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In March 2003 we visited Beijing and Xi An
(famous for its Terra Cotta Army). This was an organized tour via
Fox. We
did 3 days of excursions with Fox and a 1 day trip to Xi An, which we
organized ourselves.
 | 5 March 2003
 | Departure from Schiphol to Beijing. |
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| 6 March 2003
| Arrival in Beijing.
It was a bit snowing and cold. But our guide promised better weather for
tomorrow. After collection of all suitcases we went to the coach which
would bring us to our hotel: CSIC Plaza Hotel. |
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| 7 March 2003
| 1st Day of Excursions.
Today we visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Bell Tower,
Temple of Heaven and Antique Market. As promised, we had great weather,
blue sky, sunshine, a bit of clouds in the afternoon and cold. It would
be like that all week, except in Xi An where we had mostly a soft rainy
weather. Watch the video in high,
medium or
low quality. |
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| 8 March 2003
| 2nd Day of Excursions.
Today we visited the Jade Factory (fascinating for all Jade lovers,
boring for us), the Ming Tombes and The Great Wall, which is very
impressive as you can see on the video high,
medium or
low quality. |
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| 9 March 2003
| 3rd Day of Excursions.
Today we visited Pearl Factory (Inge enjoyed herself here very much...), Summer Palace,
the Confusius Temple and finally the Silk
Market, where nobody has ever heard that it is not allowed to copy
designer clothes... |
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| 10 March 2003
| Today we picked up our train tickets to Xi An.
The 500 meter long train left punctually at 18:00. Our cabin was a softsleeper (meaning
comfortable) and it took us 14 hours to reach Xi An. We spend the time
having dinner in the restaurant carriage, drinking in our own cabin and
sleeping on very comfortable beds. |
|
| 11 March 2003
| At 07:40 precisely we arrived in Xi An, where a guide picked us up. With a
minivan we drove, after a quick breakfast, to the Terra Cotta Army museum.
You can have a look at our
pictures,
watch the video high,
medium or
low quality or visit their
extensive website, it's worth a visit. After the complete tour
we drove to the airport and left by plain. After
1,5 hours flying, we landed in Beijing again. That night we had a great
Peking Duck in the hotel, it was prepared for us at our table. Watch the video
in high,
medium or
low quality. |
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| 12 March 2003
| Today was our last day in Beijing. We went to the Silk Market again
for some bargain shopping (jackets, dvd's etc.). After that dinner with the group: Peking
Duck. |
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| 13 March 2003
| Flight back home. |
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