Category Archives: The Orient

10 April: Sometime in the arly morning, my fever broke; a hot shower, a couple more hours of sleep and it’s time for breakfast. Today I feel a thousand percent better but still not up to 100% (don’t do the … Continue reading →

9 April: This morning the frozen lake glistened white under clear skies and bright sun. We visited the Wood Architecture Museum. Early wood homes, churches, schools, stables and other out buildings from all over Siberia have been moved to this … Continue reading →

At 8:10am we arrive in Irkutsk, Russia. It is a cold bleak day and, I think, a cold bleak city. Our new guide, Sveta, met us at the train station with two vehicles, one for the luggage and one for … Continue reading →

It is dark soon after we depart Ulan-Baatar. We get occasional glimpses of snow and frozen lakes. About 10pm the border drill starts: Maria, our rail-car stewardess, delivers four border crossing forms that each of us needs to complete, then … Continue reading →

As I’m writing this I’m sitting in an internet room at our hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia. It’s hard not to compare all the countries, but a few notes about our experiences in China and Vietnam. First of all, my … Continue reading →

5 April After leaving Beijing we traveled North-Northwest through a mountainous area and up onto the high Gobi Desert. This dry, dusty, windy plateau was blamed for the poor air quality in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics. Jerry, Linda and … Continue reading →

3 April Thankfully, a free day. Still plagued with the “Chinese Crud”, I flake out all day while others do some last minute China shopping. We had asked our guide to arrange tickets to a show to see the famous … Continue reading →

Feeling only a little better, I tag along for the Hutong Tour by rickshaw. Hutongs are dense ethnic enclaves within Beijing that were established hundreds of years ago and at that time made up much of the city. They have … Continue reading →

It is Charlotte’s birthday. We arrive in Beijing, meet Linda, our new guide, check into the Sun World Hotel; wow this huge city is even more modern and grand than when we last saw it in 2003. We see lots … Continue reading →

29 March Xian is a beautiful city of about 3 million. At it’s center is the old walled city. The wall is huge, about 80 feet wide on the top and even wider at its base. It is a huge … Continue reading →