghai.
  • Wow! Glowing WildChina endorsement from Fodor’s: “This foreign-managed travel company is probably the best in China.”
  • Familiar faces: Here’s a bio on Albert Ng, WildChina’s trusty CEO. Albert will be speaking on the Future of Travel in China at the World Travel Mart conference in London this November.

*Our readers in China may find it difficult to access Everett Potter’s travel blog.

Olympic Updates and Beijing Travel Tips

August 5, 2008 in Travel Tips, What We're Reading, WildChina Travel Guide by Emma | 2 comments

With the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics less than 3 days away, Beijing is gearing up for an incredible couple of weeks of games, celebrations, and international goodwill. Here at WildChina, we’re incredibly excited about the Games, and the spotlight they’ll bring to the city we call home.

At the same time, the torch relay and athletic events occurring here in China’s capital add an extra dimension of planning for anyone touring Beijing in August. Here’s a quick overview of a few of the changes we’re aware of:

1.         The torch relay from August 5th(today!) to 8th will involve the China Millennium Monument(中华世纪坛), Temple of Heaven, the Badaling Great Wall, and Jinshan Park. During this time, sites will be closed partially or entirely, and trips there may be difficult.

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Guizhou: Preserving Cultural Traditions

August 5, 2008 in On the Road by Anita | 1 comment

Did you know that kung pao chicken originated in Guizhou province, not in Sichuan?

Yes, food is on my mind, as I’ve been eating way too much. And, no, the title of my post isn’t referring to preserving food. It’s about preserving ancient cultural traditions, ones that have been passed down from one generation to the next for years on end.

In Guizhou (southwestern China), I joined a family of four from North Carolina, on a trip entitled “Hidden Tribes of China.” We were led by our highly energetic guide, Xiao, a lifelong Guizhou native whose deep passion for his province was truly infectious. The trip was eye-opening for all of us—a chance to see how China’s ethnic groups have maintained their vibrancy in the midst of the modernization sweeping across the country.

 

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