ZHAOQING TO ZHAOQING - BIKING We start and end this trip with a bus directly from the school to Zhaoqing or we can boat in and train out for variety. Located in South China, Guangdong Province this trip can happen pretty much all year round. Cycling from Zhaoqing through rural China we will head west through Guangdong Province entering Guangxi Province and enjoying some forested areas to the Yan Yan crags region as well as schools and cottage industries enroute. We end at the Winding Dragon Gorge. Cave exploring, night markets, village experiences,beautiful waterfalls and great road riding will be the highlights.

 

KAIPING TO ENPING - BIKING We start with a coach ride to the Kaiping area of Southern China, 4 hours from Hong Kong. We will ride bikes heading West and South in a loop ending along the southern coast.  We will start our trip in an area famous for their historic castle houses and the first exodus of Chinese to the West – "Castle Lane". We will travel through Enping, along the coast toLocated in South China, Guanghai and back to our end destination of Taishan. A boat ride from the southern metropolis of Jiangmen will bring us back to Hong Kong. The castle houses or "Diao Lou" of this area are very unique. The area has been classified as a World Heritage site. This is our least hilly bike tour filled with miles and miles of rural Chinese countryside. Opportunities to stop and visit with the villagers, help in some rice harvest or "Peanut Pulling" abound. Located in South China this trip can happen pretty much all year round.

   

YANGSHAN TO THE YAO FARM – BIKING OR HIKING We travel directly from the School to the center of Guangdong, S.China. We will visit a local school, teach English and play basketball. We will travel through the Central Crags of Guangdong, visit some historical sites and head on into the Yao Minority areas of North Guangdong. We will visit a "10,000" year old village of the Yao minorities King . We will have opportunities to bring useful items to local schools and offer service. We will work with Go2Serve Foundation and their efforts of empowerment for the local Yao minority. Much of our service will be facilitated through the work of Go2Serve Foundation Hong Kong - www.go2servefoundation.org As the fundraising portion of the fee is channeled directly into the projects visited on the trip, the students will be able to see how their impact will last far beyond their time in China. Part of that work will involve visiting families receiving helps, understanding the cottage industries that are being implemented such as silk worm and fruit farming. We will be helping with agricultural projects, understanding environmental stewardship and working along side these wonderfully hospitable minority peoples. We will travel back south again to the centre of Guangdong and the Bao Jing Cave complex before returning home.

THE GREAT "WILD" WALL - HIKING  We will fly r/t to Beijing . We will bus 3-4-hours to the farmhouse site. We will hike 20-30 kms along the wilderness Great Wall and stay in a renovated traditional farmhouse and/or schoolhouse. We may camp out 1-night in tents. William Lindesay, who resides in the area, will teach the students about the Great Wall on our hikes. We will have a service day at an orphanage or migrant school and another day to tour Beijing itself.  In 1987 William Lindesay hiked the entire length of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. His book, "Alone on the Great Wall¨ describes his 2,470 kms solo adventure. In 1991 & 1992 Mr. Lindesay retraced the route of the Red Army's Long March and wrote "Marching with Mao: A Biographical Journey." Mr. Lindesay is currently researching the Beijing region of the Great Wall and writing two books for Oxford University Press, Hong Kong. He works closely on wall conservation issues with the Chinese authorities. He has worked with the BBC, Discovery Channel, NBC, The Learning Channel and the National Geographic Traveler.  From our lodgings, the Wall is visible and only a 40-minute walk away. The farmhouse/School contain clean and simply furnished bedrooms. The beds are provided with freshly laundered bedding and the food is very delicious.

SABAH (THE ISLAND OF BORNEO)EAST MALAYSIA – BIKING OR HIKING We will fly r/t from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu. On this tour we will hike or bike the rainforests and rivers of north Borneo. We will sight tropical wildlife, overnight at a Rungus Long House, enjoy a mud bath, raft a river . We may take a rainforest canopy walk, visit the Orangutan rehabilitation centre and Sea Turtle Reserve on the Eastern Coast. Highlights will be many in this tropical paradise and a most meaningful part of our trip will be serving at a school for needy migrant children.

