The Immensity of China

DIY Beijing

It's 05:10 when my flight touches Chinese soil. Once the entry formalities are done, very quick and efficient, I find the driver waiting for me for the transfer to the Guo Ji Yi Yuan Hotel, a nice 4-star in a perfect location at the beginning of the pedestrian area of Wangfujing Rd. Just the time to leave the suitcases at reception and freshen up after the hours of flight, and I'm already out so as not to give in to the traps of jet lag. Today I will spend the day on my own with a do-it-yourself itinerary and for the first stop I reach the Lama Temple by subway. Authentic and simply wonderful. Second stop the Confucius Temple, more intimate but just as pleasant to visit. I then walk the whole Guo Zi Jian Jie with a glance at the hutong of the area. It's time to test the famous DiDi and in a few minutes I'm in the Yan Dai Xie and Shichahai area, overlooking the Lake.

After lunch tiredness takes over and always with DiDi, which will become a faithful companion, I go back to the hotel for a couple of hours of relaxation. Evening spent strolling along the Wangfujing pedestrian street.

Beijing's MUST-SEEs

This morning I join a group with a local guide, a tour booked through NBTS travel, by now more than tried and tested. The guide is a very young and friendly girl. We leave the hotel at 8:30 and will return exactly 12 hours later, with a few more friends, 27,000 steps walked and the visits to the iconic Temple of Heaven, the wonderful Forbidden City, a hutong house, and the unavoidable Tiananmen Square. Already like this it was worth the trip, despite the humid heat really hard to endure and the crowd of local tourists besieging the city. Dinner in company in the surroundings of the hotel to taste the real Peking duck.

Around Beijing

Today too we leave early. The morning is entirely dedicated to the Great Wall, which we reach in about an hour. The section is the one at Juyong Pass, less crowded and with direct access to the wall...though then only uphill!!!. Not by chance among the 7 wonders of the world, it is another of those places where photographs don't do justice to the vastness and the atmosphere you breathe. Lunch on the road and next stop at the Ming Tombs, where we visit the complex of the Tomb of Chang. Returning to Beijing, a stop at the Olympic village, a virtuous example of how to transform a temporary investment into a real tourist attraction. Back at the hotel, with some girls from the group we decide to spend the evening in Shichahai, which after sunset gives its best.

Bye Beijing!

This morning we leave the Hotel and dedicate the morning to visiting the Summer Palace, the residence of the Emperors on Cunning Lake. The area is immense and truly beautiful, a shame only for the air today almost unbreathable. At lunchtime we reach the station and say goodbye to our guide, ready to board the fast train headed to Xi'An. The journey lasts about 4 hours and on arrival we are transferred immediately to the Hotel. Here we stay at the Jinhui Pullman Hotel Xi’an, a newly opened 5-star with the only flaw of being too far from the old town. We have dinner in the surroundings.

Xi'An

Today a day dedicated to Xi'An, starting with the Terracotta Army. Here I find it hard to write an objective judgment, because without a doubt it is something incredibly grand but not enjoyable and appreciable due to the too large crowd present. It takes about 30 minutes to cross the most famous pit at a snail's pace squeezed like sardines, on the verge of claustrophobia. The advice is to take the photos immediately at the entrance, fighting to the bitter end to get a little spot at the railing...and then run away. We spend the whole afternoon in the old town with a visit to the Great Mosque and the Muslim quarter, in my opinion the real attraction of the city.

Dreaming of Guilin

Today we have a free morning.. more than welcome for some shopping in a mall in Xi'An. After lunch, transfer to the airport to board the flight that will take us to Guilin. On arrival (extremely late and diverted to a nearby airport:(! ) transfer to the Jasper International Hotel.

Between Guilin and Yangshuo along the LI River

Today is one of those days that stay forever in the drawer of our fondest memories. We board the boat that will take us for 83 kilometres along one of the most beautiful and famous landscapes in the country. And during those 4 hours of sailing I never left the upper deck, absorbing the magic of the rolling hills that a local poem calls jade hairpins. It is 14:00 when we disembark in Yangshuo, lunch and time to stroll along the famous West Street. Return to Guilin and an evening in the city centre, beautiful when lit up and with its sun and moon pagodas reflecting on the water.

Guilin and Surroundings

This morning we are free and, with the brave ones who don't give in to rest, we call a DiDi heading to the ancient town of Daxu. The little town, overlooking the banks of the Li River, is deserted at this hour and you can only come across a few locals busy with their activities. A bonus that allowed us to breathe in one of the most pleasant and authentic atmospheres of the trip. At lunchtime we regroup and return to the centre for visits to Elephant Trunk Hill and Fubo Hill. We still have a few hours of free time to enjoy the centre of Guilin. In the evening, transfer to the airport and boarding the flight to Shanghai, where we land at 23:30. Transfer to the Jin Jiang Tower, an excellent choice in the city.

Shanghai

Today is the last day of the tour dedicated entirely to Shanghai. We start from the Bund and its incredible view of the skyline. We continue with the old city and the Yu Mandarin Garden. After lunch we go to Pudong to feel all small beneath the Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl. We continue with a walk in the French Concession and Tianzifang. Back at the hotel we decide to spend our last evening together as a group and we couldn't have chosen a better place than the rooftop bar of The Peninsula for a collective toast and a breath-taking view.

Suzhou and Tong-Li

For today, after saying goodbye to our new friends, I booked an English-speaking driver available until late afternoon. My first stop is the water town of Tong-Li. By 09:30 I'm already there and I spend about two hours visiting the center and the enchanting Tuisi Gardens, a masterpiece of late Qing dynasty landscape architecture located in the heart of the town and a UNESCO heritage site as an extension of the classical gardens of Suzhou. Tong-Li is simply spectacular and I remain enchanted, helped also by the silence and calm that you breathe along the canals. The next stop is the city of Suzhou. Here I chose to visit the Master of the Nets Garden, less famous and much smaller, for the guarantee of finding quiet and an intimate atmosphere. A small refuge that does good to the soul.

I then walked the entire Pingjiang Road and Shantang Road before returning to Shanghai to check in at the new hotel...the Renaissance Yu Garden, with an unbeatable location. Evening spent in the old town.

Last Day in Shanghai

Today is also a full do-it-yourself day in Shanghai, left to unwind and see the last remaining attractions in the city. I took the whole morning for Nanjing Road and its shops. Lunch at the Instagrammable Warehouse N.3. A stop at the Bund and again time for myself in the old city. And it is here that I bid farewell with a solitary toast to Shanghai and China, promising that it is only a see-you-later.

Flying Home

Transfer to Pudong airport and departure with an Austrian flight direct to Vienna, where I wait two hours for the connection that takes me home