Southern China Crossing the International Date Line En Route
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AAAS Travels ACS & Sigma Xi Expeditions The Timeless Heritage of We will also stay BETCHART EXPEDITIONS Inc. at the Zhu Family ITINERARY 17050 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 Garden, the estate of a 19th Century Days 1/2 Los Angeles to Beijing Depart Los Angeles International Airport for Beijing, aristocrat, and Southern China crossing the International Date Line en route. FIRST CLASS enjoy the tofu- making heritage Day 3 Beijing to Guilin of Jianshui, Arrive in Beijing this morning and transfer to a a delightful town, morning flight to Guilin, China. Our program will begin far from the with an afternoon city tour of Guilin, emblematic of the spectacular landscapes of Southern China. route taken by Welcome dinner. Guilin Park Hotel (2 nights). D most of China’s foreign visitors. Day 4 Yangshuo & the Li River Today, we will enjoy an excursion from Guilin We have focused over the years to find places to Yangshuo including a cruise on the Li River. Here in China that are engrossing and that express are the classic landscapes of southern China—sharp, China’s timeless heritage and dynamic culture. verdant pinnacles tower in all directions, surrounded We believe Southern China epitomize by intricately contoured these qualities and hope you will join us! fields while Cormorants go about their business of Sincerely, fishing on the river. There A journey to Wind-Rain Bridges & the Backbone will be time to explore the markets of Yangshuo of the Dragon including Guilin, the Mountainous before our late-afternoon Backcountry of Southern China & Southern Yunnan Margaret M. Betchart return to Guilin. B,L,D President Day 5 Dazhai & Sanjiang March 28–April 13, 2012 Betchart Expeditions Inc. Our adventure through the mountainous backcountry Discover the Timeless Heritage of Southern China will begin with a drive to Sanjiang. of Southern China! Dear Travelers: are spectacular and often are compared to the En route, we will visit Dazhai, a delightful Yao Minority Backbone of a Dragon! March 28–April 13, 2012 Join us and discover the timeless heritage of enclave near Jinkeng (Golden Hollow). Spectacular Southern China. On this expedition, we will Tremendously scenic and culturally diverse, terraced landscapes descend the mountain slopes and visit famous landscapes along the Li River near these provinces encompass a vast swath of create the image of the Backbone of the Dragon. We Guilin, before venturing off the beaten track China that is little known to outsiders, and will have a chance to visit some of the local people and Leading the expedition will be Dr. Chris Carpenter. The for extraordinary cultural experiences in the remains an exotic destination for most walk among the terraces. Fengyu Qiao International COSTS & CONDITIONS group will travel from 2 to 4 hours by bus or van many days, Hotel (2 nights). B,L,D and will cruise a half-day through the iconic landscape along mountain enclaves of Guangxi and Guizhou. Chinese as well. Local people still retain their Trip Fee: $3,995 per person (plus air fare of $1,195 from the Li River. We will explore villages populated by minority The adventure will continue as we fly to Kunming traditional dress, architecture, and many of their Day 6 Chengyang Los Angeles to Beijing and Guilin with return from Kunming, cultures, to meet the people and learn about their way of life. in Yunnan Province to explore the hinterlands of indigenous customs. This morning, we will visit the Dong Minority area plus $350 in-tour flights). Walks will be at a leisurely pace suitable for discovery. It will southern Yunnan. Handicrafts include the of Chengyang, situated in a bucolic river valley. Here be spring with midday temperatures in the 70s to 80s and beautifully wrought silver the local Dong people have constructed several Questions: Please call Betchart Expeditions Inc. some rain. The expedition will be a tremendous experience Our journey begins in a landscape iconic of Telephone: (800) 252 4910 ornamentation and hand- beautiful “Wind and Rain” covered bridges, and drum for travelers with an appetite for adventure. (No smoking in Southern China. Here in Guilin and nearby towers that epitomize their culture. In Chengyang, a or (408) 252 4910 vehicles or meals please.) Yangshuo, farmhouses are set amidst overhanging stitched textiles of the Fax: (408) 252 1444 Miao (Hmong) and Yao path leads along the river and connects several Dong Email: [email protected] Air Fare & Airline Ticketing: Group flights are reserved crags, and cormorants catch fish along the Li River. villages where old wooden houses suggest another with Air China from Los Angeles to Beijing and Guilin, with The misty silhouettes of Guilin beckon travelers people, and the pounded Expedition Fee Includes: Land transport; group airport time. Afternoon visit to the Sanjiang Museum of Dong return from Kunming. To ensure all travelers get the group from across the world. indigo fabric of the Dong. trans