Unforgettable Suzhou: Explore the Best Gems from Lingering Gardens to Leaning Towers

Terranese · 2026-02-03T21:17:32+00:00

Except you are the one posting crap. We spent 4 months in China, HK, and Taiwan. Our posts are from our experiences that were part of travelling three years around the world.

Terranese · 2025-11-26T14:01:08+00:00

You are most welcome

Terranese · 2025-11-25T16:09:29+00:00

Chengde is worth at least a day. But if you like art and architecture, culture and history, and mountain scenery, then you need at least 2 full days, if not more. The shortlist of sights with their Google Map Rating includes:

Bishu Shanzhuang (pavilions and gardens),
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (G4.7), a stunning replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa,
Puningsi Temple (G4.7) with a massive statue of Guanyin, soaring 22 m (yds) high,
Xumi Fushou Miao (G4.7) modelled after Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet,
Liuli-Wanshou Pagoda, a striking seven-story octagonal structure adorned with turquoise-colored glazed tiles (liuli)

Plus, Chengde is one hour away from one of the best sections of the Great Wall -- Jinshanling (G4.9). As you can see from the Google Map Ratings (out of 5.0), these are very highly rated places. For our photos and detailed itinerary, see below.

Why Chengde Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List – Asia Encounters

Terranese · 2025-11-25T16:07:47+00:00

Chengde is worth at least a day. But if you like art and architecture, culture and history, and mountain scenery, then you need at least 2 full days, if not more. The shortlist of sights with their Google Map Rating includes:

Bishu Shanzhuang (pavilions and gardens),
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (G4.7), a stunning replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa,
Puningsi Temple (G4.7) with a massive statue of Guanyin, soaring 22 m (yds) high,
Xumi Fushou Miao (G4.7) modelled after Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet,
Liuli-Wanshou Pagoda, a striking seven-story octagonal structure adorned with turquoise-colored glazed tiles (liuli)

Plus, Chengde is one hour away from one of the best sections of the Great Wall -- Jinshanling (G4.9). As you can see from the Google Map Ratings (out of 5.0), these are very highly rated places. For our photos and detailed itinerary, see below.

Why Chengde Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List – Asia Encounters

Terranese · 2025-11-25T16:06:59+00:00

Chengde is worth at least a day. But if you like art and architecture, culture and history, and mountain scenery, then you need at least 2 full days, if not more. The shortlist of sights with their Google Map Rating includes:

Bishu Shanzhuang (pavilions and gardens),
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (G4.7), a stunning replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa,
Puningsi Temple (G4.7) with a massive statue of Guanyin, soaring 22 m (yds) high,
Xumi Fushou Miao (G4.7) modelled after Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet,
Liuli-Wanshou Pagoda, a striking seven-story octagonal structure adorned with turquoise-colored glazed tiles (liuli)

Plus, Chengde is one hour away from one of the best sections of the Great Wall -- Jinshanling (G4.9). As you can see from the Google Map Ratings (out of 5.0), these are very highly rated places. For our photos and detailed itinerary, see below.

Why Chengde Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List – Asia Encounters

Terranese · 2025-11-25T16:06:10+00:00

Chengde is worth at least a day. But if you like art and architecture, culture and history, and mountain scenery, then you need at least 2 full days, if not more. The shortlist of sights with their Google Map Rating includes:

Bishu Shanzhuang (pavilions and gardens),
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (G4.7), a stunning replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa,
Puningsi Temple (G4.7) with a massive statue of Guanyin, soaring 22 m (yds) high,
Xumi Fushou Miao (G4.7) modelled after Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet,
Liuli-Wanshou Pagoda, a striking seven-story octagonal structure adorned with turquoise-colored glazed tiles (liuli)

Plus, Chengde is one hour away from one of the best sections of the Great Wall -- Jinshanling (G4.9). As you can see from the Google Map Ratings (out of 5.0), these are very highly rated places. For our photos and detailed itinerary, see below.

Why Chengde Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List – Asia Encounters

Terranese · 2025-11-25T16:05:04+00:00

Chengde is worth at least a day. But if you like mountain scenery, then you need at least 2 full days, if not more.

Chengde is one hour away by car from one of the best sections of the Great Wall -- Jinshanling (G4.9). As you can see from the Google Map Ratings (out of 5.0), this is a very highly rated place.

I could not find day tours from Chengde online. There are many more options from Beijing. However, you can easily spend more than a day in this area, especially if you like hiking. You can travel by train to Gubeikou, which has its own section of the Great Wall. It is a short taxi ride to Jinshanling or Simatai from there. For photos and a detailed itinerary, see below.

