China 2018 Trip - Revision history

Sakowski at 09:27, 16 February 2019

2019-02-16T09:27:25Z

Sakowski at 22:27, 7 October 2017

2017-10-07T22:27:47Z

Sakowski at 00:01, 4 October 2017

2017-10-04T00:01:49Z

Sakowski at 23:59, 3 October 2017

2017-10-03T23:59:57Z

Sakowski at 00:24, 3 October 2017

2017-10-03T00:24:16Z

Sakowski at 23:31, 26 September 2017

2017-09-26T23:31:54Z

Sakowski at 23:27, 26 September 2017

2017-09-26T23:27:17Z

Sakowski at 23:26, 26 September 2017

2017-09-26T23:26:11Z

Sakowski at 23:24, 26 September 2017

2017-09-26T23:24:22Z

Sakowski at 23:22, 26 September 2017

2017-09-26T23:22:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:27, 16 February 2019
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	• View the 3-week 2015 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2015_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album		• View the 3-week 2015 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2015_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album
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		+	• View the 3-week 2018 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2018_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album

	• All for just $4,950!		• All for just $4,950!

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:27, 7 October 2017
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	• View the 3-week 2014 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2014_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album		• View the 3-week 2014 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2014_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album
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		+	• View the 3-week 2015 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2015_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album

	• All for just $4,950!		• All for just $4,950!

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:01, 4 October 2017
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	• View the 3-week 2013 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2013_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album		• View the 3-week 2013 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2013_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album
		+
		+	• View the 3-week 2014 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2014_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album

	• All for just $4,950!		• All for just $4,950!

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 • Visits to at least 10 Yangtze River Bridge construction sites
 • Exclusive 2018 Trip Photo Album posted on this website.
-• View the 2011 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2011_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album
+• View the 3-week 2012 Trip Photo Album at: http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=2012_High_Bridge_Trip_Photo_Album
 • All for just $4,950!

