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Armchair Traveler

A Weekend in the Suburbs
Posted Jun 9th 2008 9:21p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Sometimes it sucks being the Weekender, but mostly it’s great. But only because it keeps me out of the clubs.

So this weekend was a long one and, yes, I dragged myself out of Beijing to scour the countryside for gems. I found one, but paid for it dearly ... Read more »

Roller Coaster Heaven: Moms and dads, take note: CW runs down China’s best amusement parks
Posted Apr 29th 2008 7:11p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Guangzhou--Chime Long Paradise

For thrills and spills there’s no better place in China than the Chime Long Paradise. The park has 60 facilities, spread over six themed zones. Perhaps most appealing is the Scream Zone, which is home to Tenth Ring, the record-breaking inversion roller coaster with its staggering ... Read more »

Shenzhen Surprise: CW goes south to check out the Pearl of the Delta
Posted Apr 17th 2008 6:38p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Southern Charm

Shenzhen is much more than what it is usually touted as--the epitome of China’s economic miracle. This dynamic city comes close to being all things to all travellers, offering everything from golf and hiking to sophisticated spas, luxurious accommodation and theme parks of all kinds. For a ... Read more »

Travel News Roundup: Slick and Sexy
Posted Apr 10th 2008 2:09p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Here’s a date to think about: July 8. That’s when the Olympic Green goes into lockdown—after that it’s access only for ticketed guests, VIPs AND people with reservations at the brand new InterContinental Beijing Beichen. I learned this during a wide ranging one on one with ... Read more »

Qingming Holiday Rush Begins
Posted Apr 3rd 2008 5:41p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

As the sun sets on this shortened week, the crowds of people fleeing the city thicken. Reports are already trickling in that street traffic is swole up like...um...something that moves only once an hour. It's the very first official Qingming Holiday in the history of the PRC ... Read more »

Green Yunnan: With Earth Day upon us, CW goes in search of China’s best spots for eco-tourism
Posted Apr 3rd 2008 4:46p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Lashihai and Wenhai Lakes

Northwest Yunnan is China’s eco-tourism mecca. Featuring unrivalled biodiversity, this lush corner of the country hosts a trove of endangered species, while four of Asia's largest rivers—the Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Irawaddy--pass within 55 miles of each other. Lashihai and Wenhai Lakes, easily ... Read more »

  • winserzhao I like eco-travel. we also offer eco-travel in Yunnan. see it http://www.sinohotelreservation.com/info.php?id=56 and http://www.sinohotelreservation.com/info.php?id=4
China Eastern Express Remains at T2
Posted Apr 1st 2008 9:40a.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

According to my information, China Eastern express flights from Beijing to Shanghai are remaining at T2 NOT moving to T3.

China Daily: "Contrary to earlier announcements, not all express flights between Beijing and Shanghai Hongqiao will move to T3. Huang said the Beijing-Shanghai express flights carried by China Eastern, China ... Read more »

Inside the Beijing's new airport, Terminal 3: The Mystery Guest
Posted Mar 13th 2008 4:16p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Dr. Hedy Lee (李文), freelance celebrity consumer rights advocate loved and feared by all, went inside the new T3 before it opened on Feb. 29 and gave the Armchair Traveler an exclusive report on her experience. She concludes, “Out of 1- 10, I give overall hardware an 8, staff service ... Read more »

  • collin FYI: Beginning March 26th all China Eastern flights from Beijing to Shanghai will depart from T3. Passengers will have to be there 45 minutes before take off. Previously, it was ...
WIN a LUXURY WEEKEND at the JW MARRIOTT
Posted Mar 11th 2008 6:16p.m. by cityweekend (Armchair Traveler)

TWO LUCKY PEOPLE, one in Shanghai (post your entries here) and one in Beijing (post below), will win FREE weekend stays at the JW Marriott Hotel including breakfast for two valued at RMB2,500! Here's what you have to do. Tell us a story from one of your travels--the ... Read more »

  • leemack Calumthom, your tale of woe and hardship tugs hard at our heartstrings and despite the strong arguments from non-gay men and non-married women above, we gladly will reward you with ...
  • calumthom My girlfriend and I have been in China since last August. Unlike the usual suspects who arrive in Beijing or Shanghai and never leave, we forced ourselves to venture into ...
  • duckoutofwater on a hard seat train trip to Chengde, China, my boyfriend and I encountered a train employee who was rather taken by my non-chinese appearance. So much so that he ...
  • statusq i was on a little holiday in HK, and it was Chinese New Yr so i wandered around to the clubby part of town, but it was only 11:00 ...
Two Nights in Bangkok
Posted Mar 10th 2008 9:57a.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Cathay Pacific Holidays has a two night holiday package for RMB5,500 (taxes excluded) which gets you and your traveling companion round-trip airfare plus two nights in the Siam City Hotel. Valid through the end of March. Read more »

RMB3,048 to Hong Kong on Dragonair
Posted Mar 10th 2008 9:32a.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Until the end of March, Dragonair is offering round-trip airfare Beijing to HK for RMB3,048 (excluding weekend departure) or RMB3,348 for weekend departure. In April the price bumps up to around RMB4,000. Read more »

Simulated war game using machine guns...TOO AWESOME!
Posted Mar 7th 2008 10:33a.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

On March 16, the Chinese Culture Club goes to war. First they visit a system of tunnels in the northeast of Beijing dug during the anti-Japanese War and then the sparks start to fly as they head to a Chinese military base where everyone will be outiftted with army fatigues ... Read more »

  • tombschrader The winner of the simulated war game will then take on Pebbles the Commando Groundhog (pictured above) in a no-holds-barred throwdown for battlefield supremacy. Real bullets will be used. Be ...
You Won't Find This in The Lonely Planet
Posted Feb 25th 2008 9:51a.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Art Holiday in Jingdezhen--Bucolic Retreat in Ceramic Kingdom

