On arrival we will be welcomed by our Scenic Tours Representative and escorted to our luxurious hotel located on the famous Bund. Stroll along the lively waterfront, admire the 1930s European colonial architecture or simply relax and settle in until this evening, when we will meet our Tour Director and fellow travellers for our tour briefing followed by our Welcome Shanghainese Dinner.

Two Night Special Stay : Fairmont Peace Hotel, Fairmont room

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Our flight left around 40 minutes late from Sydney into Hong Kong. The flight was good, managed to watch a couple of movies, not much turbulance.

Our connecting flight was also around 2 1/2 hours late, so we had a bit of waiting time at the airport in Hong Kong. The airport is very big with lots of shopping. Dragon Air made it safely into Shanghai at around 9:30pm local time.

Getting through customs was not too bad, the airport was busy because a lot of flights had been delayed. After picking up our luggage we exited the terminal to find our transfer.

The outside of the airport was crazier than inside, lots of traffic.

FYI - I am having a lot of problems connecting to the web site. Not sure how I will go, a lot of sites and email banned.

We made it to the hotel at around 11:30pm or 2:30am Sydney time, straight to be and with a sleep in.

The hotel is an old 1920's building, all Art Deco style - not exactly what I expected. But there is a lot of European architect on one side of the river and all high rise in the business sector on the other.

As usual though, the hotel is beautiful, and overlooks the river.

After breakfast we walked along the riverside (with everyone else) for a couple of hours. The weather is mild, but there is a lot of low cloud/haze that covered the tops of buildings.

We have just had a coffee and plan to walk down the main shopping street.

Just returned from our walk, it is crazy busy - there are thousands of people on the streets. The street Nanjim is full of shops from high end brands to street hawkers. Mostly aimed at tourist I think.

I am going to have a go at loading some photos.

Happy Easter from Shanghai

Happy Easter everyone, the Easter bunny has not found us here! Hope he was good to you.

Our tour starts later today with a banquet at the hotel. Before then Bev and Steve are out shopping back down Nijam road.

The weather is cloudy with drizzle, more fog than yesterday. But this has not lessened the number of people on the street. This is also the home of the selfie stick, there is no shortage of people posing in front of everything.

Start of Tour and Shanghai at Night

Our tour kicked off with a banquet, around 15 courses. I won't go through them all, but I will make special mention of Jellyfish - a first for me, kind of rubbery / chewy. I tried everything and altogether it was good! I probably won't hurry back for the jellyfish though...

The group has 17 people and yes, I am the only single and youngest, again. The tour guide Duan should be very good, he knows his stuff - more later.

After dinner we went across the road to the river, all of the buildings are lit up at night. See photo's....

This morning take a walk along the Bund, then meander through the narrow lanes and bustling street markets on our visit to the exquisite Yu Yuan Gardens of Old Shanghai. Enjoy a delicious lunch of dim sum, a Shanghai speciality. Encounter amazing treasures, including bronzes, ceramic and calligraphy on our visit to the Shanghai Museum, one of the largest museums in China with a collection of more than 120,000 treasures. Wander People’s Square, the large public square adjacent to the museum, which was part of the horse racing course of Shanghai. This evening witness the energy and excitement of a performance by the world renowned Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe. This amazing show blends Chinese acrobatics with state-of-the-art multimedia technology and innovation and is sure to be a highlight.

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We take the high speed bullet train to Hangzhou once described by Marco Polo as the most splendid city in the world. With its stunningly beautiful West Lake, this World Heritage site has inspired famous poets, scholars and artists since the 9th century. We cruise on the magnificent West Lake, arguably China’s most famous lake. Created in the 8th century during the Tang Dynasty, the lake has continued to influence garden design in both China and Japan. Dining choices are: (1) a Chinese restaurant serving traditional dishes from Hangzhou, as well as specialties from surrounding cities; or (2) an International buffet revolving around an interactive kitchen that allows guests to watch the chefs in action.

Two Night Stay: Hyatt Regency Hangzhou or similar.

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We woke to find that the rain and fog had temporarily lifted so a final walk along the river where we could now see the tops of buildings. Our walk included a stop at the original post office.

