Where in the World is Pat?
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
Tianmen Mountain , also known as Heaven's Gate , is where the dramatic natural arch is at the top of a staircase 999 steps! This is in a whole different section of the Zhangjaijie National Forest then we did yesterday. Getting up to the plaza at Upper Station, to start the ascent to Heaven's Gate , is quite extensive in itself. First we took a 30 minute cable car ride from the town of Zhangjaijie; then a bus ride you have to strap in for up a series of hairpin turns, for another 30 minutes. Then you climb a couple of staircases to make it to Upper Station . To get to the Peak of the Mountain, you either climb the 999 steps or take a series of 12 escalators inside the mountain. The upper station cableway is currently closed for renovations, so the options above were limited and very crowded.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
We had arranged for a driver to pick us up at the Zhangjaijie National Forest at 2:30pm, so we could have a much needed break for the 2 hour drive to Furong Ancient Town. That way, we could explore Furong at night, which is the best time to see it, have a bit of a rest and still be in a good position, to see more of the Forest, the next day.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
When we arrived at the Zhangjiajie train station, we had a driver meet us to take us all the way to the little village just outside the North Gate of the Zhangjiajie National Forest, which was about a 2 hour ride.This put us in a great position to get right into the Park early the next morning before the large crowds and access to the top section of the park, in lieu of the more crowded routes, coming in from the base of the mountains from downtown. We stayed at an older resort called Stilt Paradise and the place had a rustic charm as did the whole one street village. It was close to 7:30 pm when we arrived. We went in search of dinner, which commenced a session of pointing at photo's on their billboard and piecing together an order with google translate, to get the basic dumplings and noodles.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
We did all our travel for this trip in China via high speed railway. We started in Hong Kong and traveled to Guilin in just over 3 hours. Then our longest leg, of 7 hours for Guilin to Zhangjiajie . Next was Zhangjiajie to Chongqing at 3.5 hours and finally Chongqing to Xi'An was around 5.5 hours. Some of the train stations were massive like Chongqing below and Xi'An. Signage was pretty good, with some English, so we could navigate well.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
LONGJI RICE TERRACES were just a short drive from the Red Yao Village . We had originally planned to view the terraces from a cable car ride, but it was raining and too windy for that operation. The alternative was to take a shuttle bus about 1/2 way up the mountain and walk pathways along the terraces. I think we actually lucked out with this change, because the views were spectacular! The mist and rain added another element and since we were inside the terraces, we could really appreciate how they were painstakingly engineered!
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
The gang with our guide Jack , who we had for the 2 days of excursions from Guilin . Jack was very informative and a super nice guy. He was an expectant father while with us and told us how his family was preparing for the arrival of their new child. They have a 6 year old boy now who Jack says can destroy a room in the house in minutes. He was hoping for a daughter! His wife delivered their 2nd son, the week after we toured with Jack. Best of Luck and Congratulations!
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
The women in the Huangluo Village of Guangxi, China are famed and record holders in the Guiness World Records as the Long Hair Village. They grow their hair up to 2.1 meters or 6.8 feet and cut it only once in their lives, at age 17 or 18 when they have a "coming of age" ceramony. We visited the village and went to a performance where they showed us their history and customs.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
Guilin is such a pretty little town; tons of tourist seem to know it too! I really enjoyed walking around it at night! I went for a stroll, along the river, to just soak it all in. I grabbed some street food, kung pow chicken and rice for dinner, that I had back in the quiet of my hotel room and had an early night.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
The Guilin area of southern China is known to have some of the most stunning karst rock formations. We took a bamboo cruise boat with a tiny electric motor, from the villages of Yangdi to Xingping this morning. The rafts are limited to 4 guest each - so I road with a Chinese family, there on vacation from the Beijing area, who was very sweet. Mom and Dad spoke no english, but their son, who is in his final year of college study environmental science, was able to converse and intrepret what the driver said to me the whole ride, about one hour.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
Guilin, China is just a 3 hour,18 minute high speed train ride from Hong Kong . It is a charming city known for its dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills. In the center of town are 2 lakes, Shanhu ( cedar) and Ronghu ( banyan) that remain from a medieval era moat, that once surrounded the city. The twin pagodas, the Sun and the Moon , sit on the the shore of the Shanhu and light up the sky at night.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 6, 2026
The start of our Train Trip thru CHINA - Bob and his four ladies! God Bless Bob! He is a patient man & spent a good amount of time planning out this trip, that the group was kind enough to let me jump in with them, for part of it, just days before leaving. I had been planning a similiar trip for Bosco and I , but things weren't coming together and he wasn't really excited by trip, so I thought it might be a good idea if I went with others. The five of us got off the ship in Hong Kong on 8/30/26.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 3, 2026
So excited to get out and explore this huge city. Our Port is attached to a huge shopping mall - so it is a bit of a hike before we even get outside. When we do the heat hits us like a brick wall! There are typhoons, in the area and according to a local, when the storms come in, they first bring a wave of fog, heat and humidity to Hong Kong .
