Fall Tour of China
October 6 - 18, 2008
Join other Sierra Club members for a carbon neutral visit to exotic China.
China: "The longest continuous civilizations, with an impressive heritage of art, architecture, language, and cuisine! This is a country of great contrasts: picturesque rural landscapes and congested cityscapes; and natural beauty that ranges from the untamed to idyllic." That is what the Lonely Planet book series has to say. And Loma Prieta Chapter wants to take you there!
Of all the great foreign destinations, China is near the top for most of us. Loma Prieta is partnering with Angeles Chapter on their third tour, an adventure to all the major highlights and major destinations/cities of Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai in this year of the Beijing Olympics. See the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and the legendary Ming Tombs. Consider the Palace Museum, the Wild Goose Pagoda, Suzhou (the Venice of the East), and the Ling Yin Temple, which houses an 82-foot carved Buddha. All these sites and many more are included in this China Highlights trip. The October 6 to 18 dates were chosen to avoid the National week closures in China and the hot muggy weather of earlier months.
After conducting this trip in 2006, John Lajeuness added two free days, one in Beijing and one in Shanghai, just so folks could "catch their breath" from the hectic pace and provide some time to do as you like. Leader Lajeuness said, "The hotels were the best I have stayed at in the United States or anywhere". Additionally he said, "The logistics/guides and the food were excellent. And Shanghai was a total surprise as a truly world class city!"
This trip package includes LAX to Beijing airfare, all domestic transportation, including three domestic airfares, admission fees, boat trips, coach transportation, transfers, bilingual Chinese/English tour guides, deluxe hotel accommodations (based on double-occupancy), and great meals. Meals on the two free days are not included. If you are single person, we will find a roommate for you on this trip. The tour is fully escorted by the 2007 trip leaders John Lajeuness and Andrea Lim, a Mandarin speaker.
And now you can join this trip at a most affordable price: The fully escorted air and land package is a 13-day trip (October 6-18) at $2285 (plus taxes and China visa fee), but only guaranteed at this price until June 1st! For info see the itinerary, application, risk waiver forms in the pdf file. Further questions can be emailed to lptrips@yahoo.com
Greenhouse gas offsets supporting wind energy will be purchased from Loma Prieta Chapter's Cool It! web site by the chapter to make the trip carbon neutral.