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Photo Explorer Tours 2005 |
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March 19-April 3, 2005 * Southwest China Explorer
Photo Explorer Tours 2005
Photos © Dennis Cox/ChinaStock * Explore China's Colorful Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces
China's Yunnan Province is a golden land of eternal springtime featuring pristine vistas of terrace-layered valleys, powder blue lakes and skies, red earth, and green forests. It is a wonderland tucked between the Tibetan Himalayas and exotic Southeast Asia. Yunnan ("South of the Clouds") is home to twenty-four diverse and colorful ethnic cultures and features such natural marvels as the famous Stone Forest near Kunming and Tiger Leaping Gorge on the upper Yangtze River. Little wonder that it is a Photo Explorer favorite.
We've again included some newly opened areas of Yunnan to this version of our Southwest China Explorer including Yuanyang and Jianshui in the southeast of the province while revisiting old favorites, Dali and Lijiang in the northwest. The Yuanyang area of the Ailiaoshan mountains features many spectacular views of steeply terraced fields carved over hundreds of years by the local Hani, Yi, Dai, Miao, Yao, and Zhuang people. Featuring architecture of over 100 buildings and 50 odd-arched bridges from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Jianshui is a historic treasurehouse. Dali, lying between the Cangshan mountains and sparkling Erhai Lake, is home to the Bai nationality as well as its highly photogenic Three Pagodas. And Lijiang, which will be visited during its annual San Duo festival, has been designated a UNESCO world monument for its fascinating Old Town. It also serves as a gateway to La Shi Lake with its migratory bird habitat, Baisha village with frescoes dating from the Ming period, Jade Peak Monastery of the Red Hat Tibetan sect, and the First Bend of the Yangtze River scenic area.
Guizhou Province, sharing border with Yunnan Province on its west territories, is a sub-tropical plateau with over 97% of its area covered by mountains and hills. Karst formations, both on the ground and underground alike, abound here in the forms of caves, and waterfalls. Highlights of the brief Guizhou visit include China's highest waterfalls, Huanggusgu, and villages of the Buyi and Tun Pu minority nationality peoples. In addition, on the way to the Southwest, the tour will include a day and a half in ultra-modern Shanghai.
This tour is priced at $3395 per person for land only. Single supplement is $495. The land price includes five domestic flights, all ground transportation, hotels (2 to 4 star) selected for both their value and strategic access to photo locations, most meals in China (includes mostly western breakfasts, but does not include five dinners in Dali and Lijiang), and tips of a group nature. Also included are the services of English-speaking local guides, as well as the photographic guide services of prominent Beijing photographer Christopher Liu (Liu Liqun) throughout the tour. Not included are the visa for China, personal expenses, international departure tax from Shanghai at end of tour, and individual tips, including to the tour leader and national guide.
International airfare for this tour is available via Northwest, United, and other trans-Pacific airlines with connections from several U.S. and Canadian cities. To save you money on your air booking, we can provide information on reliable consolidators; or your air can be arranged for you with an added service charge. Optional extensions of the tour can also be made to other areas of China and east Asia, or more time can be added to the stay in Shanghai. If you are interested in an optional pre- or post-tour extension, please call for a price quote.
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Land price: $3395........................Single
Supplement: $495.................International
Air: $800*
*approximate cost from North
America through consolidators based on 2003 prices which are subject
to change by the airlines.
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2005 Southwest
China Explorer Itinerary
(updated
12/2/03)
Saturday, March 19 - SHANGHAI arrivals. After airport formalities, meet your guide and be transferred into the city for the first of two nights at the Sofitel Hyland Hotel located on the bustling Nanjing Road Shopping street and mall. Dinner at leisure on your own account.
Sunday, March 20 - SHANGHAI Following American buffet breakfast in the hotel, depart accross the Huangpu River to Pudong for photography from atop the 88-storeyed Jin Mao Tower, the landmark of Shanghai, with its birds-eye view of the city. Then, proceed to the Longyang Station to experience the first maglev (magnetic levitation) train in the world. With a 5-minute stop at Pudong Airport, it takes around 20 minutes to do the roundtrip. In the afternoon, photograph around Peoples Square and make a visit to the fabulous Shanghai Museum before proceding to a local restaurant for a welcoming dinner.
