travel souvenirs — part 2

Souvenirs are, literally, memories — and since foreign travel hasn't been happening this year, I've been looking through some of the souvenirs I've brought back home, remembering some of my favorite travel moments.

Claire and I visited China a number of years ago on a wonderful tour hosted by Imperial Tours. Pro tip: don't try to tour China on your own. We don't speak the language and can't read the signs, the traffic is crazy, the crowds are intimidating. If you want to get see all the highlights, you will be immensely grateful for the experienced English-speaking guide who is leading your tour.

Highlighting our experiences in China were: the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall outside Beijing; Xian's Terracotta Warriors; a raft trip on the scenic Li River in Guilin; the immensely interesting French Concession in Shanghai; and our stay at Amanfayun — an ancient Chinese village outside Hangzhou that has been converted into a luxury resort.

We purchased our book of paper cut art in a small shop in Shanghai. It contains twelve art pieces, one for each of the twelve signs of the Sheng Xiao corresponding to the years of the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Pictured below is a very colorful illustration of a monkey.

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copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Amanyangyun | forest sanctuary near Shanghai

Amanyangyun will soon be born as the newest Amanresort. Scheduled to open in this autumn, the resort represents the culmination of a decade of collaboration between Aman and a Chinese philanthropist, intent on preserving remarkable artifacts of Old China.

Far away from Shanghai in rural Fuzhou, in Jiangxi province, the government was finalizing plans to construct a needed reservoir. The unfortunate consequence would have been the destruction of an ancient camphor forests and historic villages. A wealthy native of Fuzhou had other thoughts. He designed a plan to save these remnants of ancient Chinese heritage. The project involved relocating 10,000 trees and 50 Ming- and Qing-dynasty villas to Shanghai.

Each of ten thousand ancient trees was moved to Shanghai by truck; miraculously, 80% of them survived. 50 Ming- and Qing-dynasty villas were disassembled and painstakingly reconstructed, brick by ancient brick. The result is Amanyangyun, adjoining the forest. Guests will have the choice of staying in a contemporary Club Suite or an antique Villa.

A remarkable finish to a trip to China, I can especially see business travelers enjoying a two night stay in the country before flying back home. I will publish the Virtuoso amenities, once they have been announced.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

China 72 hour transit without visa

Temple of Heaven, Beijing — photo (c) David Ourisman, all rights reserved

A relatively new policy allows travelers to China with US passports (and quite a few other European and Asian countries as well) to avoid the hassle of applying for a Chinese visa if you meet some rather precise criteria. To summarize:

1. Your stay in China is under 72 hours
2. You are both arriving and departing from the same city — Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, and a few other cities
3. You're stopping in China enroute from your country of origin, through China, to a third country

My friend Ben S of PointsPros just took advantage of this program on his flight (which routed him from Zurich through Beijing en route to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — don't ask!) and blogged about it here. A really interesting article with some practical advice, if you're planning to do the same thing. (Ben's team has been phenomenal in helping me use miles for award travel).

Traveling to Beijing or Shanghai? Any Virtuoso travel consultant can provide you with free amenities at ten (10) hotels in Beijing and seven (7) hotels in Shanghai — complimentary daily breakfast for two, room upgrades, and other added perks — added value making these luxury hotels your best deal in these cities.

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Peninsula Hotels | PenClub amenities

the new Peninsula Paris (under construction)

Peninsula is one of the preeminent hotel families in the world with properties in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Bangkok, Manila, and Paris (under construction). I have visited seven of the ten Peninsula hotels in the world!

Brownell has been invited to become a member of the Peninsula PenClub — an exclusive preferred partner collection of the best luxury travel agencies in the world. And the good news is the exciting benefits that we can offer you at every Peninsula hotel in the world:

• Peninsula Time - truly flexible check-in and check-out times*
• Full daily set breakfast for up to two persons.
• Room upgrade subject to availability.
• Complimentary 30-minute extension on a 50-minute regular-priced Body or Face treatment.
• Unlimited in-room wireless Internet.

Any PenClub affiliated travel consultant can get you these amenities when you book your Peninsula stay at the Pen Club rate.

*You must advise your travel consultant of your arrival time so that this can be communicated to the hotel. If your own room is not ready, you will be provided with another accommodation until your room is ready for you. Blackout dates apply. As an example, the Peninsula Beverly Hills won't be able to provide this service during the Academy Awards when the hotel is totally sold out.


copyright (c) 2013 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Shanghai | the Bund and Pudong

Pudong through Shanghai's smog
(c) 2011 by David Ourisman

Shanghai is the financial center of China and the second largest city in the country with a population of 23 million (the largest being Chongqing). We were amused, during the trip, when we would hear cities with 7 million residents — roughly the population of New York — being described as "small cities," but this is an indication of China's immense population. With over 1.3 billion residents, China is the world's most populous nation.

Shanghai is an attractive city. I took this photograph from the Bund, looking towards Pudong, the contemporary high-rise section of Shanghai. Pudong lies "south of the Pu" River (which is the literal meaning of Pu-dong). At the left of the photograph is the Pearl Tower, and you can also see the Park Hyatt Shanghai, at the top of the city's tallest building, shrouded in the haze.

Our historical walking tour of the Bund was very interesting, and we also toured the French Concession, a beautiful residential section of the city with low-rise buildings and streets lined with leafy trees. Shanghai is also the home of the Shanghai Museum which houses an impressive collection of art, furniture, and cultural artifacts — a must-see.


Shanghai (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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