China

Some of our fond memories of China

The Great Wall China

The Great Wall China

The Great Wall of China – Excerpt from our book Trekking the Globe with Mostly Gentle Footsteps Our Book Photo Gallery The following day, we made an exception to the rule of no early risings. We dragged ourselves out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and hustled to catch a bus at Xuanwumen Station, making it there by 6:15. The bus that was supposed to leave at 6:45 a.m. finally got rolling at 8:10, but nothing could sour my mood. I was about to spend my 57th birthday on the Great Wall (Changcheng)! Our choice section of Wall was Simatai (chosen…

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The Many Faces of Beijing

The Many Faces of Beijing

Beijing – by Irene Butler Published in Travellady online Magazine A fascinating medley of ancient sites and cosmopolitan delights flooded our senses in Beijing, China’s capital of nearly 15 million people. On our first stroll down Wangfujing Dajie, the prestigious pedestrian shopping street, my husband Rick and I were hooked. In an explosion of neon and glitz we intermingled with young women in fashionably scant outfits, men in expensive business suits, and well-to-do families toting loads of purchases; yet we knew this to be far removed from typical living standards. Tantalizing swirls of aroma lassoed us off Wangfujing onto “Snack…

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Terracotta Warriors – The Immortalized Army of Qi­n Shi Huang

Terracotta Warriors – The Immortalized Army of Qi­n Shi Huang

Terracotta Warriors by Irene Butler Published in “Surrey Now” and “Coquitlam Now” newspapers September 2006 and Travellady online Magazine. Our senses were juddered with the stunning magnitude of this memorial to one man; 6,000 life-size soldiers in battle formation facing the entrance of the enormous earthen vault. The terracotta warriors, created to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC), have been proclaimed the 8th wonder of the world and the most important archaeological find of the 20th century. Intrigued by the rare artistry in a documentary seen several years previously, my husband Rick and I are now enraptured…

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