As an aside...would you care to share your thoughts about China, from your travels there?
China under your own steam, using public transport etc, is apparently a daunting task, - if you have no knowledge of Chinese that is, time is another factor, as 'doing' China in a couple of weeks is a) impossible, and b) requires stamina! Taking these criteria into consideration, I opted for the proverbial package tour. These usually include all the obvious tourist attractions, Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc; for a first time venture to China, I was more than willing to participate in this kind of tourism, you can see a great deal in a short space of time as all the travel arrangements are planned. OK, - I went with no real preconcieved ideas, - what hits you in the face is all the construction work going on, high rises, like needles, to accommodate the influx of people magnetised towards the cities, and intricate flyovers through the cities, where the traffic goes past the 15th storey, and below some of the 'old' town, which they are in such a hurry to eradicate, and which is a shame, somethings should be preserved IMO. The Wall is an incredible masterpiece of engineering - I managed about 3 kilometres.....think I'll stop here, before you get the big yawn syndrome, and just say that it is China is available now, and very much worth a visit!
lupina