Late morning we left for the train station to catch the high speed train, the station was just like an airport. Everything is very clean in the whole city.

You would never know that you were on a fast train traveling at 300ish km per hour. It is a very smooth and comfortable ride and before we knew it we were at the destination. Steve loved his train ride and was disappointed it was so quick (around an hour).

We were told it would be raining cats and dogs, that was not lunch, but the weather. Our afternoon cruise on the lake has been put on hold because of the rain and temperature that is about 3c.

The hotel is again very nice and I am lucky to have a view over the lake (sorry Bev and Steve).

I am off to dinner, oh - can someone else other than Peter (no offense, please don't stop posting) post something!

Time to explore the Old Town, visit the Museum of Chinese Medicine and uncover magnificent examples of courtyard architecture at the residence of Hu Xueyan during our sightseeing tour. Discover the largest and most famous temple in southern China, the Lingyin Temple or Temple of Soul’s Retreat during our visit. Hangzhou is considered the tea capital of China, and we will see first-hand the process of farming tea trees and picking tea leaves during our visit to a Tea Plantation in Longjing village. This evening we watch the amazing Impression of West Lake, a spectacle of light, music, dance and theatrics based on an ancient Hangzhou legend staged entirely upon the lake.

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Head to the airport for our flight to Wuhan in central China, one of the country’s famous historical and cultural cities with a history of more than 3,500 years. Spend time at Yellow Crane Tower, originally built more than 2,000 years ago. This spectacular tower is perched on top of Snake Hill and offers wonderful views from the top.

Overnight stay: Shangri La Wuhan.

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Today we caught a flight from Hangzhou to Wuhan - first thing, we made it!

It was only a short flight, like Sydney to Melbourne and was actually ok. The guide tells us that they stopped using Russian planes a while ago!

The highlight of the stop is the yellow crane - which is a building on top of a hill that is several stories high that was used as a lookout. The crane refers to a story of someone that lived there, the crane is a bird, China's national bird.

However there is another national bird known as the 'construction crane', there are plenty of these in this city.

This morning we visit a museum and then catch our high speed train to the next stop to board our ship.

I don't think there will be much internet available so it might be several days before you hear from us again. I will try to get more photos up before we leave.

Still having a great time and travelling well.

We discover the incredible exhibitions at Wuhan’s Provincial Museum, including the “Chime Bells of Marquis Yi”. This set of 65 restored bronze bells with gold-plated inscriptions about music is one of the finest artefacts from the Warring States Period of Chinese history. Listen to a concert of both Western and Chinese music, given by local musicians who play on the reconstructed instruments. Later this afternoon we board the high-speed train to Yichang; passing through dramatic scenery, this newly opened train highlights China’s rapid modernisation and development. On arrival we transfer to the port where we will embark on our luxury Yangtze River cruise.

Four Night Luxury Cruise : Victoria Anna, Superior Cabin with Executive Amenities.

This morning we take our guided tour of the Three Gorges Dam, the largest in the world. Later cruise slowly through the fascinating ship locks and continue through Xiling Gorge, the longest and deepest of the Three Gorges.

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Good morning from the Yangtze.

We boarded the ship last night and started moving this morning.

First, happy birthday Fran and Toby From the Yangtze in China!

We are really enjoying the cruise on the river, the gorges are spectacular and the two tours that we have done so far have been really good. Going through the 5 locks on the river was amazing to see, along with their dam project.

The ship is nice and the food has been good.

We take an excursion through the Small Gorges, which are narrower than the Three Gorges but still impressive. Then cruise through the most scenic stretch of the Yangtze as it makes its way through the spectacular Wu Gorge known for its quiet beauty, forest covered mountains and cliffs so sheer that the sun barely penetrates the precipices. Then sail through Qutang Gorge, the shortest, narrowest and most dramatic of the gorges.

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The cruise on the Yangtze was very good, it was not an ocean liner, but still had plenty of food and good cabins. The weather was pretty good, a bit cloudy to start with but no rain and then fine weather. The wind on the front deck was still very chilly.

