Shanghai —> Beijing —> Yunnan —> Shanghai
Ever since The Trip, I’ve been getting a lot of emails looking for advice on traveling in China (which reminds me … I need to respond to some of those). Now, I’d like to turn the tables and get some advice from my readers. I get back from Honolulu on February 16. And then, on February 20, these freaks — Brian and Jill — fly into Shanghai from the Dirty South (Atlanta, not Guangzhou). They’ve got a little less than two weeks in China, and we have decided to fly all over the place. Here is a look at our itinerary:
Feb. 20-22: Shanghai
Feb. 23-25: Beijing
Feb. 26-Mar. 4: Yunnan
Mar. 5: Back to ATL
My questions to you are:
- In Beijing, we will do some of the obvious things: Forbidden City and The Great Wall. But what section of the wall do you recommend? I went to Simitai back in August because I thought it was one of the less touristy sections — and then I found out that it had a cable car. Also, this time of year, I suppose weather will be an issue … so keep that in mind.
- What is worth checking out in Beijing that’s not mentioned in the guidebooks? I’m talking about stuff that only the locals — and local expats — know about. We’ve only got two-and-a-half days.
- If you only had six days in Yunnan, what the hell would you do (after you got done crying about the fact that you only had six days)?
- My friends have shown an interest in Zhongdian, because they would like to get a Tibetan feel without actually entering Tibet. So, we might head straight to Lijiang and spend most of our time in Yunnan’s northwest. Weather-wise is this a wise thing to do? (Looks like it gets pretty damn cold there at night.) Any suggestions for getting away from the hordes in that part of the country? Any Zhongdian-specific suggestions?
- Or should we just say f**k it, head to Ruili and shoot up every day?
Thanks in advance for your help. You can either leave you comments down below for everyone to see or, if you are shy, you can email me privately at dan @ danwashburn.com.
Also, let me know if you happen to be where we plan to be. Maybe we can get together.
See you on the road … again.
[My apologies to Rick Lacey, whoever you are. It’s late and your book cover was the only image I could find to go with this post. And yes, I am aware that an “RV Adventure Across America” has very little to do with a plane trip through China. As I said, it’s late. Sue me. Wait … don’t sue me.]
02.03.2005, 7:25 PM · Travel · Comments (11)
