Comments on: Summertime and the livin’s easy

By: David

David — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:39:59 +0000

Ryan, Happy Birthday !!! Wonderful and informative blog. Take bus 306 from the train/bus station to Lin Tong to see The Terra Cotta Warriors 6 rmb try xinjiang dapongee in lin tong Have a cold beer and sing a song at http://www.parkqin.com Try New Zealand Natural Ice Cream above Kai Yuan Dept. store, near the bell tower. Have a great trip

By: Mom

Mom — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:53:07 +0000

Hey, In your part of the world, it is now your Birthday! Happy Birthday! Your Momma!

By: John Biesnecker

John Biesnecker — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:54:50 +0000

Inexplicably, you start off by talking about how hot Suzhou is, and then list an itinerary full of places hotter than Suzhou. Fools!

Seriously, though, looks like a great trip. The 500D looks pretty awesome. I bought the 1000D a while ago, and I’ve been really happy with it.

Have a great trip!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:06:54 +0000

@Fili: I’ve only had a few days to play with it – but I’m loving the 500D. Have already hit some of the upward limits of the low-end DSLRs, but it’s still lightyears ahead of the “prosumer” PowerShot I had.

@Nathan: I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m likely to resemble that scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Nazi’s look at the Ark moments into my trip.

@Jason: Will definitely check out biking around the wall! Cheers.

@Chinalbeit: Yeah, the triangular route was initially what we wanted to do, but I’m keen to see the complete solar eclipse that runs across Suzhou on the 22nd, and unfortunately it lands dead-middle to my friend’s visit.

Due to lack of train tickets, I’ve had to tweak the schedule a bit and will now be doing the bulk of the travelling after the 22nd and following the triangular route SZ->XA->BJ->SZ (actually SH). It means a day less in Xi’an, but does save 12 hours on a train and a bit of coin.

Thanks for the Houhai suggestion – it’s replaced Sanlitun on my “places to chilax” list.

If anyone else has any suggestions, I’d be ever so grateful.

By: Chinalbeit

Chinalbeit — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:30:45 +0000

Sounds like quite a trip. I hope your experience in Xi’an is better than the one I had. I’m curious why you would go from Xi’an -> Suzhou -> Beijing though. There are plenty of overnight trains from Xi’an straight to Beijing. why go back to Suzhou for just a day? That’s a lot of train travel.

Also, in July, you’d probably enjoy Houhai more than Sanlitun, though I suppose you could do both. Sanlitun is just sort of a mess of dust, cars, and cement. Sitting at the lake in Houhai on a July evening, however, is about as good as Beijing gets.

By: Jason S

Jason S — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:28:15 +0000

Very cool. I’m also looking forward to traveling again soon. I may do something in October, but if not, I won’t be getting out until early next year. The plan is Yunnan though so I’m already stoked.
Yes, Nanjing is HOT. It’s similar to SH/SZ, but it’s usually overcast (a combination of it’s geographic location…and the thousands of factories around the city) and there isn’t any breeze. This makes for quite the stagnant feel. BUT! There are a few good days in summer so hopefully you catch one.
In Xi’an, I recommend biking around the city wall. It’s not a bad ride, you get to see a lot (granted it’s clear…) and it’s just cool.
Have fun!

By: Nathanq

Nathanq — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:20:47 +0000

You started off talking about the heat so i’ll warn you that for some unknown reason Nanjing is extremely hot. Somehow even hotter than nearby Suzhou. So be warned.

By: Fili An

Fili An — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:36:43 +0000

Oh wow, looks like real fun.

I’ve heard good things about that 500D. I’ve got a few pro friends who are very happy with it.