Monday, March 21 - SHANGHAI to KUNMING Morning visit to photograph activities on the Bund, then to Old Town and the Jade Buddha Temple. In the afternoon, transfer to Hongqiao airport for a three-hour flight to Kunming). Overnight at four-star Kunming Hotel.
Tuesday, March 22 - KUNMING-STONE FOREST American breakfast at hotel. The Western Hill is a range of four mountains stretching over 40 kilometers by the western shore of the Dianchi Lake. It offers the best scenery and some of the finest temples in the entire region: the Dragon Gate, a grotto complex of rooms, sculptures, archway and tunnel chiseled along a sheer cliff by local stonemasons from 1781 to 1853, and the Huating Temple, the biggest Buddhist complex in Kunming. Afterward drive some 85 kilometers, or two hour ride, southeast of Kunming to the Stone Forest. An extremely rare geological phenomenon dating back to 270 million years ago, the Stone Forest is 80 hectares of karst limestone pillars in fantastic shapes that resemble a forest viewed from a distance. The Stone Forest is also home to the Sani tribe, a branch of the diverse and scattered Yi minority renowned for their diligence, embroidery, and dancing. Lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner and overnight at the two-star Stone Forest Hotel.
Wenesday, March 23 - STONE FOREST-YUANYANG Chinese breakfast at hotel. The whole morning will be devoted to photographing at the Stone Forest when there are few tourists around and light is good. After lunch at Stone Forest Hotel, drive toward Yuanyang. En route, stops and visits of Yi and Hani villages. With a population of 1.3 million in Yunnan, the Hani minority stand out in their traditional costumes with silver accessories amid mud brick houses roofed with pine leaves that look like mushrooms from a distance. With over 4 million people scattered all over, the Yi minority is the biggest ethnic group and has played an important role in the history of Yunnan.The largest concentration of Yi can be found in Chuxiong Prefecture, Honghe Prefecture (mainly in Yuanyang and en route Jianshui to Yuanyang). Set near the China-Vietnam border and with the Yuanjiang River flowing through it, Yuanyang is now attracting more and more attention from overseas tourists for its unparalleled terraced paddies and diverse ethnic cultures of the Hani, Yi, Dai, and Yao. At an elevation over 1800 meters, the old town of Yuanyang is on a mountain, 28 kilometers from the new town, namely Nansha, at around 200 meters above sea level. Arrival in the old town of Yuanyang will be in the late afternoon. Dinner and first of two nights at the two-star Yuanyang County Guesthouse.
Thursday, March 24 - YUANYANG Chinese breakfast at the guesthouse. The Hani minority in Yuanyang has been renowned for creating a harmony between man and nature among the village, forests, river, and terraced paddies. Here, paddy fields are terraced from the foot of the mountains onto the very top. During February to early April and September to early November, when water is filled in the paddies after harvests, a natural grandeur of thousands of mirrors is formed when the sun is low near the horizon at both ends of the day (from 5 to 6:30 AM and 5 to 8 PM). Photo ops will included a sunrise, the sea of clouds in early morning light, and terraced rice paddies in Duoyishu and Bada plus a visit to Yi and Hani villages.
Friday, March 25 - YUANYANG-JIANSHUI-KUNMING Chinese breakfast at the guesthouse. Drive today 180 kilometers, or 3 hours, to Jianshu and then 220 kilometers on to Kunming. Jianshui is a 1200-year-old town with a vast collection of historic heritages. More or less a living museum of old buildings or residences, it boasts more than 100 structures built during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, 50 odd-arched ancient bridges, and quite a few old residences that were built in the Qing Dynasty. Lunch en route at Jianshui, then a brief visit of the Family Zhu Garden, a complex of nearly 100-year-old buildings built in late Qing Dynasty of 42 courtyards, covering a total area of over 20,000 square meters. It's a typical private garden with a local touch. Overnight at four-star Kunming Hotel.
