Viking China (Part 2)

a visit to the Panda Research Base at Chengdu.

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

It is a Panda zoo and looks like a zoo with only the giant pandas and the red panda, very interesting with nice strolls in mostly shaded areas. They offer the option of paying extra for petting a panda. Inquire on how to make reservations for that because the number of visitors allowed to do that is limited per day. It is very expensive and it cuts down on the time you have to observe the other pandas.

Subway is very easy, but wait till after "rush hour" when it is very crowded. If you ever have questions we found the younger people eager to help and they speak excellent English. We used it to visit the Summer Palace gardens. You will have an amazing trip.

Just got back on Fri. 6/26; Shanghai to Beijing. It was a fabulous, but EXHAUSTING trip! It moves at a very fast pace with lots of walking, and in some places, challenging, steep stone stairs. If you want to do some trinket shopping, the market in Shanghai, after the garden tour, is very good. Just don't pay more than 20% of original asking price. They take US $$ also. The only 2 other markets that we were able to shop at were at the Shiboazhai Pagoda and the Great Wall. If you see something you like, buy it when you see it, since there will be little time for shopping. You get about 1/2 hour at the markets, and bargaining takes time! You will, however, spend LOTS of time at overpriced sales pitches at the Carpet Factory, Terra Cotta and Jade Factory. They practically assign a sales person to follow you around and try to sell everything you even glance at.

We missed Wuhan, because of a six hour rain delay in the airport. Better safe than sorry though. The rain caused severe flooding and a landslide in Wuhan. I was ok with missing the school, and the museum with the bronze bells was closed for renovations. I think the bells are now at the Shanghai museum, but I must have missed them because that was kind of rushed too. Too bad, because it was a beautiful museum and I would have liked a little more time there instead of being rushed off to the Carpet Factory.

Once you get to the ship, there will be three solid days of some pretty un-scenic cruising. Good thing we got the drink package - haha! I succumbed to buying the handmade Chinese jacket for $130, and a massage. An aside on the jacket - one woman bought a beautiful silk jacket at the carpet factory for $70. If you break off from the required carpet and embroidery "stores" and wander around there are some other good stores there.

There are some good activities and things to do onboard, and time to get to know your fellow cruisers. You won't really get to see them once you get to the rest of the land tour, since you will be with your assigned group. We were lucky and had a fun group,(with the exception of one PITA, but that became a joke among the group...) Our guide was Jane and she was the best!

Be prepared for daily tipping of local guides and bus drivers. Packing and unpacking, flying, etc., but if you want to go to all the places we did, that is to be expected. Bring binoculars for the hanging coffins otherwise you really can't see them. I had a small pair and it made all the difference. The Three Gorges are really beautiful. Also, bring an umbrella and light raincoat or poncho.

The thing that made the most impact on me was how different the people were than I expected, very open, funny, and friendly. Young people in trendy clothes, constantly on iPhones and iPads, and very Westernized. And I was surprised by the number of high-end stores there were in Beijing and some of the other cities. At the same time there are still 10 million people living in caves in some of the remote regions. Also, don't be surprised if you notice people taking pictures of you.

Nancy

Just got back on Fri. 6/26; Shanghai to Beijing. The only 2 other markets that we were able to shop at were at the Shiboazhai Pagoda and the Great Wall. If you see something you like, buy it when you see it, since there will be little time for shopping.

 

Our guide was Jane and she was the best!

 

Thanks for your report. Glad you had such a good time.

As others always say, your guide was the best. Viking does have a group of great guides.

Another reason to buy something you like when you see it is that it may have been sold if you come back later. We had that happen to us with vendors at the great Wall. We said to ourselves we would buy something on the way down, but it was no longer there when we came down.

Thank You Nancy....we leave Friday

I am most anxious to know where is the best (most reasonable) place to buy terra cotta warriors to take home and pass out as souvenirs......Marie

One more thing. There are three optional evening activities in Beijing, Tang Dynasty Show, Peking Duck Dinner, and the Opera, and I would rate them it that order. Your guide will ask you to decide and sign up immediately while you are on the bus from the airport in Beijing. No time to think about it or ask others if they are going. We just signed up for all three, since we had no other plan...

Hi Marie! you can get them almost anywhere. I got mine from one of the vendor stalls at the Warrior site for $3, but someone else paid $1.50! This is after you tour the site and are on the way back to the bus. There will be guys approaching you in the beginning, offering you the same thing for anywhere from $10-$30.

Thank You Nancy....we leave Friday

I am most anxious to know where is the best (most reasonable) place to buy terra cotta warriors to take home and pass out as souvenirs......Marie

The absolute cheapest place to buy the little boxes of warriors is from the guys walking around peddling them to tourists...just as you are about to get on the bus to leave the site...