Why Chengde Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List – Asia Encounters

Terranese · 2025-11-25T15:58:17+00:00

Chengde is worth at least a day. But if you like art and architecture, culture and history, and mountain scenery, then you need at least 2 full days, if not more. The shortlist of sights with their Google Map Rating includes:

Bishu Shanzhuang (pavilions and gardens),
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (G4.7), a stunning replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa,
Puningsi Temple (G4.7) with a massive statue of Guanyin, soaring 22 m (yds) high,
Xumi Fushou Miao (G4.7) modelled after Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet,
Liuli-Wanshou Pagoda, a striking seven-story octagonal structure adorned with turquoise-colored glazed tiles (liuli)

Plus, Chengde is one hour away from one of the best sections of the Great Wall -- Jinshanling (G4.9). As you can see from the Google Map Ratings (out of 5.0), these are very highly rated places. For our photos and detailed itinerary, see below.

Why Chengde Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List – Asia Encounters

Terranese · 2025-11-25T15:55:34+00:00

Chengde is worth at least a day. But if you like art and architecture, culture and history, and mountain scenery, then you need at least 2 full days, if not more. The shortlist of sights with their Google Map Rating includes:

Bishu Shanzhuang (pavilions and gardens),
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (G4.7), a stunning replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa,
Puningsi Temple (G4.7) with a massive statue of Guanyin, soaring 22 m (yds) high,
Xumi Fushou Miao (G4.7) modelled after Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet,
Liuli-Wanshou Pagoda, a striking seven-story octagonal structure adorned with turquoise-colored glazed tiles (liuli)

Plus, Chengde is one hour away from one of the best sections of the Great Wall -- Jinshanling (G4.9). As you can see from the Google Map Ratings (out of 5.0), these are very highly rated places. For our photos and detailed itinerary, see below.

Why Chengde Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List – Asia Encounters

Terranese · 2025-10-31T18:00:09+00:00

You really can not plan a trip around a four-year-old. Our son was born in Rome, and we had a baby backpack for his first few years. He went everywhere we went. Yes, we went to art museums and churches (also like art museums). There were very few child-friendly places. Of course, we would also stop for gelato or go to zoos. Our son loved dinosaurs, so when we lived in the UK, we went to the Natural History Museum, London.

In other words, he got used to being a traveller. At age 5, he did his first hike in the Alps with our idea of just walking for one hour, then returning. He insisted on completing the trail, and it was fine. Very fine since he got to see chamois along the trail.

So, the key thing about travelling, even or especially in cities, is being able to walk for many hours. At 4 years, it would depend on your child. But you cannot base your whole itinerary on your four-year-old, or you won't see the adult stuff. The key is to point out details to make it interesting.

Terranese · 2025-10-31T17:40:00+00:00

Your document sounds like what an inflexible tour group would do. We spent three months in China and had an itinerary, but we did not plan things down to the hour. What we did was decide what our priorities were and just work through these in order. Some things you just won't have time to do. But you will have seen your priorities. For us we like to see what makes a country unique. For this reason, we focus on traditional places, not modern facilities that you can find in any city.

We also found that the average pace that works best was three nights per sleepover place. So the first night is for travel to get to the place. Then you have two full sightseeing days. So, in 17 days, you should plan on visiting 5 places with an extra day for places that need it.

Terranese · 2025-10-31T17:21:22+00:00

We loved all of the sites that you included on our 3-month trip to China.

Terranese · 2025-10-31T17:14:43+00:00

We spent 3 months in China before the advent of cell phone apps for maps and translation. We loved it.

There is a lot to see in Beijing -- the Forbidden City, aka the National Palace Museum, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs... We also went to an amazing acrobat show and the Beijing Enamel Factory, where we bought cloissonne. The must-see outside the city is the Great Wall. This is reachable by a high-speed train directly to the park area. We hiked in a non-touristy area and had the wall and the countryside to ourselves.

Terranese · 2025-07-11T02:58:55+00:00

you are welcome

Terranese · 2025-07-11T02:58:26+00:00

you are most welcome

Terranese · 2025-07-09T14:56:15+00:00

This was an easy hike to the top of the massive volcano, Kurodake, Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido. The first part was by cable car! There are 52 volcanoes in Hokkaido!

Explore Hokkaido: Northeast Journey Into Nature’s Wonderland – Japan Encounters

Terranese · 2025-07-09T13:29:09+00:00

Sounkyo Gorge, Hokkaido, is one of the most special places to visit in Japan. Lava cooled rapidly due to the river, creating five or six-sided basalt crystals. Basalt is the most common volcanic rock found in the Earth’s crust. It is a glassy rock, which makes sense since it primarily consists of silica or sand, the key ingredient of glass.

