Friday, February 24, 2012

Introducing the new Cheryl's China


Introducing the new Cheryl's China website.

My new website is finally up! It's been about a year in the making, due to several disastrous starts and other problems encountered along the way. You don't want to know about them. Honest. Trust me on this.

The new Cheryl's China represents a major overhaul of the website I originally put up on 1999, which was only 10 pages. The last Cheryl's China was 14 pages, but was two separate websites cobbled together, because the software I designed my site in only allowed 10 pages per site. It also was very time-consuming to update, so it didn't get updated very often.

All this changed with the new Cheryl's China. It's about 40 pages now. Since it is easier to update this site, I plan to add new pages periodically, so you'll want to check back often.

This website is heavy on Beijing travel. I lived in the Chinese capital for two years and that is where we most often go when we return to China. However, I've been to a lot of other places in China, and I'll be adding information on them as time passes.

The section on Chinese food is getting rave reviews from viewers so far. I love to take pictures of the food we eat, and it was difficult to pick out my favorite food photos -- I have hundreds of them.

Please take a look at Cheryl's China.

And, remember, if you have questions about traveling in China, especially Beijing, please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Flying into China

Flying over China
It's frequently dark when we fly into China, but on our last trip it was daylight as we ended our long flight from San Francisco into Beijing.

For the last half hour or so, I kept my eyes glued to the window, hoping to get a glimpse of the Great Wall. From research I did for an article, I know it can't be be seen from outer space, despite what others may claim. Well, it might be, according to NASA, if the timing and lighting are right and you know just where to look; otherwise, it's like trying to find a single strand of hair from two miles away. According to the space agency, apparently an astronaut did see it one time, but didn't know what he was looking it. Even satellite photos don't show it.

I honestly thought my chances of seeing it on a descent from 35,000 feet would be better. They weren't. I could pick out roads and rivers, but, alas, no Great Wall. Unless, of course, I blinked at the exact moment we passed over it.

Oh, well, I'll keep trying. Maybe one of these trips.

Have you seen the Great Wall when flying into Beijing? If so, please leave a comment.

Are you going to China?

If China, especially Beijing,  is in your travel plans, check out my website, Cheryl's China, or feel free to email me with any questions.