Oh I do love a winter holiday!!!

Yes I know its FREEZING cold to decide to traipse around China especially heading north for me!!! But on the plus side is that there are very few toursits SO no waiting in lines,no pushing, shoving and I get a great view of all the wonderful scenes.

Loved finally seeing real live PANDA bears. They are so cute I could have watched them all day but there were more sights to see in Chengdu - Mao statue the city centrepiece, Jinli St, Qintai St, Wuhouci and Qingyang temple - to name a few.

Then it was off to Xi'an and the famous terracotta warriors as well as a large dose of Chinese ancient history....and I mean ancient....6000 years !!!!!! Fascinating, astounding and all other adjectives that could be used to describe something so old and yet presereved

The gardens of Suzhou are beautiful in winter....no there are no flowers but the dramatic rockeries, pavilions and ponds all stand out more in stark contract to the bleak sky......

Next stop, Hangzhou, recommended by my students for being a beautiful place. Yes it lived up to expectations and truly is a beautiful place even if I had snow on the ground!! Had this enormous boat all to myself as I cruised around West Lake. When we got back to the jetty there was a group of Chinese tourists waiting....as I got off the boat there was much pointing and chatter....my guide translated for me and said that they all thought I must be someone rich and famous to have a big boat all to myself!!!!

Shanghai is HUGE. skyscrapers everywhere - not that you can see the top of them due to smog/fog!! Loved the Yu Yuan gardens- a little oasis amongst all the concrete. The lovely old stately buildings along the Bund make a wonderful contrast to the modern skyscrapers. Walking along the Bund promenade turned into a test of endurance....freezing cold but the wind chill factor made it worse. I could not feel the tip of my nose!!

I then spent 5 luxurious days cruising the mighty Yangtze River. This is one trip EVERY person who comes to China should do. The scenery is divine and no amount of words can describe the feeling you get as you cruise through the gorges. An excursion to Fengdu City, better known as ghost city gives an insight into the Chinese perception of the 'afterlife" and the "underworld"....most interesting that they perceive there will be a bureaucracy to decide your final fate.....best be good as I've had enough bureaucracy in this life!! Arrived in Chongqing to witness the spectacular fireworks to welcome in the New Year - looked great but made for little sleep!!

Then it was off to Beijing and a visit to the major attractions, The Great Walll of China is just like the pictures except the day we were there it was about -9 which detractred from the views slightly. Also visited the Ming Tombs, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, T- Square, Temple of Heaven, Confucius Temple and the Lama Temple which were all superb and rightly deserve their place as key attractions. Everywhere was frantically busy as many Chinese were holidaying during the Spring Festival. The favourite thing for me though was walking through the hutongs...nothing spectacular to look at...but a wonderful glimpse of everyday life for average people and so much character

So after doing this wonderful trip of the major sights of China it was time for a flying visit back to Australia to see my family. Flying being the operative word...I seemed to spend SO much time in airports or on planes...but it was lovely to see my family. I didn't think I would see my youngest son but he surprised me with a quick visit from Sydney that topped off a wonderful time.

About to embark on my journey back to China and the beginning of a new adventure.....