Our basic China trip will visit Beijing, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the famous Wanfujing shopping area, the Great Wall and Ming Tombs.  We will fly to Xian to see the famous Terra Cotta Soldiers, and return to the incredible modern city of Shanghai, and to Suzhou, where we will see the July 22, 2009 total eclipse of the sun.  People cheer, scream, and cry as the sky goes dark, the temperature drops, pink flames leap from the sun and silver streamers of the sun's corona stretch across the sky.  At each stop we will be hosted by local experts, curators, and Museums.  As an added cultural experience, we are arranging for visits to private homes for those interested in seeing a more personal side of China.

The optional extension of the trip will use China's famous brand-new pressurized train as we travel to Tibet to see Lhasa, the famous Potola Palace (Monastery), among others, and the Himalayas, the world's highest mountains.

Pressurized like a jet the "Sky Train" of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a marvel of modern engineering.  At altitudes exceeding 3-mi or 5-km, it counts the world's loftiest train depot and highest rail tunnel among its credits.  2007 marked its first year of full operation.  We will fly to Tibet and make the return trip by train.