Saturday, March 26 - KUNMING-DALI American breakfast at hotel. Transfer to airport for morning flight Kunming/Dali. Standing against the Cangshan Mountains in the west and adjoining the Erhai Lake in the east, embraced by undulating hills around, Dali was the capital of the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdom as early as 1,300 years ago. It is home to the Bai minority. Upon arrival in Dali, proceed to visit the Three Pagodas, followed by a cruise on the Erhai Lake by private boat from Caicun village to the eastern shore of Wase and Shuanglang village. Then drive back to the old town with rest of day at leisure for your own exploration. Standing like a tripod on the outskirts of old town, the Three Pagodas were constructed in about 850 and 1050 following the model of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an. For centuries, they are the landmarks of the region. The Erhai Lake, named for its ear-like shape, lies in a geological fault between parallel mountain ranges. 41 kilometers long and 3 to 9 kilometers wide, it is part of the Mekong River system. Caicun is a small fishing village by the Erhai Lake just 4 kilometers east of old town. Strolling around Caicun to visit Bai residences, the Benzhu temple (a local religion in a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism), and a small marketplace may offer you a full vision of a typical Chinese village. The old town of weathered gray granite stands at 2, 100 meters on a long, narrow rice plain between the Cangshan Mountains and the Erhai Lake, a natural configuration that seems specially designed for a good, bountiful life. Format of the old town is like a chess board with four gates guarding the four directions, a design that was adopted by most towns in ancient China. Dinner is at leisure on your own account in one of the popular privately owned restaurants in Old Town, such as the Cafe de Jack, (great pizza baked in real pizza ovens), Yunnan Cafe, the Salvador Dali, or Jim's Tibetan Cafe (features great coversations with Jim). Overnight at four-star Asia Star Hotel.
Sunday, March 27 - DALI-LIJIANG American breakfast at hotel. Overland drive 180 kilometers, or 3.5 hours, to Lijiang. Enroute, stop and visit the coppersmith workshops at the Xinhua Bai village. A gathering place of rugged mountain people with the Naxi forming the majority, Lijiang is a small mountain town of stone and tile, laced with swift canals, which has been recently listed as an UNESCO world monument. Upon arrival, proceed to visit the Black Dragon Pond with the Moon Embracing Pavilion and Dongba Research Institute. The Pond provides a great opportunity to photograph the classic view of the crystal clear pond, pavilion, and graceful arch bridge with a backdrop of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance. The old town of Lijiang has a large public area with its center, or Si Fang Jie (Square Street) in the form of an official ink stone, hence its name Dayan (ink stone) Town. It has enjoyed a long history of over 800 years and unlike most of the old towns in China, there is no city wall due to a superstitious belief of the local ruler, whose family name is Mu (tree), that if encircled by walls the town would be Kun (besieged). Wooden structures, mountains, small rivers and lanes integrate harmoniously in this mountain town which was devastated by an earthquake in 1996 but has subsequently been beautifully restored. Lunch enroute at a local Chinese restaurant. First of four nights at the four-star Jian Nan Chun Hotel located conveniently in the heart of the old town. Dinner for all evenings in Lijiang is at leisure on your own account. Popular restaurants here include Sakura, MaMa Fu's, and the Blue Papaya Italian Restaurant.
Monday/Tuesday, March 28/29 - LIJIANG American breakfasts at hotel. In addition to ample time to explore the Old Town on your own these two days, visit the Fir Meadow of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains. Take the chairlift (roundtrip) up with superb views over the mountains and valleys. Good weather permitting, you will be able to see the much-famed snow-clad 13 peaks. On the way back, visit the Jade Peak (or Yufeng in Chinese) Monastery of the Red Hat Tibetan sect housing a 500-year-old camellia tree that boasts ten thousand blossoms from December until March of the following year. In the neighborhood of Jade Peak Monastery, we find the simple Naxi village of Yushui. Mr. Joseph Rock, an Austro-American botanist and explorer who lived here off and on from 1922-1949, is best remembered for introducing innumerable plant species to the West and his rigorous works on Naxi ethnology. Likely, Dr. Ho, Dr. Rock's apprentice who has gained an international reputation will be on hand to offer some lively tales about the area. In the afternoon, visit Baisha village with its frescos dating back to Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the evenings, attend a Minorities Cultural Performance one evening and on another the Naxi Orchestra conducted by Mr. Xuan Ke. Commonly called as Naxi Orchestra, a Taoist ceremonial instrumental music accompanied with chanting that was introduced to Yunnan from mainland China during the Tang Dynasty some 1200 years ago. This music is currently nowhere to befound elsewhere in the mainland but still survives all over Yunnan, the most famous of which is now in Lijiang. There are dozens of troupes locally, and the one with the most fame is the Naxi Music Research Institute headed by Mr. Xuan Ke, an old and jolly Naxi musician. Lunches at local Chinese restaurants. Dinners again at leisure on your own account.