By Pat Patrick
•
September 1, 2026
On Saturday August 29, 2026 we achieved another historic milestone on this circumnavigation of the World , we cruised into Hong Kong Harbor. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. The land encompassed by Hong Kong is confusing. It includes part of the southern coast of mainland China, just below Shenzhen, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories . Looking at a map helps, but the rules changed so many times! I asked my buddy Chat several times, to tell me if what I was looking at was the Hong Kong that the British had owned for years. The answer was never straight forward!
By Pat Patrick
•
August 31, 2026
Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is one of those bucket list places I have had in my sights for years. It's the iconic picture in my mind's eye, whenever I think of Vietnam . We had made plans to go with 8 others on a brand new, swanky Red Dragon Junk boat for a harbor cruise and overnight stay, but sadly the weather did not cooperate the whole 4 days we were in port. No ships were permitted to sail, per the local government. Many of us were bummed! This is typhoon session and there was a lot of rain and high winds our first couple of days - we were hoping it would blow out the last day and we could at least do a day trip but no luck!
By Pat Patrick
•
August 30, 2026
To get to the final stop on our Vietnam FUN Tour in Hue, we had our driver take us on the scenic route called the Hai Van Pass. This 3 hour drive took us back through Da Nang and then into mountains and along coast for what is generally a very scenic route. Unfortunately for us, it was mainly covered in clouds and fog.
By Pat Patrick
•
August 25, 2026
Next stop on the VIETNAM FUN TOUR is HOI'AN - The City of Laterns! I had arranged a private car to take us between all the major locations and towns for the 5 days we were touring the interior. He delivered us to Hoi'An in just about an hour from Ba Na Hills . Here we stayed 2 nights and had lots of relaxing time built in. Again the heat was oppressive! The driver recommended below tailor to me as I mentioned I might want to have a dress custom made as that is another thing the town is known for with 24 hour turn around.
By Pat Patrick
•
August 25, 2026
Coconut Boat Tour sounds perfect to keep the Fun rolling! The hotel offered a tour, with pick up and return, so easy peasy!
By Pat Patrick
•
August 24, 2026
I had dubbed this the Fun Tour of Vietnam! We could have gone to all the historic war memorials and museums, and I totally respect and am grateful to All those who gave so much. I just didn't want that, to be my only insight into Vietnam and it's lovely people. In the morning, we again explored more of the village and our room stay included a huge buffet breakfast. We checked out by 10:30 am and took the cable car back down by 11 am to meet our driver and head to our next stop.
By Pat Patrick
•
August 24, 2026
Ba Na Hills was so special, I took so many photo's! Here's more from the Golden Bridge or Cau Vang. One of the perks of staying at the Resort is that the last cable rides down for day visitors is 6pm and the first cable rides don't start back up till 7 am. So hotel guest get to explore the park without tons of guest. We could have gotten up at 6am to see bridge at sunrise, but directionally it's off and I took so many pictures at sunset, I didn't see the need for more!
By Pat Patrick
•
August 24, 2026
Ba Na Hills is Bananas WoW, in the best way!! Let me try and explain. There is n o way you imaging a place like this, when you think about travel to Vietnam! A resort atop a Mountain, high in the clouds/fog, far above the city limits of Da Nang . Accessible only by cable cars, on stretches so long, it's in the Guinness World Records . Built to look like a French Medieval Village complete with Versailles style fountains and the Louvre pyramid and a Golden Bridge suspended by Giant Hands hanging off the side and carved Mount Rushmore like sculptures into the supporting rock faces. It's an Instagram wonder!
