Travel

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I always thought that maybe a trip to Tibet would be interesting. However, it looks like Tibet is off limits for awhile. China has a temporary ban on tour groups to Tibet. The ban was imposed due to protests and anti-Chinese mobs smashing and torching cars, shops, homes, banks, government schools and offices. This situation will no doubt cause some problems for the 2008 Olympics.
Jewell Lee Toombs

[Anonymous]

I just returned from a short vacation to Las Vegas. It seems like no matter where I venture China is somehow mentioned in attractions, magazines, or newspapers. Our room featured a great magazine, "The Luxury Lifestyle and Gaming Magazine of Caesars-Caesars Player." The magazine featured an article and pictures of "Booming Beijing, The host of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games Readies to Showcase Its Blended Culture." One feature of the article was the Great Wall of China. The next time that I travel to China to see the Great Wall I am going to be like former President Clinton in 1988. I am going to also find and ride the cable car. This is how Clinton got to the top instead of climbing up the 1,000 steps. Where was the cable car when I needed it?
Jewell Lee Toombs

[Anonymous]

Have you ever been to downtown Las Vegas? Well, if you have a chance, experience the LED screen at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas. If you can't get to Las Vegas, maybe you can see a similar one in Beijing at one of Beijing's newest shopping malls. You can see the new Skyscreen, an overhead LED screen that is approximately 100 feet wide and 830 feet long. Its size is second only to the Las Vegas screen.
Jewell Lee Toombs

[Anonymous]

You're right Jules. I just received a phone call from a friend who had a Ritz tour of China planned for this week. She said Ritz cancelled the trip because four days of the tour were in Tibet. It's strange that Ritz didn't just rearrange the itinerary. My friend quickly turned around and arranged a rather private tour for six couples with a local guide meeting them in each city. As this new tour offers quite a bit of flexibilty, she's asked me for recommendations. Unfortunately, I left my journal, in which I had faithfully recorded our daily events of last year's trip, in the plane pocket on our return home. I'm particularly seaching for the name of the park in Beijing where all the citiizens were dancing, gambling, etc. Also what was that gorgeous Buddist temple's offical name in Kunming? If anyone one kept a complete list of everything we visited I would appreciate receiving it before I meet with my friend Tues (4/8) at 3:15. My e-mail is [email protected] Thanks greatly!

[Anonymous]

Ah, I see that you were finally able to log in. I looked up the Buddist Temple in my travel book. I hope that I am correct by saying it is Yuantong Si. The description in my book appears to be it. This site is Yunnan's largest Buddist complex. I tried to find out the name of the wonderful park that we visited but with no success.
Jewell Lee Toombs

[Anonymous]

I feel lucky. Last spring, I had the opportunity to travel to China almost free of charge. It was an experience of my life which I will never forget. According to TravelSmart, if you want to go to the Summer Olympics, a package that includes hotel and tickets is your best bet. CoSport has a wide range starting at $4,172 per person. For more information, see cosport.com. However, it may be a hard to find a place to sleep because accomodations in Beijing are scarce. Therefore, if you intend to go, flexibility and deep pockets will be needed.

[Anonymous]

If you plan on traveling to Beijing, maybe you can check out some of the new luxury lavatories. The simple life of monks at Beijing's famed Shaolin Temple got an upgrade with the installation of luxury restrooms worth $430,000. The official Xinhua News Agency said that the most lavish of restrooms measures more than 1,614 square feet and is equipped with a diaper changing station for infants, uniformed cleaners and a foyer with an LCD television.

[Anonymous]

When in traveling China, you might be out of luck shopping at Carrefour, a French supermarket chain. Demonstrations against the supermarket chain erupted in cities across China over the disruption of the Olympic torch relay by pro-Tibetan activists when it went through Paris two weeks ago.

[Anonymous]

Last Sunday 4/13 there was an interesting travel article in the LA Times about a traveler who tried to follow the red army's long march. It was interesting in that the road has several small museums and that where ever they stopped and asked about Mao the same rehearsed reply. It seems that while Mao is still honored, his faults have been admitted.

[Anonymous]

If you are traveling to Beijing, Times Associate Press writer Alexa Oleson has some interesting suggestions as to traveling "off the beaten path:"

- Soak up the atmosphere in the 798 art district in the city's eastern Dashanzi neighborhood. The 1950's-era factory zone has been transformed into a bohemian oasis with galleries, cafes, bookstores, outdoor sculptures, and graffiti splashed on old factory walls.

- Wander around the Baiyun Guan or White Cloud Taoist Temple. It has dynastic charm without the tourist crush. You can often stumble on ceremonies at the 800-year-old temple, which is staffed by Taoist monks and is the headquarters of the Chinese Taoist Association.

- Visit Nanluoguxiang, a stretch of back streets in downtown Beijing. This is a neighborhood shopping area with assorted local, cheap and authentic restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Just about one hour ago the news indicated that China is tightening visa procedures ahead of the Olympics. The approval process will now be more strict and more serious. The China government visa office said that multiple-entry business visas would not be available for mid-April until mid-October. More rules including additional documentation for business visas and hotel bookings and plane tickets for tourist visas have also been reported.

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