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 • All Ground Transportation via one 6 or 8-seat SUV for 3 full weeks
-• 21 Nights of Lodging from Sunday Night 8/1 through Sunday Night 8/21
+• 21 Nights of Lodging from Sunday Night 7/1 through Sunday Night 7/21
 • Flight from Shanghai to Tiger Leaping Gorge in Western China.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:31, 26 September 2017
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	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_River_bridges_and_tunnels		http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_River_bridges_and_tunnels
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−	~~=Looking To Create Your Own Western China Bridge Trip?=~~
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−	Regardless of whether you want to be a part of my bridge tour or head off to Western China on your own, you need to understand up front that you cannot drive to these bridges yourself. Since you must hire your own guide and/or driver, the following travel advice is for anyone who might be thinking about planning their own bridge trip through China. Much of this advice also applies to those who might be coming on my 2012 trip.
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−	~~[[File:TaxiRiver.jpg\|200px\|left\|thumb\|Make sure your taxi driver does not mind going "off-road"]]~~
−	With so many spectacular, long span bridges in one region of the world, many will be wanting to hop on the next plane to China and begin a whirlwind tour of these record breaking spans. Before you run out and buy a ticket, there are some very informative suggestions you need to learn about. These are not just tips but very important warnings that can make the difference between a once in a lifetime experience or an unforgettable nightmare.
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−	A visit to the rural mountains of Western China is a world apart from a trip to a modern city like Shanghai, Beijing or Hong Kong. The big city hotels and western style restaurants that cater to English speaking tourists are not to be found in Western China outside of a handful of large cities. Many of the big bridges located within this web site are far away from these big cities in mountainous regions of mostly poor farmers, many who have never seen a foreigner. This means that you will have to be resourceful and adapt to a rough environment that is more like a third world country where access to reliable transportation, food and lodging cannot be taken for granted.
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−	~~[[File:ChineseLunch.jpg\|200px\|right\|thumb\|A typical Chinese lunch in the mountains of Hubei province]]~~
−	First, do not even think of driving or renting a car in China’s western provinces. You can only visit these bridges by hiring a taxi driver for every day you are there. The mountain roads are incredibly dangerous, requiring an experienced driver to dodge any and every imaginable form of human and animal life as well as reckless trucks, automobiles and motorcycles. These assaults will come at you from every direction. When you are on these secondary roads, your driver is going to be using his horn constantly. Driving-by-horn in the mountains is not just an option but an important survival tool. To avoid colliding with people, bicycles and animals, a constant “beep” is required to warn each and every one of them. For a taxi driver, the use of a horn is second nature - for you it is not. Much of the time you will be on unpaved dirt roads filled with potholes, rocks and mud. Trucks and buses coming in the opposite direction are going to pass slower traffic by coming head on into your lane, forcing you to come to a sudden stop. If you did get in a collision, in a very real sense, you would be at fault even though the other driver came into your lane! Other times you will be stuck behind a slow moving truck, trapped in a cloud of dust and exhaust thicker than a dense fog.
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−	Hired drivers and taxis are good because they know their regions well, they know what roads might be under construction or are washed out, what roads are dangerous and what roads are safe. Outside of the major highways, maps have little or no detail and only Chinese names. The rural sign-age you encounter on local roads will also be in Chinese language if there is even a sign at all.
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−	~~[[File:GuizhouDog.jpg\|200px\|left\|thumb\|Our taxi driver looks over food preparations in the back room]]~~
−	But even if you could convince a Chinese car rental company to rent you a car and even if you could read Chinese road signs, and even if you could learn to use the horn and dodge oncoming traffic, the most important reason to hire a driver relates to the bridges themselves. You are there to walk across and under the bridges to take photos and experience the scenery. Many of these bridges do not have safe areas to pull over and park. In some cases, your driver will have to drop you off and park further down the highway and wait for you. In other cases you will want him to take you down to the bottom of the bridge on some unknown side road. A personal driver means having no worries about leaving your car on the side of the road with your belongings left unattended. It means no worries about getting lost, and best of all, no worries about getting in an accident. There is also no cost difference. For a little over a $125, you will have your own personal car and driver for the entire day. No insurance papers or damage waivers to fill out, no unforeseen tows or car repairs, no expensive late fees.
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−	Finally, the best reason you might want a driver is food. When you are up in the mountains, you will not be able to stop off at a Denny’s or a McDonalds. The driver will know what places to avoid. He will not shy away from going into the back of the restaurant to check on the quality and trustworthiness of the meat you will be eating and how it will be prepared.
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−	Now that I have convinced you that hiring a driver is the only way to go, you need to be warned that many drivers cannot be trusted and you will have to pick a driver that can be counted on to serve you and not try to steal or rip you off. If you don’t watch out you could find yourself sitting on the side of some mountain road, your taxi driver having taken off with your belongings, never to be see again.
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−	Due to the long distances between these bridges, there might be days you are going to have to bring all of your luggage with you as your one or two day taxi driver is going to be dropping you off in a different city from the city where you hired him in the morning. That means you will have to entrust your belongings with him as you visit the different bridges. As an outsider in these regions, you are going to stick out like a sore thumb. People might want to take advantage of you if you let them.
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−	~~[[File:ChineseTaxis.jpg\|200px\|right\|thumb\|Driving among 3-wheeled taxis in Guizhou province]]~~
−	If you do not have the money to have a travel agent set you up with your own driver for the entire trip then the best person to find you a good taxi driver each day will be the concierge at the hotel you are staying at. They will have a known pool of drivers that they use and the drivers will be less likely to try anything funny. Even so, a driver knows you are unfamiliar with negotiating and so the price you agree on should be clear and well established before you leave. You should expect to pay him extra if the day extends to 14 hours instead of 12 as you had planned or if you drove 600 miles (966 km) instead of 500 (805 km). All of this should be worked out in advance. You should expect to pay him in cash when you get back to your hotel in the evening. If you have to stay overnight away from his city, you will need to pay for his hotel room. You should also expect to pay for his lunch. It is an inexpensive courtesy that may earn you some points if you get back a little late or want him to do something risky like illegally pulling over in the middle of a bridge, etc. And if you had a great day, why not invite him to dinner when you get back to the hotel. I got along with my driver so well in Guiyang, he agreed to come back the next morning and spend two hours showing me another high bridge I had not know of - for free! When you get into the taxi, always snap a digital photo of his license which should be on the dashboard.