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
Tianmen Mountain , also known as Heaven's Gate , is where the dramatic natural arch is at the top of a staircase 999 steps! This is in a whole different section of the Zhangjaijie National Forest then we did yesterday. Getting up to the plaza at Upper Station, to start the ascent to Heaven's Gate , is quite extensive in itself. First we took a 30 minute cable car ride from the town of Zhangjaijie; then a bus ride you have to strap in for up a series of hairpin turns, for another 30 minutes. Then you climb a couple of staircases to make it to Upper Station . To get to the Peak of the Mountain, you either climb the 999 steps or take a series of 12 escalators inside the mountain. The upper station cableway is currently closed for renovations, so the options above were limited and very crowded.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
We had arranged for a driver to pick us up at the Zhangjaijie National Forest at 2:30pm, so we could have a much needed break for the 2 hour drive to Furong Ancient Town. That way, we could explore Furong at night, which is the best time to see it, have a bit of a rest and still be in a good position, to see more of the Forest, the next day.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
When we arrived at the Zhangjiajie train station, we had a driver meet us to take us all the way to the little village just outside the North Gate of the Zhangjiajie National Forest, which was about a 2 hour ride.This put us in a great position to get right into the Park early the next morning before the large crowds and access to the top section of the park, in lieu of the more crowded routes, coming in from the base of the mountains from downtown. We stayed at an older resort called Stilt Paradise and the place had a rustic charm as did the whole one street village. It was close to 7:30 pm when we arrived. We went in search of dinner, which commenced a session of pointing at photo's on their billboard and piecing together an order with google translate, to get the basic dumplings and noodles.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
We did all our travel for this trip in China via high speed railway. We started in Hong Kong and traveled to Guilin in just over 3 hours. Then our longest leg, of 7 hours for Guilin to Zhangjiajie . Next was Zhangjiajie to Chongqing at 3.5 hours and finally Chongqing to Xi'An was around 5.5 hours. Some of the train stations were massive like Chongqing below and Xi'An. Signage was pretty good, with some English, so we could navigate well.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
LONGJI RICE TERRACES were just a short drive from the Red Yao Village . We had originally planned to view the terraces from a cable car ride, but it was raining and too windy for that operation. The alternative was to take a shuttle bus about 1/2 way up the mountain and walk pathways along the terraces. I think we actually lucked out with this change, because the views were spectacular! The mist and rain added another element and since we were inside the terraces, we could really appreciate how they were painstakingly engineered!
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
The gang with our guide Jack , who we had for the 2 days of excursions from Guilin . Jack was very informative and a super nice guy. He was an expectant father while with us and told us how his family was preparing for the arrival of their new child. They have a 6 year old boy now who Jack says can destroy a room in the house in minutes. He was hoping for a daughter! His wife delivered their 2nd son, the week after we toured with Jack. Best of Luck and Congratulations!
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
The women in the Huangluo Village of Guangxi, China are famed and record holders in the Guiness World Records as the Long Hair Village. They grow their hair up to 2.1 meters or 6.8 feet and cut it only once in their lives, at age 17 or 18 when they have a "coming of age" ceramony. We visited the village and went to a performance where they showed us their history and customs.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
Guilin is such a pretty little town; tons of tourist seem to know it too! I really enjoyed walking around it at night! I went for a stroll, along the river, to just soak it all in. I grabbed some street food, kung pow chicken and rice for dinner, that I had back in the quiet of my hotel room and had an early night.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
The Guilin area of southern China is known to have some of the most stunning karst rock formations. We took a bamboo cruise boat with a tiny electric motor, from the villages of Yangdi to Xingping this morning. The rafts are limited to 4 guest each - so I road with a Chinese family, there on vacation from the Beijing area, who was very sweet. Mom and Dad spoke no english, but their son, who is in his final year of college study environmental science, was able to converse and intrepret what the driver said to me the whole ride, about one hour.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
Guilin, China is just a 3 hour,18 minute high speed train ride from Hong Kong . It is a charming city known for its dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills. In the center of town are 2 lakes, Shanhu ( cedar) and Ronghu ( banyan) that remain from a medieval era moat, that once surrounded the city. The twin pagodas, the Sun and the Moon , sit on the the shore of the Shanhu and light up the sky at night.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
