这里可不光有美丽的河滨风光和现代化建筑，更是一条时尚的商业街呢。

C&A, H&M, GAP, UNIQLO, ZARA排排站,是不是立刻有了疯狂购物的欲望?

SEPHORA

ZARA & UNIQLO

sasa & MUJI無印良品

世界五大廉价时装品牌在楚河边一字排开,分别是法国C&A,瑞典H&M,美国GAP,日本UNIQLO和西班牙ZARA。其中实际已开张营业的是C&A和优衣库。这两家价格基本相当，品质与设计都是优衣库更胜一筹。

H&M

GAP, 优衣库(Uniqlo), ZARA

大家猜到了没有? 这条街就是汉街，河就是楚河，这可是武汉最热门的新景点之一。听说到了晚上是更加的漂亮，等我下次去武汉再为大家拍照了。

交通资讯:公共汽车到武昌中北路白鹭街站下

请注意旧版地图上都没有显示出新挖的这条楚河,新修的汉街及周边路网

我的座位很靠前，所以几乎是最后一批下飞机，在入境处排了好久的队，累死了。

出了海关找到了一台HSBC的ATM，很高兴的发现每次可以提取11000澳门元或者港元，具体是20张500元钞加10张100元钞。取款时提示说可能会收取手续费，但又不说收多少。我回家后自己一算，发现这台ATM是按中间汇率加收2%的手续费，所以每次提款都收了200多块钱的手续费，其实不如到大陆直接提取人民币了。

我提的全是港币，打算去市中心找兑店换点人民币，因为估计汇率比中国银行好。

机场出来右边就有威尼斯人大酒店的免费班车。酒店离机场非常近，走路也没多远，坐车当然是很快就到。

穿过金碧辉煌的赌场，走了好远才来到位于另一端的发往码头的巴士站。我选择搭车去港澳码头转车去葡京大酒店。港澳码头内有游客中心，我就顺手去拿了一份澳门地图。葡京大酒店的停车点离威尼斯人停车点颇远。需要往回走，由地道过马路到港澳码头门口继续顺着同一方向走一小段路。巴士有的去葡京大酒店，有的去新葡京大酒店。反正两家距离很近，搭哪辆车都无所谓。我上的去葡京大酒店的车，来到其后门。结果发现寄存行李需要绕道到前门去，也就是正对着新葡京大酒店的那个门。行李可以免费寄存3天，很是方便。

从葡京大酒店出来，过马路就是新葡京大酒店，继续沿着马路（殷太子大马路）往前走就可以来到旅游的中心区域了。 殷太子大马路两边每隔几百米才有一家找兑店，远没有香港那么方便比较价格，而且找兑店不给零钞，给我的最小钞票是20元港币，小额部分直接被他们没收。不过事后发现汇率还是要比大陆的中国银行好。（当然前面提到过，在大陆是可以ATM直接提款的）

我因为没有提取澳元，事先还有点担心吃饭问题。虽然饭店都收港元、人民币，但按1:1汇率很不划算。当我来到大三巴前面的这条路时，立刻发现沿街店铺好多试吃的人。这里卖的手信主要是新加坡肉干和广东传统糕点（杏仁饼、老婆饼等）。每一样试吃一小片，走完这趟路我的肚子也就饱了。而且店内还有饮水机，口吃干了还有喝的免费提供。

吃饱喝足我又回到葡京大酒店后门搭免费班车到关闸，上电梯过马路，来到边境，排了好长时间队才出境，又入境珠海。

我跟随指示牌来到地下层的巴士站，长途巴士站外就是本地巴士站。我选择搭程32路（2元）到中大五院站下转3A路（3元）到珠海北站。

零钞要提前准备好，因为中大五院站这里一片周围没有店铺的。时间5点左右正好是下班高峰期，我等了好几辆3A车都是爆满，而且路过的别的巴士也多爆满，无法上人。其实应该在拱北海关搭2路或9路车在九洲城提前转3A车就好了。

最终天渐渐黑下来，3A车也终于有位子了可挤上了。

来到荒郊僻野的珠海北站，凭护照在窗口顺利买到36元的火车票到广州南站。来到站台，发现一辆车正要发车，虽然不是我买的车次，但也可以上，很多空座位随便坐。

车厢内是宽敞舒适，连卫生间也很清洁宽敞，传统坑洞式便池，有放提包的台子，有卫生纸免费提供。坐这趟车真是享受，而且价格比珠海-广州的汽车便宜多了。

一个小时不到就来到了广州南站。这里可以搭地铁到达广州各地，包括广州站和广州东站，去往全国各地。或者直接在广州南站搭高铁，3小时左右到武汉、长沙等地。

On the north side of Parma Ri is the Gesar Lhakang, a Manchu construction that dates back to 1793 and was recently renovated. It is the only Tibetan-style Guandi temple in China.