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−	The most important thing you can try to bring with you on a vacation to Western China is another person, whether it be your own spouse, a close friend or a hired Chinese guide. He or she can be a second set of eyes as well as someone who can go along with you when you venture down into some unknown gorge to take photos. I visited many of China’s high bridges with an English speaking Chinese engineering student from Shanghai who handled all of the dealings with the taxis and hotels. He made sure every driver was an honest one as well as telling the driver what will be in store for them. Many of these small taxis have low clearances that are unsuitable for such horrible roads and a driver might not want to head into the mountains to have his car get abused for the same money he can make in the city on normal roads. Communicating your desire to go “off-road” is crucial to finding a good match for a driver. Finally, do not ever agree to go along with a taxi driver who wants to “bring his friend along” for the day. Two guys taking you into the mountains or down a back alley could easily be a setup for a rip-off.
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−	~~[[File:ChinaMapBooks.jpg\|200px\|left\|thumb\|China Road Atlas and regional maps]]~~
−	Once a good driver is found, your biggest hurdle will be communication. The driver will not know English or any other language outside of Chinese, so you will need to be prepared. Prior to leaving for China, you should print out a full size image of every bridge you plan to visit along with the Chinese and English names also printed on the photo. In addition, be sure to print out any maps from this web site with the location and names of the bridges you want to visit as well as purchasing a China Road Atlas that is available at most airports and bookstores. Also good for planning your entire trip is a fold out map like the ones sold by Nelles that cover the general regions of Central and Southern China. People are very un-knowledgeable about bridges. They don’t know the difference between a suspension or a cable stayed bridge. Photos, names and map locations of each bridge will be your only way to show the driver exactly what bridge you want to visit and its general location. Even so, expect to be frustrated as you will get lost from time to time - ultimately the driver is not likely to know these rural back roads any better than you will. Asking locals for directions will often be your only guide.
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−	Outside of the concierges in the nicer 4 or 5 star hotels in the cities of Chongqing, Guiyang and Kunming, people in the western provinces do not speak English or any other foreign language. There are few hotels in most of the smaller cities and towns in the mountains. For those visiting the West Hurong highway, the cities to stay in are Enshi and Yesanguanzhen. Along the Yangtze River, most of the larger cities have hotels that cater to tourists. You should always plan on getting back to a hotel by the end of the day. Driving at night is generally not safe except on the major highways and in the cities. You can read more at http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China. Be sure to scroll down to the section titled “Danger”. Remember, for every mile a person travels on a road in China, the likelihood of getting killed is the same as driving 10 miles in Europe or the U.S.
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−	~~[[File:WushanTrain2.jpg\|200px\|right\|thumb\|An inexpensive but comfortable soft sleeper room on a train to the 3 Gorges region]]~~
−	Now that I’ve covered the nasty side of travel on China’s tough roads, I will go over the easy side of travel - the planes, trains and buses. Unlike most countries in the world where you must buy plane tickets in advance, China’s airports are more like bus terminals where you can sometimes purchase a ticket just a few hours before a flight. Even so, large discounts can be had on the web if you book a ticket on line at least a day in advance. All of the airlines can be compared and purchased on http://english.ctrip.com/. This makes it a perfect way to travel between a larger city like Chongqing or Guiyang with some of the smaller cities like Yichang or Wanxian. Instead of spending 5 hours in a bus you can hop between two cities in just an hour.
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−	Buses may be slower than planes but they are the only form of transportation outside of a taxi that can take you to some of the smaller cities and towns that are in the mountains. In addition to easy accessibility, they also tend to run more frequently than planes and trains and are quite comfortable.
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−	~~[[File:SiduheAduEric.JPG\|300px\|left\|thumb\|Bridge engineer Shijie Du and HighestBridges.com creator Eric Sakowski]]~~
−	Trains are not any quicker than a bus or a taxi but they are incredibly cheap in China and allow you to catch up on sleep or take in the countryside. Train tickets are generally divided into separate classes. The hard and soft seat are the cheapest and most common way to travel but they are often crowded and uncomfortable for long routes. The best is the soft sleeper with only 4 beds to a room and not much more than a hard sleeper where there are 6 beds to a room. Getting a ticket is the most difficult aspect of train travel. Large stations are often crowded and travel during holiday periods should be avoided. You don’t have to worry about eating as all trains have roving trollies and a dining car where cooks can prepare hot Chinese meals. You might want to prepare for the toilets though as they can be dirty and stinky and require you to squat over a hole in the floor, keeping your balance as you try to aim. Finally, expect to bring your own toilet paper - train bathrooms will never have any.
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−	So if you use some common sense and plan out your route carefully, you can have a bridge adventure you will never forget. Just remember that sudden setbacks will come up. Bad weather can come at anytime. Cars, buses and trains break down. Also remember that the advice I have given to you is no substitute for all of the normal, travel related things that you would have to prepare for on any big trip to China that are mentioned in such guidebooks as Lonely Planet or Fodors. The process of obtaining travel insurance, visas, permits and vaccinations are all well described in these books and beyond the scope of this website. Since I have traveled to western China several times, I do have some good contacts with drivers who have visited some of these high bridges and are trustworthy. If you are planning a bridge trip to western China, I will be glad to give you any advice and suggestions. You can reach me at eric@highestbridges.com
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−	~~= Additional Bridge Information =~~
−	* [[10 Great Bridge Books and Web Sites]]
−	* [[World's 20 Highest Bridges Poster]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:27, 26 September 2017
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−	~~[[File:Minpu.jpg\|400px\|right\|thumb\|Minpu is Shanghai city's longest span bridge at 708 meters]]~~
−	While Minpu might only rank 10th longest among the world's cable stayed spans, this Shanghai monster is the world's largest double decker cable stayed bridge with a massive truss that carries 6 lanes on top and 4 on the bottom. Could it be the world's heaviest cable stayed bridge span?
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−	~~Nearby single tower road and rail Minpu 2 Bridge also deserves some respect when it comes to size with a double decker main span of 251 meters.~~

