Description

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Our first visit to China in 1989 was light-years ago. Tourists were only allowed to tour with a State Guide shepherding you around, shopping was reserved for the "Friendship Stores," and it was strictly forbidden to wander off on your own. Cosmopolitan China today is a revelation and constantly reinventing itself. Houses sell for millions of dollars and magnificent skyscrapers, each architecturally different and unique, put on surreal light shows in the evening. Hyperactive people can happily stay on the go with nonstop action. But there is a lot more to see in China than the Beijing and other gigantic cities inhabited by over 10 million people. There are many small towns that still look like they did in Ming and Qing days, thousands of years ago. Sheila has traveled the length and breadth of China and inside this Guide is what she considers to be the five most beautiful towns and villages, along with the best side trips from each place. Each is located in a different Province. Each is completely unlike the other. And although each is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you'll find few only a few Western travelers. Do not miss the incredible stilted houses in Fenghuang "Phoenix Town"... picture perfect Hongcun ... the ancient and intact walled town of Pingyao ... everyone's favorite West Lake in Hangzhou...and small Lijiang, filled with streams, narrow canals and the rapidly disappearing Naxi minority culture. There is a reason why producers use these destinations in movies. Let Sheila teach you how to Travel the World on a Budget, share exotic locations with you known only to locals, and most importantly, ease your fears about languages, currencies, personal safety and staying healthy. Visit travelswithsheila channel on YouTube.com to watch the many videos. HERE'S SOME OF THE INFORMATION YOU'LL FIND INSIDE... - The Dos and Don'ts of Planning A Trip to China. - What You Need to Know about Transportation and Accommodation. - See the Best of Fenghuang, Hongcun, Pingyao, West Lake and Lijiang. - How to Take Wonderful Side Trips to Zhongdian (Shangrila), Zhangjiajie National Park, Mount Huangshan and Ancient Family Compounds with 600 rooms. Travels With Sheila tells it like it is with the good and bad, personalized, up-to-date information, and photographs you need to make the most of your trip. Make an effort to fit at least one of these five gorgeous and unique places into your travel plans. We shall not see their likes again...

About the Author

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Sheila Simkin, a native Chicagoan, has been traveling the world since 1960. The travel bug first hit on her honeymoon in Miami. Fidel Castro had just taken over Cuba and lured by rock-bottom prices, Sheila sweet-talked her ex-husband into abandoning Miami for Cuba. That marked the beginning of her lifetime travel passion and addiction. There are very few countries that are not on her to-see list no matter how remote and/or difficult they may be with many, "What was I thinking of" moments in hindsight. The U.S. State Department recognizes 193 independent countries and she has visited over 150 in over 40 years of travel (but...who's counting). Touring, hiking, trekking, rafting, snowshoeing, skiing, volunteering on archaeological digs, family trips and, she must admit, occasionally sitting on a beach and compulsively shopping. Her goal is to encourage you to take the big step and travel to more exotic, remote destinations with tips, anecdotes and reassurance that, yes, you will come back alive. Visit her "travelswithsheila" channel on YouTube to watch over 1,400 videos filmed around the world and covering the gamut from taking a cruise to camping in Egypt's desert, food (fried tarantulas, anyone?), sights and even instructions on how to navigate subways in Paris and Beijing. All Travels With Sheila Guides will tell you the truth, and only the whole truth, about each country and whether sights are a hit, or a miss. Follow Sheila's advice to avoid making mistakes she learned the hard way. For example, not knowing that an important piece of equipment when camping or trekking is...an AIR MATTRESS? A never to be forgotten experience spent in a sleeping bag on the cold, hard ground of Nepal. And what kind of crazy idiot goes trekking in Siberia and gets lost? Really...lost in Siberia? Only Sheila. Happy traveling!