The highlight was travelling through the three gorges, it is hard to believe what a difference the dam has made. The river is so much higher and wider with around 1.3 million people displaced.

That said, there have been many that have died as a result of the floods. They are very protective of the dam because if something was to happen, around 40% of the population would be wiped out.

There were a few day trips on offer during the cruise. The first one was to the three gorges tribe, this was a walking tour set on a small stream. The people were dressed to show how the tribe lived. The second tour was to the dam and ship locks, this was an amazing project and the largest inland river ship locks. The next tour was on a small boat up one of the tributaries of the river, there was amazing scenery with sheer cliff faces.

Then after four nights we left the ship and went to see the Pandas! We were lucky that they were feeding because most of their day is sleeping in the shade.

Time to take a shore excursion to Fengdu, known as the ‘Ghost City’ due to the plethora of statues of ghosts and devils, demon-decorated temples and buildings. Alternatively, we may visit the new relocation village, built for the families who have moved as a result of the Yangtze’s rising waters. We return to the ship and continue cruising up the Yangtze River.

We disembark in Chongqing and transfer to the airport for our flight to Lijiang, a World Heritage listed town. Complete with elaborate wooden houses lining the cobbled streets, and bridges arcing over glimmering waterways, Lijiang is a charming town. Tonight's dining choices are: (1) a Chinese restaurant showcasing authentic Cantonese cuisine with signature Yunnan and Sichuan specialties; or (2) a selection of popular Thai and other South East Asian inspired dishes.

Three Night Special Stay : InterContinental Lijiang, Superior room.

We take the cable car to the meadows and witness the spectacular Jade Dragon Mountain views. Then enjoy the magnificent Impression Lijiang outdoor cultural show, showcasing the traditions and lifestyle of the local minority people. Return to Lijiang and wander the cobbled streets on our orientation walk. The old city is criss-crossed with canals and the market is crowded with local Naxi women in traditional dress.

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The flight into Lijiang was a bit turbulent as it is amongst the mountains, many were glad we made it to the ground.

We are now at the same altitude as Mt Kosiosko. This is stage one in our climb before we make it to Lhasa which will be our highest in Tibet.

Our first excursion was to a cultural show with the snow capped mountains as a back drop. This was produced by the same person as the show we saw on the lake. The show was great, but the number of people was a bit of a challenge - around 5000! And we are told that it is not the high season yet. We struggled against everyone to find our way out with a lot of pushing and shoving.

Then it was on a special shared bus to climb the mountain before a gondola ride. The bus has falling apart, their was no air con or open windows and the driver had gone mad, put this now with a narrow path winding up the mountain for around 30minutes. While I enjoyed the thrill the same could not be said for everyone else. We were now at 3200 before getting onto the gondola. The ride was very scenic and we had a better view of the snow capped mountain range.

The next trip was to the older part of town and to the market, one of my favourite places. Everything from meat and produce. They say that Chinese eats everything with four legs, except the furniture and everything that flies except the aeroplane.

Today is our free day to uncover more of the beauty and charm of this ancient town with its spectacular mountain scenery. The more energetic of us might like to hike to the nearby Tiger Leaping Gorge and uncover the secret of the ancient story that surrounds its name. Or perhaps we would prefer to indulge in a traditional spa treatment. This evening listen to a performance of traditional Naxi music featuring primarily 70-90 year old men performing traditional music on local instruments.

Leaving early we will travel along the old road that links Yunnan to Tibet, stopping at Stone Drum village which marks the first big bend in the mighty Yangtze River. Following the river, the road continues through the gorge eventually arriving at Shangri La. Previously known as Zhongdian, life has changed little here over time and yaks wander through the surrounding fields and Tibetan houses line narrow streets. Explore the 17th century Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan Monastery in Yunnan. The roofs are made of gilded copper and the main halls are decorated with magnificent murals depicting Buddhist legends. We spend time with a Tibetan family and learn about their traditions and unique way of life and taste yak butter tea.

Overnight stay: M Gallery Songtsam Retreat or similar

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We made an early start to travel from Lijiang to Shangri la. The bus ride was around 4-5 hours, but the scenery was good.