Tianmen Mountain , also known as Heaven's Gate , is where the dramatic natural arch is at the top of a staircase 999 steps! This is in a whole different section of the Zhangjaijie National Forest then we did yesterday. Getting up to the plaza at Upper Station, to start the ascent to Heaven's Gate , is quite extensive in itself. First we took a 30 minute cable car ride from the town of Zhangjaijie; then a bus ride you have to strap in for up a series of hairpin turns, for another 30 minutes. Then you climb a couple of staircases to make it to Upper Station . To get to the Peak of the Mountain, you either climb the 999 steps or take a series of 12 escalators inside the mountain. The upper station cableway is currently closed for renovations, so the options above were limited and very crowded.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
We had arranged for a driver to pick us up at the Zhangjaijie National Forest at 2:30pm, so we could have a much needed break for the 2 hour drive to Furong Ancient Town. That way, we could explore Furong at night, which is the best time to see it, have a bit of a rest and still be in a good position, to see more of the Forest, the next day.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 13, 2026
When we arrived at the Zhangjiajie train station, we had a driver meet us to take us all the way to the little village just outside the North Gate of the Zhangjiajie National Forest, which was about a 2 hour ride.This put us in a great position to get right into the Park early the next morning before the large crowds and access to the top section of the park, in lieu of the more crowded routes, coming in from the base of the mountains from downtown. We stayed at an older resort called Stilt Paradise and the place had a rustic charm as did the whole one street village. It was close to 7:30 pm when we arrived. We went in search of dinner, which commenced a session of pointing at photo's on their billboard and piecing together an order with google translate, to get the basic dumplings and noodles.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
We did all our travel for this trip in China via high speed railway. We started in Hong Kong and traveled to Guilin in just over 3 hours. Then our longest leg, of 7 hours for Guilin to Zhangjiajie . Next was Zhangjiajie to Chongqing at 3.5 hours and finally Chongqing to Xi'An was around 5.5 hours. Some of the train stations were massive like Chongqing below and Xi'An. Signage was pretty good, with some English, so we could navigate well.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
LONGJI RICE TERRACES were just a short drive from the Red Yao Village . We had originally planned to view the terraces from a cable car ride, but it was raining and too windy for that operation. The alternative was to take a shuttle bus about 1/2 way up the mountain and walk pathways along the terraces. I think we actually lucked out with this change, because the views were spectacular! The mist and rain added another element and since we were inside the terraces, we could really appreciate how they were painstakingly engineered!
By Pat Patrick
•
September 12, 2026
The gang with our guide Jack , who we had for the 2 days of excursions from Guilin . Jack was very informative and a super nice guy. He was an expectant father while with us and told us how his family was preparing for the arrival of their new child. They have a 6 year old boy now who Jack says can destroy a room in the house in minutes. He was hoping for a daughter! His wife delivered their 2nd son, the week after we toured with Jack. Best of Luck and Congratulations!
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
The women in the Huangluo Village of Guangxi, China are famed and record holders in the Guiness World Records as the Long Hair Village. They grow their hair up to 2.1 meters or 6.8 feet and cut it only once in their lives, at age 17 or 18 when they have a "coming of age" ceramony. We visited the village and went to a performance where they showed us their history and customs.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
Guilin is such a pretty little town; tons of tourist seem to know it too! I really enjoyed walking around it at night! I went for a stroll, along the river, to just soak it all in. I grabbed some street food, kung pow chicken and rice for dinner, that I had back in the quiet of my hotel room and had an early night.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
The Guilin area of southern China is known to have some of the most stunning karst rock formations. We took a bamboo cruise boat with a tiny electric motor, from the villages of Yangdi to Xingping this morning. The rafts are limited to 4 guest each - so I road with a Chinese family, there on vacation from the Beijing area, who was very sweet. Mom and Dad spoke no english, but their son, who is in his final year of college study environmental science, was able to converse and intrepret what the driver said to me the whole ride, about one hour.
By Pat Patrick
•
September 10, 2026
Guilin, China is just a 3 hour,18 minute high speed train ride from Hong Kong . It is a charming city known for its dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills. In the center of town are 2 lakes, Shanhu ( cedar) and Ronghu ( banyan) that remain from a medieval era moat, that once surrounded the city. The twin pagodas, the Sun and the Moon , sit on the the shore of the Shanhu and light up the sky at night.