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:26, 26 September 2017
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−	~~[[File:Jingzhou.jpg\|400px\|right\|thumb\|Jingzhou Bridge]]~~
−	~~Located in Shashi, a city rarely visited by foreigners, the 500 meter span of Jingzhou Bridge ranks it among the 30 longest cable stayed spans on earth.~~

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−	~~[[File:Jintang.jpg\|400px\|left\|thumb\|Jintang Bridge is one of the world's top 20 cable stayed spans]]~~
−	The centerpiece of one of the longest sea crossings in the world, the huge blue towers of the Jintang Bridge support a large main span of 620 meters that is once again, longer then any cable stayed span in North or South America. The huge viaduct is one of 3 island hopping bridges that also include Xihoumen, the second longest span suspension bridge on earth.
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−	~~[[File:Jiujiang.jpg\|300px\|right\|thumb\|The central truss-arch span of Jiujiang Railway bridge is 709 feet]]~~
−	~~Built in the grand style of the previous railway bridges at Wuhan and Nanjing, the Jiujiang railway bridge finally opened in 1992 after years of difficulties during its construction.~~
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−	~~[[File:Luzhou2ndBeam.jpg\|300px\|left\|thumb\|Luzhou's second crossing opened in 2003]]~~
−	~~Luzhou is one of the last major cities on the upper Yangtze to have more then one bridge crossing. Three 170 meter spans make up the concrete beam 2nd Luzhou Bridge crossing.~~

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−	The 4-lane G42 highway glides almost 200 meters above the reservoir filled Tangixhe canyon on a monster-sized span of 755 feet that is held aloft by the 15th highest bridge piers in the world at 156 meters. The bridge deck may be as high as 200 meters if measured to the old level of the Tangxi River.


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−	Yet another entry among the world's top 20 cable stayed spans, Taoyaomen connects two ocean islands separated by a very deep channel within the Zhoushan Island Archipelago with a giant span of 580 meters.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:22, 26 September 2017
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	Just downstream of the giant Wanxian arch is the more conventional but no less beautiful Wanzhou No. 2 suspension bridge which was completed in 2004 to give Wanzhou residents a crossing of the Yangtze on the north side of the city.		Just downstream of the giant Wanxian arch is the more conventional but no less beautiful Wanzhou No. 2 suspension bridge which was completed in 2004 to give Wanzhou residents a crossing of the Yangtze on the north side of the city.

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−	~~[[File:Wuhan2nd.jpg\|300px\|left\|thumb\|Wuhan's 2nd crossing has a span of "only" 400 meters]]~~
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−	~~The second of Wuhan's soon to be 10 Yangtze crossings, the appropriately named Wuhan 2nd Crossing Bridge came in 1995 - almost 40 years after the famous 1957 road and rail bridge was completed.~~