Xian, located in central-northwest China, records the great changes of the country just like a living history book. Called Chang'an (meaning the eternal city) in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient Chinese civilization in the Yellow River Basin area. As the eastern terminal of the Silk Road and the site of the famous Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty, Xian has won a reputation all over the world. More than 3,000 years of history including over 1,100 years as the capital city of ancient dynasties, have endowed Xian with an amazing historical heritage. Tourists marvel at the numerous historical sites and cultural relics in and around the city.
Known as the leading city of China's Western Development Drive Program since 1990s, Xian is an important economic, cultural, industrial and educational center of the central-northwest region, providing visitors with modern and convenient facilities.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/xian.htm
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Basic Info on Beijing
Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China, is the nation's political, economic, cultural, educational and international trade and communication center. Located in northern China, close to the port city of Tianjin and partially surrounded by Hebei Province, Beijing also serves as the most important transportation hub and port of entry in China.
Beijing, one of the six ancient cities in China, has been the heart and soul of politics and society throughout its long history and consequently there is an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue travelers as they explore Beijing's ancient past and exciting modern development. Now it has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with about 140 million Chinese tourists and 4.4 million international visitors in a year.
Beijing, one of the six ancient cities in China, has been the heart and soul of politics and society throughout its long history and consequently there is an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue travelers as they explore Beijing's ancient past and exciting modern development. Now it has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with about 140 million Chinese tourists and 4.4 million international visitors in a year.
To Do List
- Finish Taxes
- Summer camp health forms - due May 1st (we return on the 4-29)
- Summer camp payments
- Finish signing girls up for summer camps
- Get visas to enter China - in process
- Notify credit card company and bank of travel, so they don't shut down cards for suspected fraud abuse
- Figure out how much cash to take and in what denominations
- Buy travel insurance
- Wire trip money to BLAS
- Get pre-paid visa cards for girls
- Camera and computer stuff - figure it all out - converters, etc.
- Think through what we are bringing for clothes, shoes, comfort food
- Pack!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
April Weather in China - Fahrenheit
Beijing:
Avg High 67.8
Avg Low 45
Xian:
Avg High 70
Avg Low 50
Chengdu:
Avg High 70.9
Avg Low 54.9
climate - subtropical monsoon
best travel month April!
Hanchuan (Hubei province):
Avg High 70
Avg Low 64
climate - subtropical monsoon
best travel month April!
Maoming (Guangdong province):
Avg High 73.9
Avg Low 67.6
Guangzhou:
Avg High 79
Avg Low 73
Avg High 67.8
Avg Low 45
Xian:
Avg High 70
Avg Low 50
Chengdu:
Avg High 70.9
Avg Low 54.9
climate - subtropical monsoon
best travel month April!
Hanchuan (Hubei province):
Avg High 70
Avg Low 64
climate - subtropical monsoon
best travel month April!
Maoming (Guangdong province):
Avg High 73.9
Avg Low 67.6
Guangzhou:
Avg High 79
Avg Low 73
March 24, 2011
In 20 days we will board a plane to China for a return homeland trip. This blog is the "Bott Girls" place to capture our trip in words and pictures.
Intrepid travelers are: We have 7 people in our group - me, my daughters, Grace and Ruthie, my friend Diane and her daughter, Maggie, as well as my parents, Ann & Tom.
Where are we going?: Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Hanchuan, Maoming, Guangzhou and Beijing. Diane's trip varies from ours after Chengdu, but we'll all meet back up in Guangzhou. Why Hanchuan and Maoming? Those are the birth cities of Grace and Ruthie. So we'll be visiting their orphanages and hopefully meeting Grace's foster family.
Decisions: For our first trip Diane and I decided to go the private tour route and neither of us had the time or energy to do the amount of research needed to pull together a trip on our own. We also decided that we wanted to travel in April and not the summer - when the heat and humidity in China can be intolerable, but also plane fares tend to less expensive in the spring.
After comparing tour itineraries, length of trips, and of course cost, we finally settled on BLAS. BLAS stands for Bridge of Love Adoption Services. They are actually part of the Chinese government's arm for international adoption.
Intrepid travelers are: We have 7 people in our group - me, my daughters, Grace and Ruthie, my friend Diane and her daughter, Maggie, as well as my parents, Ann & Tom.
Where are we going?: Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Hanchuan, Maoming, Guangzhou and Beijing. Diane's trip varies from ours after Chengdu, but we'll all meet back up in Guangzhou. Why Hanchuan and Maoming? Those are the birth cities of Grace and Ruthie. So we'll be visiting their orphanages and hopefully meeting Grace's foster family.
Decisions: For our first trip Diane and I decided to go the private tour route and neither of us had the time or energy to do the amount of research needed to pull together a trip on our own. We also decided that we wanted to travel in April and not the summer - when the heat and humidity in China can be intolerable, but also plane fares tend to less expensive in the spring.
After comparing tour itineraries, length of trips, and of course cost, we finally settled on BLAS. BLAS stands for Bridge of Love Adoption Services. They are actually part of the Chinese government's arm for international adoption.
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