Testimonials

Dear Annabelle,

Everything went perfectly well once more. Liu was our driver the whole week, it was very agreeable to keep the same person.  

He’s always on time, drives very well, and he’s always smiling. He also walks unexpectedly fast.  

This trip to Chengde went really well. Liu suggested us a restaurant for lunch. We were charmed by the lakes and the small Potala, where we even raised a scarf each (cf photo). There was a wedding at our hotel on the Sunday morning. 

I found my little stool at Panjiayuan market. At the shopping center we were curious enough to enter the Ikea store. Chinese people lay down, sleep, eat on the beds and armchairs… Unbelievable!!! 

We met again with Liu (who guided us for the Forbidden City visit in November) and we visited the temples and Summer Palace. He was glad to see again the Wencheng galeries which are full of treasures. We climbed up the Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha where the view upon Kunming lake is simply magical. We went down, on my request, through the hill instead of the stairs, to reach the North gate. Our guide was also happy to change the itinerary. He is always very talkative and very interesting.  

Later he almost took us to the right hutong for our cooking class… A very kind person. The cooking class was very pleasant. We were 8 foreigners, including some Koreans. Our chief Yua was very nice and cute. We learned how to use the famous Chinese mincer knife for the Sichuan spices then for 3 typical dishes with potatoes, beans and cabbage. Our dinner was delicious. We were given the recipes afterwards. 

The trip to Shanhaiguan was fantastic. We took the bus n°25 as you indicated us. Now, at the train station exit there is a kind of tourist office, where we took some flyers and asked where to take the bus. After 7 min only we arrived on site. We could smell the ocean air. There a reconstitution of a Ming soldiers camp, then this famous bastion that throws itslef into the sea. The weather was windy so the water was clear. There also was a charming temple near the sea, at the other side of the beach. It was really nice. We took some beautiful pictures. 

Then we went to visit the fortified town of Shanhaiguan, which isn’t as quaint as Pingyao but still quite picturesque. The Great Wall museum was closed but we had spotted a place called Wang compound to visit: it became the highlight of the day. It was the old house from the Ming dynasty of the Wang family, purely authentic, we felt as if the owners had just left the place. The rooms were filled with day-to-day objects, we even saw real shoes for bounded feet (cf photo). The compound buildings were separated by charming small courtyards with undulating walls.

We walked along the city walls to reach to gate through which we came in and go back to the train station. There were very few people inside this fortified city, it was surprising. 

On the last day, we met some difficulty to find the 798 art district but some young people took us there by scooter!!! Such a huge place, I would have liked to see more of it but we had very little time, and the weather was really hot.

The theater play that I had suggested to you at Tianqiao theater was extraordinary, with some lights installation, a remarkable English troop, and a touching life story. The theater, which is gigantic, was full of Chinese people and very few foreigners.  

Another touching moment was the visit of Lao She house.

This, Annabelle, is all I could tell you about our trip. 

Take care.

Caroline

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