Japan: Kyoto and Takayama
We began our second week in Japan by visiting Kyoto and the wonderful temples in the city. Also included in our time there was a day trip to Nara.
Email: Greetings from Japan – Final Thoughts
Well, tomorrow we return to the U.S. So I thought I would take a few paragraphs to summarize my thoughts in a fun way. The 10 most surprising things I found in Japan were…
China: Luoyang
We left Beijing’s West Train Station at 12:45pm on Wednesday to begin our ten hour journey to Luoyang. We were able to get hard seats (for about $12 each) on a ‘K’ train, which is an express that makes very few stops.
China: Xian – Terracotta Warriors
It was a 5 1/2 hour journey on a double decker express ‘K’ train from Luoyang to Xian. The next morning we went back to the train station to catch the bus to the Army of the Terracotta Warriors. Nothing prepares you for the enormity of seeing the warriors in lines as you first enter.
Email: Adventures in China – Socks and Terracotta Warriors
We arrived in Xian last night. We took a train from Luoyang. The train ride took six hours. During the trip, we had hawkers coming through selling everything from hot food, cold food, books, magazines and socks.
Email: Update from China – Luoyang
It is Thursday night and we are in Luoyang, which is southwest of Beijing. We arrived here late last night after a 10 hour train ride in “hard class.” Hard class is not necessarily the seats (they were padded) but it refers to the cheapest seats of travel – one the Chinese use.
China: Chengdu and Dali
After some rough traveling, we first visited the pandas in Chengdu and then relaxed in Dali. Among the highlights there was a visit to a local market.