fers; accommodations twin share; all meals; tips to rate (which requires 10 or more traveling together, round Minority Culture. B,L,D drivers and local guides; entrance fees; baggage handling; trip), we ask that all group members depart from Los Angeles From Guilin, we’ll set forth on back roads into We will then take a short LEADERSHIP leader ship, administration. together. All air bookings will be handled by Betchart “a subtropical labyrinth of mountains and flight to Kunming (Yunnan Southern China Expedition Fee Does Not Include: International air fare Expeditions Inc. AIR FARES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. plunging river valleys,” (in the words of Province) to explore Leading this expedition will be Dr. Chris and in-tour air fare (quoted separately); visa fees; gratuities to Accommodations: Are twin-share with private bath, historian Mark Elvin) where several of China’s Yunnan’s southern frontier. Carpenter. Chris has been a popular leader expedition leaders; personal items such as laundry, phone comfortable, and among the best available in the locations. ethnic minority groups retain traditional lifestyles. Wonderful experiences of our China Expeditions since 1994 and has calls, alcoholic beverages, sodas, snacks, personal insurance; Expect a good bed, showers, Western toilets , and carefully Many of these people—the Yao, Dong, and Miao await us at Shilin, land of the South China conducted trips to Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, or foreign airport departure taxes. prepared food. If you want a single, or do not have a room- Karst, a World Heritage site that features mate, the single supplement is $795. (Hmong)—inhabit picturesque wooden villages Indonesia, Vietnam, Xinjiang, and Hunza, Pakistan. What to Expect: This expedition is for travelers who would that cling to labyrinths of sharply eroded limestone, and its When he is not leading Betchart trips, Chris lives like to explore the timeless Chinese landscapes and cultures Reservations, Deposits, & Payments: Please mail a steep, forested distinctive ecology. Jianshui and Yuanyang, on in Chiangmai, Thailand and works as a lecturer around Guilin and Yangshuo—an area of uncommon cultural deposit of $500 per person with the completed reservation opposite sides of the Red River including unique richness—as well as southern Yunnan. Explore the spectacularly form to: or terraced in biology and environmental science for the terraced mountains between Guilin and Guiyang, populated hillsides. Their cottage industries and the spectacular “stairstep” Wildlands Studies Asia programs, accredited by Southern China 2012, Betchart Expeditions Inc. rice terraces of the Hani, one of southern Yunnan’s by fascinating local cultures, 17050 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 architecture— California State University, Monterey Bay. He leads including the Miao, Dong, many indigenous ethnic minority groups. The balance is due 60 days before departure. drum towers university field studies courses in Thailand, China, and others. Then fly to and gracefully Kunming to discover off-the- Cancellations & Refunds: The initial deposit is Our route includes the Stone Forest, a Cambrian and the Himalayan region. beaten track natural and refundable up to 60 days before departure less a handling proportioned fossil site that holds some of the oldest animal cultural wonders near its fee of $100 per person. There is no refund after the 60-day “wind & rain fossils ever found, and Xingmeng Village whose Chris has lived and explored remote areas in southern borders. The trip is period unless your place is resold, then only the $100 per bridges”—is residents descend from Kublai Khan’s garrison China many times, and looks forward to sharing a rich cultural experience, person handling fee is withheld. There are no refunds for unique in China. that was posted here in the 13th century (and they the spectacular landscapes and fascinating amidst fantastic land scapes. unused meals or other expedition features. The terraces still speak Mongolian!). cultures of Southern China with you . AAAS Travels ACS & Sigma Xi Expeditions The Timeless Heritage of We will also stay BETCHART EXPEDITIONS Inc. at the Zhu Family ITINERARY 17050 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 Garden, the estate of a 19th Century Days 1/2 Los Angeles to Beijing Depart Los Angeles International Airport for Beijing, aristocrat, and Southern China crossing the International Date Line en route. FIRST CLASS enjoy the tofu- making heritage Day 3 Beijing to Guilin of Jianshui, Arrive in Beijing this morning and transfer to a a delightful town, morning flight to Guilin, China. Our program will begin far from the with an afternoon city tour of Guilin, emblematic of the spectacular landscapes of Southern China. route taken by Welcome dinner. Guilin Park Hotel (2 nights). D most of China’s foreign visitors. Day 4 Yangshuo & the Li River Today, we will enjoy an excursion from Guilin We have focused over the years to find places to Yangshuo including a cruise on the Li River.