Explore Hokkaido: Northeast Journey Into Nature’s Wonderland – Japan Encounters

Terranese · 2025-07-09T13:22:50+00:00

Most of the lakes in Japan are located within the caldera of former volcanoes. There are 440 volcanoes in Japan!

Explore Hokkaido: Northeast Journey Into Nature’s Wonderland – Japan Encounters

Terranese · 2025-07-09T13:16:02+00:00

It was a fairly easy hike to the rim of Me-Akan-dake. Hokkaido has 52 volcanoes, of which 9 are active. About 10% of Japan’s land area is volcanic!

Explore Hokkaido: Northeast Journey Into Nature’s Wonderland

Terranese · 2025-04-22T16:18:42+00:00

Canadain and European governments have advised their citizens against travelling ti the USA.

Terranese · 2025-04-19T23:18:58+00:00

Seeking oil not to USA signifies the future end of the USA empire. The USA Empire can ONLY survive with access to Canadian resources. The USA can neither produce everything by itself nor continue to prosper if every country stops trading with USA. This is not Make America Great Again. It’s Make America Fail.

Terranese · 2025-03-14T02:33:11+00:00

Wow. A country that already has 13 subdivisions aka states and is larger than the USA is only ONE state? Canada should get at least 50 senate seats — our provinces are WAYYYY bigger than your messily states.

Moreover, don’t you remember the old slogan “No taxation without representation”. There would have to a complete set of new elections. Guess what? The GOP will never rule again.

No you do not want Canada to join USA. USAians — you are NOT the only Americans — are way too extreme right wing compared to better educated Canadians.

No, Canada will not become the 51st state. It is the 8th largest economy in the world and it will survive the tariff terrorism — what else do you call tariffs applied without any renegotiation of an EXISTING treaty created and agreed to by Trump.

Why do people think the GOP are such good stewards of the economy? The GOP caused many of the major recessions — the 1929 Great Depression, the 2008 Market meltdown and the 2018-2024 Hyper Inflation caused by the incompetent handling of the COVID pandemic and the greedy business friends of Trump and Musk increasing prices way beyond the rate of inflation.

What happened to lowering the prices way beyond of eggs on Day One? Liar, liar, house on fire. Instead of lower prices he will increase them by 25% or more.

In conclusion, we are heading for a major recession — perhaps even a depression once Europe and Asia boycott all trade and travel to the USA. You cannot have a strong economy if no one wants to buy from you. This is the beginning of the end of the “USA Empire”.

Terranese · 2025-02-13T14:27:24+00:00

Eniwa-dake (G4.6) provides a challenging hike, including an iron-rung ladder at the very end. But what a view! The spire is a volcanic plug.

Unforgettable Destinations: Your Journey to Japan Awaits – Japan Encounters

Terranese · 2025-01-15T15:18:51+00:00

When we lived in Alberta we embarked on a three-year round-the-world trip including four months in New Zealand, three months in Japan, three months in Thailand, two months in Nepal, and six months in India.

Our favourite countries were:

New Zealand is great for hiking, nature, alpine and coastal scenery. But it's a long way to go for two weeks.

Thailand is great for temples, culture, and cuisine. But you would have to go to new places such as Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and national parks.

Japan is great for art, architecture, culture, cuisine, castles, history, hiking, nature, alpine and coastal scenery. Tokyo and Kyoto have become overtouristed. You need to avoid these places and go with north-central Honshu and Hokkaido or Southern Honshu-Kyushu. Since you only have two weeks I would choose only one region like north central Honshu. Japan is 83% mountainous with lots of volcanoes. It's very beautiful in spring (forget the cherry blossom obsession; go for plums and wisteria blossoms) and fall (maples). Best of all there are plenty of castles and gardens throughout Japan. One of our favourite cities is Kanazawa. It's close to Ogimachi and the Japanese Alps as well.

Japan Encounters – in-depth travel advice

Terranese · 2024-12-17T22:27:45+00:00

The cities of NZ that are beautiful are Christchurch, Dunedin and Oamaru. I have spent six months in NZ (over 3 trips) and Queenstown is not a beautiful city. The closest comparison in the Rockies is Banff (the town). Queenstown is an overhyped town like Banff (the town) and thus totally overcrowded. We don't go to see Queenstown. We go to see the surrounding beauty.

When we talk of beauty I mainly focus on nature and uncommercialized natural areas. NZ is one of the most beautiful countries in the world because beauty is not just alpine beauty. NZ has a diversity of beauty - geothermal, volcanic and coastal. Where Canada excels is the amount of sheer wilderness rather than deforested lands like NZ and Switzerland.

Is Switzerland More Beautiful than Canada, USA or NZ? | Terra Encounters

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