Jingdezhen has had a long tenure as the porcelain capital of China, but only in the last decade has the bucolic village on the banks of the Chang River in Jiangxi province reclaimed its place as a vibrant destination for tourists hungry after top-notch ceramics and fresh air. Artists from ... Read more »

New Way to London
Posted Feb 22nd 2008 3:48p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

United Arab Emirates is throwing their Airbuses into the pre-Olympic ring with flights to and from Beijing starting on March 31. The four year old airline hubs in Abu Dhabi with connections throughout the Middle East and Europe. Of particular note are connections to London Heathrow, Brussels, Munich, Milan and ... Read more »

Literary Daze
Posted Feb 21st 2008 7:23p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Maugham is thought to have done his best writing during his trips to the Pacific Islands and the Far East. While staying at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore in 1921, which he claimed stood “for all the fables of the exotic East,” Maugham penned The Casuarina Tree, a collection of ... Read more »

Top 10 Places to Visit in China
Posted Feb 17th 2008 3:22p.m. by collin (Armchair Traveler)

Scanning my RSS feeds I came across this entry in Digg. I'm sure there are a million others like it but looking over this author's list of what you MUST SEE in China made me realize just how easy it is to under-explore your own backyard. But looking ... Read more »

  • rictownsend Ps... Pedestrian crossings and green walk signs give you no right of way as they do in many other countries, they just mean cross traffic must stop. Be warned however ...
  • rictownsend With many tourists about to come to China and particularly to Beijing perhaps it is time to add a little advice to both tourists and local government. The other night ...
We're Going Inside Terminal 3
Posted Feb 15th 2008 12:40p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

All eyes will be on the Capital Airport in March as the long-awaited Terminal 3 starts to come online. British Airways will begin diverting to Terminal 3 on Feb 29 (leap day!) while Air China (and pretty much everybody else) will do so on March 26.

Sure it's the ... Read more »

Dear Cathay Pacific: Thanks for Nothing
Posted Feb 2nd 2008 1:48p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Cathay Pacific owes me money. Not much, maybe a couple kuai, but nonetheless I feel like some compensation is in order. After all I spent a good 15 minutes fruitlessly following up their latest "Supersaver" deal, a solid looking RMB4,090 from Beijing to London and RMB3,890 from Shanghai ... Read more »

Bali for RMB5,070
Posted Jan 28th 2008 12:07p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Buy before January 31 and you can still score round trip tickets on Singapore Airlines to, you know, paradise. Valid dates are REALLY scarce, but March 4-10 is still available. Read more »

Cheap Family Winter Getaway in Shentangyu
Posted Jan 25th 2008 12:54p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

The idea is simple—pack the fam off to the hills for a brisk weekend of hiking, feasting, fresh air and fireplaces—but where can you find this around Beijing? Unfortunately, pickings are slim at present, but one place that caught the Weekender’s attention is the Nali Hotel in ... Read more »

Inside Beijing’s Newest Glam Hotel
Posted Jan 24th 2008 4:43p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Located in the CBD, nestled behind the swanky new emerald green Shin Kong Place, the JW Marriott is the newest big boy hotel on an increasingly-crowded block. “We’re modern,” says Joan Pan (pronounced “JOE-Ann”) who cut her teeth at the JW in Shanghai for 5 1/2 years before ... Read more »

  • forest oops, typo again Do you know the difference between a scientist and a chef?
  • forest Yup, The guy I was having lunch with had the Bass & Mash. He made the same comment as you. He was maybe even more enthusiastic. Hmmm...Chef's grandma's ...
  • tombschrader Also would suggest not missing the mashed potatoes next time you're out there. They're the chef's grandma's recipe, and they're right up there with the ...
  • forest I was brought up to believe that if you want a good meal you go to a restaurant not a hotel. Things though change with time and yesterday's truisms ...
Up Close with Beijing’s Most Famous Email Address
Posted Jan 24th 2008 4:29p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

You’ve probably received her emails advertising the cheapest rates on international flights and, because they originate from a yahoo address and claim to do remarkable things, you probably junk them with the penis enlargers and Viagra spam. The Armchair Traveler finally got curious enough to seek out Stella Tang ... Read more »

  • forest Thanks.
  • leemack Stella_C_Tang@yahoo.com Tel: 134-3907-6931
  • forest Is this a hoax, an early "April Fools"? The e-mail does not work - bounces back and the mobile number is power off. So back to e-long, C-trip and the airlines ...
It's 70 degrees in Kunming RIGHT NOW
Posted Jan 11th 2008 10:59a.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Kunming is unique among Chinese cities for many reasons, the primary

ones being weather, ethnic influence and lifestyle. Weather - Located

1900m higher than Beijing, but at subtropical latitudes, Kunming's

geography and altitude combine to create one of China's mildest

climates. Kunming's economy has little industry, which translates ... Read more »

  • leemack Photo by Steen Heilesen (www.fotop.net/Steenheilesen)
Get Soaked in Nanjing
Posted Jan 10th 2008 1:53p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

Nanjing is an unusual place to set up a branch of one of Asia’s hottest high-end retreats, but when you’re bubbling away in your private, open-air hot spring, you’ll thank the gods that it was so. The complex consists of 14 private suites—ridiculously spacious—and 7 ... Read more »

Pavarotti Slept Here
Posted Jan 10th 2008 1:34p.m. by leemack (Armchair Traveler)

So the story goes that the famed tenor installed himself in this suite at the Pangkor Laut Resort in Malaysia and fell so much in love with the place he stayed for a month. What could you do afterwards except name the suite after him? for US$800 you can ... Read more »

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