Deb & Leigh’s 2023 adventure

22/11/2023

21/11/2023

Well, it’s our last day in China. Another long day and a half ahead of us, with a midnight 10 hour flight back home to Australia.

Our guide Summer, organised a late checkout … if only our body clocks would listen 🥱 We were up at our usual time of 5am so we went for a walk, had some breakfast and packed our bags (squeezing in the few items we’d purchased on the journey).

First stop was a ride on the Maglev (magnetic levitation) train that runs without rails.

Next was a visit to the city centre for those who wanted to go to the observation deck of the second tallest building in the world.

Last was the Old Shanghai Tailers market to fill in time before being dropped off at the airport.

20/11/2023

This is the market we spent a couple of hours at and ‘spectacular’ doesn’t do it justice.

Arriving at about 5 in the afternoon, our guide made sure we experienced the lights coming on as it grew dark.

We loved it here … the locals politely haggle and are very friendly so we got a couple of brass keyrings, saw some craftsmen making silver engraved bracelets from ingots and bought some “double happiness” smokes for some friends (2 packs of 20 for 24 Yuan - about $4.80).

19/11/2023

Off to the silk factory today to see these amazing creatures and gain an understanding of the manufacturing process. We were able to purchase some of the products which included Doonas, covers, sheets, pillows, clothing … you name it 🤭

We headed to ‘The Bund’, an area in Shanghai along the waterfront and main channel for freighters coming in and out of the city.

Then Nanjing Road and the historic European area of the city for lunch.

A traditional market was next for 2 hours of personal discovery and shopping. We’ll make a separate post for this as it was just spectacular and a must see if you are ever in Shanghai.

Final activity today was a cruise along the river, past the CBD and The Bund and back. A very busy day !

32 million people live here. It’s busy but not crowded, the people were friendly and welcoming.

18/11/2023

Day 10 and our tour is drawing to a close. A welcome relief for some of our fellow travellers and a reminder that these tours are not relaxing, nor for the faint-hearted.

A big day today, with lots of driving.

First stop was the Longjing Tea Plantation and a presentation of the benefits of green tea. Another thing to be mindful of on these tours is the commercial push for sales and the pressure to purchase through pack mentality.

Off to West Lake … another UNESCO heritage site, with many willow-draped islands.

Lunch here and some free time to explore the gardens before a LONG bus trip back to Shanghai city.

17/11/2023

Suzhou was labelled the “Venice of the East” by Marco Polo, when he visited China in the 13th century and is todays destination. Labelled heaven on earth by the Chinese, we can understand why.

We visited the Grand Canal and had some free time to find some lunch and experience the busy canal village.

Off to a brick museum to see how they made a lot of the bricks used for paving and construction, a bit random but really interesting.

After arriving at our hotel, our Guide suggested a massage (which included unlimited food and drinks) for $40 each and would be a cheaper option for dinner than going to a restaurant.

Yet another amazing day, full of wonder ☺️

17/11/2023

This place deserves its own post …

A UNESCO world heritage site established in 1593, occupied by the Japanese during WWII and resurrected after falling into disrepair.

We LOVED it here xoxox

15/11/2023

A late start on day 8, we’re flying again this afternoon to a province of Shanghai. The only day it rained during our stay, it was a welcome relief from the unseasonal heat.

First stop was a museum, with some amazing relics and bronze work.

From the old to the very new … lunch at a shopping centre in the heart of the city.

A bit of drama at the airport with Leigh’s name being incorrectly spelled on the ticket and it not matching his passport. Sorted, thanks to our guide Leon. Made us thankful to be on a guided tour and not doing it ourselves.

We finally got to try Macca’s at the airport … same same 🤭

14/11/2023

We arrived at the correct station last night and managed to get off the train within 6 minutes … phew !!!

We met our next Trip A Deal guide, Leon who ferried us to our stunning hotel.

We’ve got a free day today which was a welcome relief to most of our travelling companions. We did a bit of washing and went for a walk to a local shopping centre, had an afternoon nap and went out again in late afternoon to find something for dinner.

Not many people about, but we had a few giggles trying to communicate with the locals. Them, letting us know the shops weren’t open until 10am (closing at 10pm). Us, purchasing a phone cover and ice creams for lunch and such.

Another 9kms of walking in all, a really enjoyable day.

14/11/2023

We’ve travelled inland to Xi’an, to visit a Terracotta Warriors Reproduction Factory and the actual excavation site.

The factory was amazing, being able to see artisans working to make replicas by hand from 10cm to life size in the original style.

The archaeological site is 98 square kilometres in area and the statues are slightly larger than life size, with no duplicates. We always thought they were quite small so that was an eye opener.

