10 DAYS AND 7 NIGHTS FROM LOS ANGELES - PLUS OPTIONAL TRIPS TO MACAO AND CHINA
Departing USA, you cross the International Date Line, losing a day en route to Hong Kong..
Upon arriving early this morning, you immediately sense the excitement generated by the pulsating energy of this cosmopolitan, crowded, affluent, hustling city of 6.2 million -- a unique atmosphere and locale of social extremes which has fascinated writers from Han Suyin ("A Many-Splendored Thing") to James Clavell ("Tai-Pan," "Noble House" ) and even Broadway ("The World of Suzie Wong"). .Rest of day free.
City tour with a tram ride up Victoria Peak for a stunning panorama of the cityscape, from gleaming skyscrapers on the harbor (original name Heung Kong: "fragrant harbor") to state-of-the-art shopping malls and hotels in Kowloon's East Tsimshatsui. Below, the varied districts of tiny Hong Kong island range from imposing highrise headquarters of commerce and finance in Central to the "Old Chinatown charm" of the Western district's winding lanes and tiny shops. Then visit Repulse Bay's beaches, bargain stalls of Stanley Market and Aberdeen's "floating village" of junks and sampans -- where you may later enjoy a banquet aboard a palatial floating restaurant.
Free day to take "The Land Between" tour of New Territories or visit your choice of Hong Kong's 235 other green and scenic islands dotting the South China Sea, such as relaxing Lantau with its Buddhist and Trappist monasteries; Cheung Chau island famous for its lively springtime Bun Festival; Lamma island for great fresh seafood feasts; and many other idyllic spots. Alternatively, a jetfoil dash to Macao gives you a day in the Portuguese-founded enclave featuring Old World charm of baroque churches and cobblestone streets, perhaps a leisurely lunch on Pousada de Sao Tiago's terrace, and you can join the action anytime at Macao's famed casinos.
You may visit the People's Republic of China on 2- or 3-day tours to PRC cities of Guangzhou and Foshan. Morning train ride through lush green rice fields to Guangzhou (Canton), southern gateway to China on the Pearl River and capital of Gu angdong province, home of the burgeoning "special economic zones" -- the cutting edge of China's economic modernization. See Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall, ancient Temple of Six Banyan Trees and Chen Clan Academy. Nearby Foshan, once a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage center (Foshan: "Buddha Hill"), is renowned for Shiwan pottery, silk and intricate papercutting; visit ornate Temple of Ancestors, Folk Art Institute and handicrafts factory
Flight to Guilin for the most popular China tour. One of the world's most remarkable and unforgettable landscapes, Guilin has inspired China's poets and painters and entranced travelers for centuries with its steep limestone crags, fantastic caves, soaring pinnacles of green -shrouded hills in exotic sugarloaf shapes towering over the meandering Li River, down which you enjoy a 5-hour cruise, returning to Guilin by coach. Day 3: Visit Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill and Diecai Hill for view of city; evening flight to Guangzhou where (Day 4) visit Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall, Six Banyan Trees Temple and Chen Clan Academy, leaving by train this afternoon for Hong Kong.
Free days to visit the Sung Dynasty village, a trip back to China 1000 years ago, ride the Star Ferry, visit Ocean Park with its huge oceanarium and world's longest escalator, play the ponies at Happy Valley, and shop till you drop for antiques on Hollywood Road, electronic goods, jewelry and custom-tailored clothes in Kowloon along the legendary 'Golden Mile' of Nathan Road and the glittering emporia of Tsimshatsui East, all of which make Hong Kong the El Dorado of shoppers world wide.
Return flight from Hong Kong arrives USA the same day, having recrossed the International Date Line.
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