The "official" stores are very expensive...

And, as you approach and enter the site, there are guys walking around selling them...but the price is still a little high...

We just folded as we were leaving the site--because we found a guy who went all the way down to $5 a set...But, when we were about to get on the bus, there were guys there willing to sell as low as $2 a set!

If you are just looking to buy a few as cheap gifts for people back home, I'd recommend waiting until you are almost done with the site...then make someone a bulk deal...And, you also won't have to drag them around the site with you!

One more thing. There are three optional evening activities in Beijing, Tang Dynasty Show, Peking Duck Dinner, and the Opera, and I would rate them it that order. Your guide will ask you to decide and sign up immediately while you are on the bus from the airport in Beijing. No time to think about it or ask others if they are going. We just signed up for all three, since we had no other plan...

Isn't that show in Xi'an, not Beijing?

CowgirlCook - did you know you were going to be so close to the zoo before you went for lunch? Or was the decision to go more of a "spur of the moment" thing?

 

How difficult was it to navigate the subway system?

 

We did not know before lunch that we would be so close but as I had been studying maps (I really like them), once there we asked our WONDERFUL guide, Goa, and he showed us on the map when I realized we were close. With that, he told us exactly how to walk and off we went.

Now - I disagree as I've been on many subways systems all over the world, this one is easy enough ONCE you know how to buy a ticket. Also, we did get help only once from someone behind us - most folks did not speak English. We had checked it our on our first day just to watch others and then play with the machine when it wasn't busy. You need to have studied your subway map and know what your destination is and what line it is on. Then, when you start, there is one little button on the bottom of the screen (on left I think) that says English. Go to that - then the map on the screen shows you where you are at and you push a button for the destination you want to go to; first, push which line it is on (top row of bottoms) and then when that line comes up, push the destination stop. It then shows you the price (cheap) and asks you how many tickets - we got two. Have a 5 or 10 yuan bill handy. Then you are good. As for which line to get on - I believe both were always available once you walk DOWN (there is security). One time, the destination we had to look for was the NEXT one from where we were, but the other times it was the final destination of the line (similar to most systems we have been on). I found the easiest way was to look at the posts/pillars that list all the destinations. Find the destination you want - if they are in grey, the line doesn't go there. Look at the other side, the destination should be listed and in red. That's your subway!!!! Sometimes they were somewhat crowded but never a problem. Also, they had really neat commercials running outside the windows at times - how they did that I have no idea!

 

As for warriors, I agree with other comments - I purchased my set for $2 leaving the museum walking down to the bus area from someone who came up. I kept a $1 bill in each pocket and planned to spend just that. I kept moving - there was no real negotiation - I just said all for $2.

As for the silk carpet, jade and other stops - we were not going to be buying any major purchases. I figured China made tour companies stop at these locations - price of doing business in China I'm thinking. But there were always demonstrations and I found them interesting (the carpets were incredible and soft and if we were in different circumstances, I might have purchased one). I never felt pressure to purchase and never felt there was too much time spend at these locations. I enjoyed the scenic cruising until probably the last day. We went Beijing to Shanghai. Tang Dynasty dinner/show a must (Xi'an). We did Peking Duck dinner ourselves at the Kerry Hotel our first night (forced overnight) which I think was cheaper and better than the excursion others went on. We opted out of the opera and I believe that was the right decision.

I had a few last minute questions on my mind overnight and before I could even post them they were answered here. So for all of you who took the time, thanks a bunch.

Regarding the optional tours in Beijing - we have decided to skip those offered by Viking (as there was not one good review here) and do our own duck dinner at a local restaurant (Sijii Minfu) a 15 min walk from our hotel, Regent Beijing and then the next night (our final night) we are going to the Garden at Lama Temple for a Chinese Dumpling & Pulled Noodle and Chinese Culture class. We will take the subway to this as it is right off a subway stop. Both have outstanding reviews. This last excursion would be even better suited for those doing the reverse tour as it would give you insight into their culture as you first arrive.

The absolute cheapest place to buy the little boxes of warriors is from the guys walking around peddling them to tourists...just as you are about to get on the bus to leave the site...

 

The "official" stores are very expensive...

!

However, for those who are shopping in the official store, keep in mind that you can buy a set of four warriors about 6 inches tall for $39 per set plus shipping at the National Geographic online store or their catalog--more expensive than the street vendors but cheaper than the official store (when we priced them 5 years ago).

However, for those who are shopping in the official store, keep in mind that you can buy a set of four warriors about 6 inches tall for $39 per set plus shipping at the National Geographic online store or their catalog--more expensive than the street vendors but cheaper than the official store (when we priced them 5 years ago).