We then jumped on a high speed train to travel on our own to Zhengzhou with another guide meeting us at the station.

A big day, walking about 9km and we’re about half way through the tour.

12/11/2023

With a late flight tonight, we get to have a little sleep in. If only our body clocks would cooperate. The answer ??? off to the Chinese medicine centre for a presentation (commercial opportunity), meh !

Back on the bus for a visit to the Hutong area (small laneways and alleys) for lunch. Fascinating place, a real sense of history and seeing real people living their lives instead of mingling with other tourists.

A walk to the lakes and a ride in a pedicab was next. I guess in olden times, they would have used rickshaws but now they are hooked up to pushbikes. Great fun and beautiful scenery, we checked out the shops and were amused by the amount of locals wanting to have their photo taken with us.

Goodbye Beijing, you’ve been a revelation. Could easily return to spend more time discovering the treasures in your many museums and getting to know your beautiful, generous and welcoming residents.

12/11/2023

Day 2 sees us off to The Great Wall of China after a wonderful breakfast with both eastern and western options and a lesson from our awesome guide on how Chinese characters are composed.

But first a quick stop at a government owned jade factory/outlet. A great presentation on the different types and colours of jade and we were free to explore the opportunities to offload some cash 😳

The group lunch was a great way to get to know our travelling companions, we certainly lucked out with Trip A Deal and the group they put together.

A free evening to do whatever we felt up to doing … some went out for a Peking Duck dinner, some had post-wall massages and others explored the wonders of Chinese knock-offs before packing our bags for a flight to Xi’an tomorrow night.

09/11/2023

Day 1 in Beijing with a 9 o’clock start after our late arrival the night before or, as it really was, early morning.
What a way to start, Tiananmen Square followed by The Forbidden City with a history lesson of hundreds of years to tells the story behind both.
So many sights that previously we had only seen in movies or documentary and now we are standing and taking it in ourselves.
Magic gardens with trees 500 years old and names like Dragon Lady with her story.
Details like the brick pathing that we walked over (15 layers thick) and wondering just how many feet had taken the same path.
Truely a city of ancient beauty.
To cap it off, beers and a few local dishes for dinner for the equivalent of $25AU total.

08/11/2023

…. and we’re away again.

We decided to stay off-line whilst travelling so we’ll be posting over the next few days now that we’re home from what was an amazing, enlightening trip.

06/09/2023

Enjoying a fragrance masterclass with bubbles and lychee martinis. Great way to welcome Spring !

22/07/2023

We’re going to China !!!!

19/07/2023

We’ve seen geese, wallaby, fishermen going about their business, tour boats, beautiful crashing waves but no whales. D’Oh !
Oh well, we’ll stop and have our BBQ egg & bacon muffins for lunch.
Still a good day ☀️ ❤️

01/07/2023

Running from now until 9th September, this exhibition is an amazing showcase of two very talented artists !

Gayle Newcombe- Fine art did the artwork of Hugo and Bella for us.

It’s well worth the drive to Kyabram (and they’ve got an amazing Bakery here too) !

29/06/2023

Home from our Sydney and return trip, 5 days and 2480 km’s after heading off on Sunday to visit friends, family and have a mid year break.

Saw some amazing scenery, visited some new places and reconnected with family (the best bit).

Won’t leave it so long before we do it again.

28/06/2023

☁️🌧️☁️ Clouds ☁️ 🌧️ ☁️

28/06/2023

Cows!!!

28/06/2023

❄️ Snow ! ❄️

27/06/2023

We probably pushed it a bit too hard today but what an awesome trip travelling down the NSW coast to Bega !

Our plan tomorrow is to travel across the Kosciusko NP towards wonderful Wodonga and home.

We’re hoping to see some snow and for the first time, going this way in a 4WD.

Should be fun …

27/06/2023

Heading back to Melbourne today, taking the scenic route along the coast and the weather is playing nice considering it is winter.

We’ll break the drive, somewhere around half way and maybe get to see some snow !

We left our family in Sydney this morning and after going over the bridge (it’s the rule, right ?), headed south.

26/06/2023

It’s a bit cold to eat outside up here (8 degrees) so … car it is and fresh egg/lettuce sandwiches for the win !

What a beautiful drive from Windsor, where we caught up with our loved ones, including the famous Roxy dog💕

It’s just spectacular up here, as beautiful as anything else in the world.

25/06/2023

We used to do Melbourne to Sydney in a day but after stopping to refuel (us) in Holbrook and (the car) in Gundagai, we’re stopping over in Goulburn for the night after a great 8 hours travelling.

110 km/hr all the way with no slowing down to go through townships.

We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful country 💕