Little Visited Guizhou Province

Guizhou province usually gets passed over by most tourists as one can not see everything in China in just a few weeks.  A client wanted to go there to see a specific village years ago so I went to check out the province to see if it was ready for tourism with good hotels and sites worth visiting.  I found very few tourists which was nice and many wonderful small villages one that you see here nestled in a hillside and valley.  Zeniel Village has both Shui and Miao ethic nationalities living there near DuJiang Town.   The largest waterfall in China is also located at Huang Guo Shu on the way to Anshun is a wonderful visit and there is one of the most beautiful Bonsai parks I have seen in all China of which there are many.  In Anshun you can visit Dragon Palace Cave park and take a boat ride on the near by lake.  There is 700 year old Tunpa Han Village nearby where 22 generations of people live who had been warriors.  The Stone Fort or Temple still stands and can be visited at Stone Temple Village.  Eastern Guizhou province is still developing but if you would like to see what past

generations lived like, it is a good place to visit although good hotels are yet to develop fully.   For more information on Guizhou province touring contact us at   interlak@eskimo.com
Let my 25 Years of travel throughout China be of help to you in seeing China up close and personal.

"Encountering the Chinese" Book on China

If you are doing research on China, one of the best books I have found is "Encountering the Chinese" a Guide for Americans.  It is difficult to find so I went right to the publisher and ordered 100 books to have on hand for my customers.   It is just $24.95 post paid if you would like a copy.  It gives an over all picture of meeting and interacting with the Chinese people besides giving you valuable insights into their culture.    It is a must read for anyone who will be interacting directly with the Chinese people whether it is in Business, cultural exchange delegations or as a Tourist who is interested  in understanding and dealing with the culture more in depth.  You can send your check or money order for $24.95 post paid to  Interlake China Tours, Inc.  P.O. Box 33652  Seattle, WA.  98133

Researching Your China Travel

China is a very large and diverse country with many cultures within a culture.  Most people have 2 to 3 weeks  to see such a large country.  In order to see the most important sites that you may be interested in you need to do a lot of research.  Start with a travel book just on China.  You will find them in your favorite travel or book store.  Next look up some of the sites and areas of China that you are interested in on the internet.  Reading Blogs on China such as mine here are very helpful and there are many.   Next determine the time of year you want to travel and your budget.  This all takes a great deal of time but a well planned tour is valuable for your  enjoyment.   As a Tour Operator just to China who does mostly Private Customized tours to the customers interests, I send inquiries a Profile Sheet to fill out with their specific interests and needs.    I then outline these areas for you to do further research on the internet or travel books.  If those areas meet your needs, I then fill out the details of sites to visit based on your Profile Sheet interests.  After 25 years of travel in China and sending over 2,500 people there, I am able to give each and every client their specific interests.  You can't possibly see it all in one trip so you should see what you are most interested in rather than see some general sights that you have little interest in a stock tour.  Some people love museums and others do not as an example.  Many group tours have many museums in their tours which are usually 1/2 day visits.   For more information contact us at:   www.interlakechinatours.com   or email:  interlak@eskimo.com  
People call me ChinaDave.   You can also find me on Frommer's Forum answering questions of travel.

The Ever Changing Lhasa, Tibet

I have traveled China and Tibet for over 25 years watching the changes and the growth.  It has been like watching the U.S. from 1900 to 2014 in the span of just those 25 years.  It is what keeps me going back time and time again to see and watch the changes going on in China.  As a tour operator I work all over China so I see all those changes first hand from year to year.  My first visit to Lhasa was in 1994 when the population was only 250,000 people.  Few hotels on the par of the west but there was an old Holiday Inn at the time which is now under another name.  The others were two and three star hotels and a variety of hostels.  Mostly Chinese and Tibetan food with something similar to western food.  Buildings were only two stories tall and many dirt or gravel streets and roads.  Chinese lived on one side of the town and Tibetans on the other side.  That was 1994 but today when I have been there I can see the difference in these  photos with the population now over 450,000 people.  Motorcycles, cars and the new Tibet train from Beijing have brought many more modern conveniences to Lhasa along with western food in quaint restaurants.  I toured the St. Regis Lhasa Resort Hotel where rooms start at $550 per night to $2,500 per night.  The swimming pool is lined with 24 ct. gold which shimmers with the underwater lights.  There are now 4 star hotels such as the Lhasa Hotel and the Sheraton.  The Monasteries and the Potala Palace are the main sights to visit but the markets and local people contribute to a very cultural tour.  For more information on touring Tibet check my web site with private packaged tours at www.interlakechinatours.com
Click on the photos for a full screen view!