Wednesday, March 30 - LIJIANG American breakfast at hotel. Today, take a day excursion to visit the Stone Drum village, the First Bend of the Yangtze River, and the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The village of Stone Drum stands at the First Bend of the Yangtze River, some 70 kilometers west of Lijiang. Approaching Stone Drum offers a dramatic view of the Yangtze's near-180-degree turn, where the wide, swift waters perform a miraculous about-face. For nearly 20 kilometers the river, first flowing south, then north, runs parallel to itself. Locals say if it were not for their village standing guard at the bend, China would lose the water of the Yangtze to Southeast Asia, like that of the adjacent Mekong and Salween Rivers. The Tiger Leaping Gorge, or Hutiaoxia in Chinese, is the Yangtze's best-known gorge after the Three Gorges in Sichuan and Hubei. Wedged tightly between titanic cliffs, the river is so narrow here, as legend tells us, that a hunted tiger made his escape to the other side in a single bound. Here, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains and the Haba Snow Mountains lean close to each other and a large volume of torrent moving between them cuts deeper and deeper into the bottom of the gorge. In some places there is a drop of 3,000 meters to the water. Lunch en tour at local Chinese restaurant. Dinner at leisure is again on your own account in Lijiang.
Thursday, March 31 - LIJIANG-GUIYANG-HUANGGUOSHU Transfer to Lijiang Airport for 45 minute morning flight to Kunming where the morning photo opportiunities will include the Bamboo Temple, some 12 kilometers northwest of Kunming. The Temple boasts a rare treasure of 500 finely crafted true-to-life Buddhist sculptures of Luohan sculpted between 1884 and 1890 and regarded as best among its peers within China. Time permitting, a visit will also be made to the lovely Flower and Bird Market in the Old Town Quarter. After lunch, transfer to Kunming Airport for 50 minute afternoon flight to the Guizhou capital of Guiyang. Upon arrival, proceed to drive 140 kilometers, or 3 hours, to Huangguoshu. En route, visit the Buyi minority village Hua Shi Shao. The Buyi, the aborigines of Guizhou, are of Thai origin and closely related to the Zhuang of Guangxi. They reside mainly in Huangguoshu and Anshun areas and are masters as batik designers and stonemasons .Overnight at the three-star Huangguoshu Hotel.
Friday, April 1 - HUANGGUOSHU FALLS-GUIYANG In the morning, following a Chinese breakfast, visit the Huangguoshu Waterfalls, the largest in China, with a width of 81 meters and plunging 74 meters down to the Rhinoceros Pool. In the afternoon, after a visit of a Tun Pu village in An Shun, drive back to Guiyang for overnight stay. Tun Pu people are the descendents of Han troops dispatched by the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty some six centuries ago from Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Anshui to central Guizhou. Their houses are walled with stones and roofed with stone slates. Their village, with watch towers, are called Tun Pu. Tun Pu women still follow their age-old dressing tradition of long gowns in deep blue. During village celebrations, they play ground opera that originally served to drive out evil spirits. Actors wrap black see-through cloth over their foreheads, put on symbolic masks made from bamboo shoots, and wear banners on their backs to denote rank as in Beijing Opera. Overnight at the four-star Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Guiyang.
Saturday, April 2 - GUIYANG-SHANGHAI In the morning, we will take an excursion to Qingyan, an old town of over six centuries 29 kilometers to the south of Guiyang. Old buildings from the Ming and the Qing Dynasties abound, including Taoist and Buddhist temples and Catholic and Christian churches. In the afternoon, transfer to Guiyang Airport for two-hour flight to Shanghai's Hongqiao airport. Overnight at Sofitel Hyland Hotel.
Sunday, April 3 - SHANGHAI American breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Pudong International airport for departures.
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To view photos from this tour by 2003 participant, Shawna Scherbarth, CLICK HERE.
Please reserve your space early by contacting:
Photo
Explorer
Tours
DENNIS COX
LLC
2506 Country Village, Ann Arbor MI 48103-6500 USA
Phone 800-315-4462 or 734-996-1440 Fax 734-996-1440
Email DECoxPhoto@aol.com
Direct Link to Reservation Form
May all your journeys be care free,
And your days be filled with wonder.