The main temple has a statue of the Chinese God of War, Guandi(associated with Gesar, the mythical Tibetan warrior) along with generals on his left and ministers on his right. A separate yellow chapel has a statue of an orange Jampelyang with Sakyamuni, Chana Dorje (Vajrapani) and Chenresig.

There is a stone stele at the foot of the main temple that records the history of the temple.

Chinese army defeated Nepalese invasion of Tibet in 1792. They believed that they were protected by the God of Ware, Guandi. So they built this temple.

Guandi’s image is similar to Gesar, the mythical Tibetan warrior. So Tibetans call this temple Gesar Lhakang.

Cost: 5 yuan service charge, 0-2 yuan bus fare

You could buy your tickets at Lhasa Railway Station which is in fact not in Lhasa. It’s not only far away from Lhasa, but also far from the train station bus stop. You need to walk at least 1km from the bus stop to the railway station building itself after strict security checks.

So the best place to buy train tickets once you are in Lhasa is at No. 19 De Ji Zhong Lu.

Bus No. 2/3/7/8/13/24/25 all have a stop nearby. The bus fare is 1 yuan per person per way.

Most tourists can use No.8 or No.7 bus on Beijing Road to reach the ticket office.

Ce Men Lin bus stop on Beijing Road.

The train does allow passengers to smoke and a lot of people happily practice their such rights. Only during the section between Golmud and Lhasa, passengers are not allowed to smoke although some still do.

The train has squash toilets. Users are supposed to press the green button to flush the toilet. Some passengers may not be aware of it and water is not always available, so the toilets can be messy at times. Also, don’t forget to bring your own toilet paper.

Train attendants sell Chinese magazines on board. A Tibetan man failed to find any magazine that’s printed in Tibetan language. He was simply told, “Nowadays, everybody studies Mandarin.” No apology, no sympathy.

I had to take a Tylenol 2 when I go to bed.

In the morning, as I woke up, we were at an elevation of 4700 metres. I struggled to move my luggage as we were approaching Lhasa.

The designer of Lhasa Railway Station obviously knew this. Unlike in other Chinese railway stations, passengers don’t need to go up and down stairs to get out of the train station. Lhasa Railway Station even provides a few baggage carts like those used in airports. If you can find one, use it.

The plaza in front of the train station is massive and empty. Soldiers guard the plaza. People are not allowed to stay there. You must exit from one specific point, enter from another point after security check. Don’t try to use a shortcut because armed soldiers are on alert.

The bus stop is at the right-hand side of the exit. If you didn’t buy your train tickets before you exit, don’t try to come back to buy them because the bus stop is far away from the only point you can enter the railway station plaza. At the entry point, police will check your documents before they let you enter the plaza and walk a long way to the train station building to pass strict security check. I bought my train ticket at downtown Lhasa which costs 5 yuan more but is much easier.

The bus stop has a route map which is useless even for Chinese or Tibetan. The bus driver I met didn’t answer any passengers questions and simply pointed at the route map.

No.1 and No. 14 buses pass around Potala Palace, continue along the main road north of Ramoche Temple.

No. 6 bus passes Norbulingka, Tibet Museum, Potala Palace, then runs along Jiangsu Road just south of Barkhor.

No. 13 bus passes Norbulingka, Tibet Museum and around Potala Palace.

I rebooked my accommodation in Xi’an 2 days before my arrival because I found a special deal of 15 yuan for a bed in an one-bed dorm. The hostel also promises free pick-up from the train station.

A hotel staff did come to pick me up on time. I was escorted to a public bus no. 41 instead of a private vehicle. The hotel staff paid the bus fare of 0.5 yuan.

Upon arrival at the hostel, I was put into a 6-bed dorm which appears to have one bed occupied already. Of course, they wouldn’t give me a one-bed dorm for just 15 yuan. I was fine with the arrangement by then.

The hostel’s name is Hanwood Youth Hostel. The location is pretty good. It’s just east of Big Wild Goose Pagoda and there is a bus stop right outside the hostel. No. 500 bus can take you to the train station directly from here although No. 500 bus always seems overcrowded.

They have both squash toilets and American modern toilets. Toilets and showers are all clean and function well.

There are lots of small restaurants at the back of the hostel building. A big bowl of Beef Noodle costs 5 yuan. Ethnic Hui Muslim chef will hand-pull noodles from a dough right in front of your eyes. The “beef” part however is represented only by one small think slice of beef and maybe the soup.

