One of the places we visited in Xi’an was the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It was built in 648 AD to house the Buddhist supras, which are scriptural doctrines of Buddha. The pagoda pictured below is part of a large temple complex where monks still worship. Another picture is one of several statues of Buddha we saw during our visit. We also saw people lighting incense as they prayed. The highlight of our time in Xi’an was seeing the terra…
After leaving Shanghai, we went on a four-day cruise up the Yangtze River on the Yangzi Explorer. We sailed through three gorges: the Xiling, Wu and Qutang. Like many other passengers, we spent a lot of time on the observation deck, enjoying the beautiful scenery and taking pictures. The Three Gorges Dam was built on the Yangtze River to prevent flooding, generate power and improve navigation. Because of the dam, a series of five locks were constructed. We visited…
One of our favorite Tauck trips was a tour of China. The tour was provided through Tauck and was called the China, Yangtze River and Hong Kong (westbound) tour. We took the tour in 2011 and it still ranks as one of our most memorable trips. After visiting Hong Kong, we flew into Shanghai and took a high speed maglev train into Shanghai. A magnetic levitation train allows the train to travel without actually touching the ground. It can reach…
This is a picture I took in Shanghai, China. It was a picture I almost lost. A few days after taking this picture, I was trying to restore a setting on my camera. Being the technology wizard that I am, I just started pushing buttons. In the process, I reformatted my memory card. I knew immediately I had done something very wrong. My husband reminded me of some advice we were given when we first bought the camera. I took…
Travel preferences tend to be very individual. Are you traveling with young children? Are you physically active and a person who enjoys adventure or would you rather relax with a good book on a beach? What is a great trip for one person could be another person’s worst nightmare. That said, I am going to share a few ideas that have made travel more enjoyable for my husband and me. In the past several years, we have taken cruises or…