After arriving we had lunch and the made our way to the monastery. We are all feeling the altitude change. We then left for our hotel that was just behind the monastery.

After dinner I set off with our guide back down to the monastery and the lake to get photos of the sunset. Unfortunately there was not much of a sunset, but I have a few photos of the monastery reflection in the lake.

We take a morning flight to Lhasa in Tibet, known as the ‘rooftop of the world’ with an average elevation of 4,900 metres. With Mt Everest bordering Nepal, and several of the world’s most important rivers having their source in the Tibetan plateau, the scenery and the isolation is truly spectacular. On arrival we transfer to the hotel where the rest of the day is at our leisure for us to acclimatise.

Three Night Special Stay : Shangri La Hotel Lhasa, Deluxe Room.

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The extraordinary Potala Palace, once the winter home of the revered Dalai Lama, dominates the skyline with its immense walls. We explore the incredible maze of corridors and more than 1,000 rooms, including the Red Palace and the White Palace. Explore the 1,300 year old Jokhang Temple, one of the oldest and most sacred in Tibet. Immerse yourself in the culture and history of this spectacular golden roofed temple which is always awash with pilgrims, the smell of butter lamps and incense. Then join the pilgrims as they wander along the holy Barkhor Circuit surrounded by colourful markets. Dining choices tonight are: (1) an international buffet featuring live cooking stations or (2) a Chinese restaurant specialising in Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine; or (3) a Tibetan buffet followed by a performance of traditional singing and music.

We have some activities to choose from: (1) explore the ancient and intriguing Deprung Monastery; or (2) visit the Dalai Lama’s former summer residence, Norbulingka and the interesting Tibet Museum; or (3) delight in a visit to Anitsamkung Nunnery and a local tea house. Travel to Sera Monastery, a well preserved monastery where the monks can be seen with their distinctive red robes and curved yellow hats. Then witness the monks gather in the courtyard of Sera Monastery to discuss and debate the teaching of the Buddha and doctrines. Spend time with an expert and learn about the importance of Tibetan Buddhism.

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Yesterday we visited Potalar palace, this was the Dalai Lama's winter palace. There were around 500 steep steps up the mountain. It took awhile but was worth it. There were a lot of people that made it interesting climbing. We all made it!

Later in the afternoon we visited another temple in the main town. Then joined the pilgrams on their 'clockwise' walk around the circuit that has markets all the way round. Lots of people photo opportunities! There was a 50% chance of the locals letting you take their photo.

This morning Steve went to the summer residence and Bev and I went to the Deprung monastery. We both had a good time. After a short rest we are now off to the sera monastery to watch the monks debating.

Journey to the airport for your flight to Xi’an, the ancient capital for eleven dynasties and east end of the Silk Road. This evening we enjoy a dumpling banquet and sample a variety of these famous and tasty parcels. Then witness a grand performance of traditional songs, dances and colourful costumes from the Tang Dynasty. This spectacular cultural show features more than 145 performers on stage together with a classical Chinese orchestra.

Two Night Special Stay : The Westin, Deluxe room.

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Yesterday we went to another monastery to see monks debating, it is a bit hard to explain what this was like, even though we could not understand what they were saying, it was great to see

In the evening we had a dinner and performance of traditional Tibetan dancing. Then a walk from the hotel back to the palace to see it lit up with lights, stunning!

Now we are waiting to check out for our fight to the next adventure.

This morning we travel to the remarkable and awe-inspiring Terracotta Army. More than 2,000 years old, these terracotta warriors and horses were created to protect the tomb of China’s first Emperor Qin Shi Huang and were only discovered by a local farmer late in the 20th century. We experience the fascinating army of more than 6000 life size figures from our special VIP platform with a museum curator. Delve into Xi’an’s historical past and enjoy the panoramic views as we navigate the city’s walls, originally built in the 14th century, on an electric powered vehicle.

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We arrived in Xian last night and we were off to any early start. It is a really big city, I am still amazed at the amount of development going on, there are hundreds of high rise apartments.

The warriors are around an hour out of the city, we have perfect weather again to enjoy the scenery.