Agreed - AND those items in the store are NOT the same as the warriors I purchased for $2.00. That is the very good thing about these stores - you are certain that there is quality. Jade at the jade store will be the real stuff - and it was beautiful. Silk jackets and "jade" bracelets at the markets/street vendors are fun pickups, but you don't expect the same quality.

I had a few last minute questions on my mind overnight and before I could even post them they were answered here. So for all of you who took the time, thanks a bunch.

 

Regarding the optional tours in Beijing - we have decided to skip those offered by Viking (as there was not one good review here) and do our own duck dinner at a local restaurant (Sijii Minfu) a 15 min walk from our hotel, Regent Beijing and then the next night (our final night) we are going to the Garden at Lama Temple for a Chinese Dumpling & Pulled Noodle and Chinese Culture class. We will take the subway to this as it is right off a subway stop. Both have outstanding reviews. This last excursion would be even better suited for those doing the reverse tour as it would give you insight into their culture as you first arrive.

Sounds wonderful!

Yes, Tang Dynasty Show is in Xian. I had to go to my Viking booklet when I was trying to sort out my pictures... :0

Also, they had really neat commercials running outside the windows at times - how they did that I have no idea!

Sean :)

They are a series of posters that are placed in order, each has a small difference to the one before so that they appear animated when the trains pass. It's a very cool effect

 

Sean :)

Thanks Sean - kind of the old fashion way of movies. They were certainly cool - tried to capture on my camera as a video but the lady sitting on the subway was wondering why I was taking her picture!

Hello. My husband and I will be heading to China on Sept 12th on the Imperial Jewels tour. We'll be traveling from Beijing to Shanghai.

We have already booked a dinner at BSK but would like to do a Peking Duck dinner as well while we are there. Can any of you tell me where the Viking Peking Duck dinner is held? We'd prefer somewhere other than that based on the comments here. We're staying at the Westin Choayang. I've read that several have eaten at a nearby restaurant but they didn't give a name. The Kerry's dinner sounds good but wonder where else is recommended? Has anyone been to Dadong? I also saw someone mention Siji Minfu -- how was it? And the price?

Thanks for your help with this. I have been reading this year's posts and find they are really helpful!

On the Cultural Delights cruise 1 Nov Beijing to Shanghai and have just now finished reading all the posts since Jan 2014! All I can say is "WOW!" I do love Cruise Critic. What a wealth of information.

But after going thru all of that, there was very little on Cultural Delights or last year's trip in November. I read Zumaqueen's review, which was quite helpful, but I didn't see anyone posting day by day. I've still got to get thru Peregrina's blog. My questions at this point are: What was the weather like in November? Temperature, haze, smog?

Someone also posted a while back that they had started a roll call for Viking China 2015, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Anyone know where it is? Did it get off the ground?

Thanks to all for your fantastic posts. I'll be the most learned passenger on the cruise!

Diana

LibraryJo,

DH and I had a wonderful duck dinner a short cab ride from the Westin. It was well rated in Trip Advisor and we found it a great bargain. I am looking for the info in our file and will get back with it. Just in case, the hotel concierge knew where we were talking about before we ever said the name and called ahead for reservations for dinner and for the duck. They also had picture menus in case you want something else. It was a great evening.

I apologize upfront if this question has been answered, but with 200 pages this thread is a bit long to scan for an answer!

My mother is 79 and would love to visit China. She walks on her own but is not able to walk more than 50-100 feet without getting winded. She can get on and off of tour buses, and she's fine with finding a seat when she gets tired. Would she be able to handle a Viking China tour? Is she able to opt out of tours that are too strenuous?

Thanks for any opinions, input, etc.!

Tricky one, but not impossible.

In most of the places where this would be an issue, you can pay someone to push a wheelchair for her.

She would probably miss out on some aspects like the walk on the Great Wall, but the 'pushers' would still get her close to the wall.

Thanks, Mark_T. FYI...we recently flew to South Africa and she handled safaris land rovers and mini-van tours just fine. We got a wheelchair at the airports. She'd really like to go to China, but I want to make sure she can see most of the sites...to some extent.

Ktwofish,

In case you did not see my post from June about our Beijing visit in March, I was using a heavy Norwegian walker and was able to see a lot. Viking hired a great pusher for me at the Forbidden City and I used one for the return to the bus in Xian. Both were well worth the cost and enhanced my experience. Once on Emerald your mom could pick and choose what she wanted to do each day. Best wishes!

Ktwofish,

In case you did not see my post from June about our Beijing visit in March, I was using a heavy Norwegian walker and was able to see a lot. Viking hired a great pusher for me at the Forbidden City and I used one for the return to the bus in Xian. Both were well worth the cost and enhanced my experience. Once on Emerald your mom could pick and choose what she wanted to do each day. Best wishes!

Did you have any problems getting from ship to shore in the various ports?