NORTH YUNNAN – BIKING OR HIKING We fly via Kunming to Lijiang. Lijiang is a World Heritage Site. Naxi, Tibetan and Yi minorities live in the area. We will travel to villages in the areas surrounding Lijiang. We will go to Shi Gu the first bend of the Yangtze River and the site where Maos Long March crossed . The power of the Yangtze River at 6,000 foot altitude narrowly squeezes between 18,000 foot peaks into the Tiger Leaping Gorge is an area we will also be able to explore. This trip won't be complete with out a viewing of the amazing Lijiang Experience show and an opportunity to encourage a local kindergarten and their effort to get more children into school.

 

NORTH SICHUAN – BIKING OR HIKING The Northwest corner of Sichuan Province is the “Old Tibet” where the Tibetan Plateau of 3,200+m begins. In this area lie two major tribes of Tibetan being the Khampa and the Baima. The more famous Khampa are nomadic herders of Yak. There entire livelihood is based on this one animal. We are going to find out how. The Baima on the other hand are an ancient warrior tribe who through the centuries settled into the beautiful Jiuzhaigou valley and kept to themselves. Generations of family intermarriage have left a new generation of handicapped children. Through our travels we will gain a first hand understanding of the uniqueness and beauty of Tibetan culture and place while at the same time serve into some very “felt needs” amongst them.  Much of our service will be facilitated through the work of Go2Serve Foundation Hong Kong. www.go2servefoundation.org As the fundraising portion of the fee is channeled directly into the projects visited on the trip, the students will be able to see how their impact will last far beyond their time in China. A unique aspect of this trip is the unique service opportunity in an orphanage as well as assisting in sustainable tourism initiatives benefitting the local Tibetan community.

HAINAN ISLAND – BIKING We will fly to Haikou and return from Sanya back to Hong Kong. Hainan Island faces Vietnam across the South China Sea. The climate is tropical and has great beaches. Two major minority groups, the Li and Miao reside on Hainan Island. After arriving in Haikou, we will ride our coach 2-hours to Wanning/Bai O, the starting point for biking. We will visit a fruit farm and do bamboo rafting. The Qing Hai water preserve offers a very unique ecology where salt and freshwater mix. We will bike down the eastern coast, and then turn inland to Bao Ting – the Li minority capital. On our way to Sanya we will stop at the Bing Lan minority village. Our last nights are at the Holiday Inn at Sanya Bay. Highlights will be helping to construct playground equipment at minority schools which have none as well as working with our friends at Bright Connections Handicapped home – taking their kids out on day trips.

 

YANGSHUO – BIKING OR HIKING We fly r/t directly from Hong Kong to Guilin. Upon arrival we will take a 2-hour bus ride to Yangshuo. We will travel exploring the Yangshuo area. We will see cormorant fishing and the Liu San Jie show staged outside along the river. We will then spend some nights atop the terraced mountains in the Long Sheng minority area. We will travel to villages and the famous Long Ji rice terraces. This is the "hobbit land" so often presented as the quintessential China. As such it is a picture a minute.

GUIZHOU AND THE MIAO MINORITY – BIKING OR HIKING Training into Kaili and flying out of Guiyang, the capitol of Guizhou Province, we will be working in close cooperation with Zigen Foundation and their promotion of human-centred projects in the underprivileged communities of China. Zigen means to nurture at the roots and has a One Country Two Schools program whereby schools in Hong Kong join in a project in rural China and assist in fundraising for the project. From their base we will focus our biking or hiking toward the end of helping them build a meaningful sustainable Social Enterprise for the benefit of the locality. Leishan County, our area of focus has a population of 152,000 composed mostly of Miao 82%, and four other people groups being Shui, Dong, Yao and Han Chinese. This area is one of the poorest and least understood parts of China (and incredibly beautiful). We will have the privilege of staying in the largest Miao Minority village in the world and authentic yet simple stays in others.