Our guide shared the history of the site and China's dynasty on the way. There were three main halls to visit with the first one being the largest. Archeologists are still working on the site and there has to be years worth to go. Seeing them was incredible! Hard to describe really.

Later in the day we visited the cities wall, one of the last remaining complete walls.

It is wider than the Great Wall and we travelled a section of the 14km by golf carts. Inside the wall is the old city and outside the new, quite a contrast.

We haven't had a lot of time in Xian, but it has been very busy.

We all enjoyed the dumpling dinner, around 15 courses, there has been so much food. After dinner we went to a show, all of the shows have been great, this one included.

This morning we take a flight to Beijing and transfer to our luxurious hotel in the heart of downtown. Admire the hotel’s unique architecture accented by contemporary Chinese artwork or take a stroll and explore the surrounding area including the famous Silk Market. Activities on offer include: (1) watch the artistry of performers and the colourful costumes from the famed Peking Opera; or (2) appreciate the emotion and action of traditional martial arts combined with evocative dance, and flying acrobatics at the spectacular Legend of Kung Fu show; or (3) uncover Beijing’s unique street foods during an evening walking tour; or (4) experience a wonderful foot massage and discover why people from Beijing appreciate the benefits of reflexology.

Three Night Special Stay : Fairmont Beijing, Deluxe room.

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Upon arriving in Beijing we had a choice of shows. We went to the legend of Kung fu show at the red theatre.

Kohen - you would of liked it, there was plenty of acrobatics, sword fighting and block breaking.

Kung-fu actually means - time,energy and effort! and is used as part of the Chinese language.

Today we hope to discover the highlights of Beijing, a city rich in history with its myriad of ancient monuments, one of the world’s truly great cities. Home to the Imperial families during the Ming era, the Forbidden City, with the towering portrait of Chairman Mao looming above, will astound us with its size and the beauty of the many Imperial Palaces, elegant gardens and pavilions within. Stroll around the impressive Tiananmen Square, one of the world’s largest public squares and home to the Great Hall of the People and the Mao Zedong Mausoleum. Take a rickshaw ride through Beijing’s atmospheric old Hutongs, (narrow winding alleyways) to witness traditional Chinese life before enjoying the finer art of a tea ceremony. Our dining choices on offer are: (1) a contemporary Asian restaurant which brings the diversity of Chinese, Japanese and Indian food to our plate; or (2) western and modern epicurean cuisine viewed from the chic open kitchen; or (3) a selection of China’s most popular dishes; or (4) a menu inspired by the legendary Ancient Tea Horse Trail that winds throughout Yunnan, Burma and Tibet.

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Today was a very busy day with a rickshaw ride in the old town, a visit to a local family and a tea house.

After lunch we walked through Tienanmen square and the forbidden city. It was strange staring at chairman Mao's photo on the building that we always see on TV. There is a lot of security around and plenty of camera's.

Leave Beijing early and travel to Mutianyu to explore one of the lesser visited sections of the Great Wall. The dramatic scenery provides a picture-perfect backdrop to the Great Wall as it snakes through the mountains and countryside. Standing on the ancient ramparts is the only way to fully appreciate this magnificent structure, built more than 2,500 years ago, and to truly experience the vastness of China and the essence of the Chinese spirit. We will enjoy a drink at dusk at a wonderful roof top bar perched opposite the east gate of the massive Forbidden City and appreciate the size and scale of this incredible complex. This evening join our Tour Director for our Farewell Dinner, a sumptuous Peking Duck Banquet at the highly acclaimed restaurant, Duck de Chine.

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Yesterday we visited the Great Wall, a highlight of the trip!

There was a lot of climbing before we even reached the wall, with a gondola ride to the top. The day was clear and warm, perfect weather for our visit.

The steps and path was very steep at times but we made our way to the third tower. We had a picnic lunch on the wall at the second tower.

After breakfast we take our transfer to the airport for our home bound flight, DRAGONAIR flight KA 909 at 16:30, again a stopover in Hong Kong where we board CATHAY PACIFIC flight CX 161, arriving in Sydney at 08:40 Monday 27th April.