September 23, 2020

Suzhou – China’s Venice of the East

September 23, 2020/ Ken Hardaker

The city of Suzhou, 50 kms to the west of Shanghai, is famous for its canals and gardens, having earned the moniker of “Venice of the East”. The region around Suzhou has a network of canals and attractive canal towns, all of which date back to the building of the Grand Canal, the world’s longest canal, which commenced construction in the 5th century BCE. We spent a few days in the region in September 2019 and found it both a pleasant and interesting part of the country. Here are a few highlights.

January 11, 2020

Our Top Tips for Independent Travel in China

January 11, 2020/ Ken Hardaker

In September 2019 we spent a month in China. We were surprised at the relatively small number of independent foreign travellers we met along the way. There seems to be a view held by many in the West, that China is a difficult country in which to travel as an independent traveller, unless you can speak Chinese. It’s true that there are a few tricky aspects to navigating China, but with a bit of pre-planning, and a relaxed attitude, these can be either overcome or ignored. Overall China is a safe and fairly easy place to visit on your own. Here are a few things we identified before going or learned along the way which made our life on the road easier.

December 09, 2019

Three Lesser Known Chinese Cities Worth a Visit

December 09, 2019/ Ken Hardaker

Most first time Western tourists to China will follow a well-trodden path – to Beijing for the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, Xian for the Terracotta Warriors, the Bund in Shanghai, a Yangxi River cruise, and a visit to the karst mountain region in the south around Yangshao. There’s nothing wrong with this itinerary. All of these are impressive and well worth the effort to see, but there is a lot more to China than just these big ticket attractions. On a month’s visit to China we also took the time to go to some lesser known cities and were rewarded for the effort. Here are three that we think you might want to add to your China program.