The hostel is quite large and takes in any customer they can get. This has caused a problem in my case. When I returned to my dorm at night, some middle-aged peasant look men knocked my door in and started to talk and smoke. I complained to the hostel staff and was moved to another 6-bed dorm without other guests. Although every night at around 1pm, there is somebody mysteriously sneak into my room and sleep in one bed. I assume they are hostel staff.

SHAANXI HISTORY MUSEUM

Not as modern as Hubei Provincial Museum or other same level museums that host high-profile national treasures, Shaanxi History Museum is a must-see for its Terracotta Warrior collection if you don’t mind the leaking ceilings at some exhibition rooms. There’s no working elevators and escalators at this outdated museum. Tickets are distributed for free in the morning and in the afternoon. No tickets are given out during 12pm and 1pm.

GUANGREN TEMPLE

A Tibetan Buddhist temple in north-west Xi’an, Guangren Temple is a peaceful place without many tourists.

This temple has a replica of the Buddha brought by Princess Wen Cheng to Jokhang Temple. If you don’t have chance to go to Lhasa Jokhang Temple, you can see the Buddha here.

SMALL WILD GOOSE PAGODA

This museum and park complex is a beautiful place that’s not as crowded as Shaanxi History Museum or Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

MUSLIM QUARTER

The Muslim quarter is near the famous drum tower.

South Entry of Muslim Quarter

Uyghurs selling bread

Jiasan Soup Dumpling Restaurant (No smoke, No alcohol)

Jiasan Soup Dumplings (18 yuan)

A small mosque

GREAT MOSQUE OF XI’AN

The Tower that served as a Minaret

Muslims pray five times a day

The Prayer Hall

The hostel I stayed at is King’s Joy which is located at the heart of the old busy hutong area of Qianmen just south of Tiananmen Square.

King’s Joy is actually a 3-star hotel. A few suites are transformed into dorm rooms. It’s quite luxury for a hostel that charges only 30 yuan/bed.

There are many hutongs outside the hotel. Follow any of them and you will reach the newly renovated Qianmen Avenue – a pedestrian shopping mall that has a high concentration of old Beijing brands such as Quanjude(Peking Duck) and Zhangyiyuan(tea shop).

Walk north along the street in front of the hotel, you will reach the busy Dazhalan street in 2 minutes. Dazhalan has an even greater collection of traditional Beijing brandname stores.

Day 1: National Museum of China (Admission FREE)
Many high profile national treasures are on display here. Pick up your free ticket and pass strick security check at the main gate facing Tiananmen Square.

Terracotta Army

Sanxingdui Mask

Painted Pottery Jar with Nude Figure in Relief
Majiamiao Culture(c. 3200-2000 BC)

The figure on the jar has both male and female sexual characteristics as related to fertility worship.

Day 2: The Great Wall of China at Mutianyu

There are buses that go to Mutianyu directly from Beijing at 7am and 8:30am. They return at 2pm and 4pm. The bus number is 936 or 867, but not all 936 or 867 buses go to Mutianyu. So make sure you ask first, otherwise you may need to make a transfer at Huairou Bus Terminal which is a transportation centre near Mutianyu.

I took No. 936 bus at Dongzhimen Wai Xiejie at 7am. Dongzhimen Wai Xiejie is a street not far from Dongzhimen subway station and the bus stop is not easy to locate. However you can also get on the bus at other stops closer to a subway station. Sanyuanqiao bus stop is just outside the Airport Express exits on the other side of the street. Houshayu bus stop is right outside Houshayu subway station. My bus arrived at Houshayu at 7:45, Huairou Bus Terminal at 8:37, Hongluosi at 9:00, Mutianyu at 9:30.

Bus fare(one way): 16 yuan(6.4 yuan with smart card)
Mutianyu entry fee: 45 yuan(I bought my ticket from the bus driver for 40 yuan. I believe he bought it for around 20 yuan.)

GETTING THERE & AWAY:
Air
Xiangfan Liuji Airport(XFN) is the nearest airport. Take a train or bus to Wudang Mountains from Xiangyang(former Xiangfan).

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport(WUH) has more flights. You can take a train to Wudang Mountains from Wuhan.

Train
Wudangshan train station is 16km from the entrance of Wudang Mountains. There is shuttle bus service to cover this leg.

Bus
Take a bus from Xiangyang or Shiyan

Most Hui are similar in culture to Han Chinese with the exception that they practice Islam, and have some distinctive cultural characteristics as a result. For example, as Muslims, they follow Islamic dietary laws and reject the consumption of pork, the most common meat consumed in Chinese culture, and have also given rise to their variation of Chinese cuisine, Chinese Islamic cuisine and Muslim Chinese martial arts. Their mode of dress also differs primarily in that men wear white caps and women wear headscarves or (occasionally) veils, as is the case in most Islamic cultures.

The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people