Greetings One and All
We are on the road to China for 8 days. Our main purpose of this trip is to visit and photograph the Harbin Ice Festival.
We are on the road to China for 8 days. Our main purpose of this trip is to visit and photograph the Harbin Ice Festival.
Last Years Photos from Visit China web page
Known as the “Ice City” of Harbin, we have learned the temperatures can be rather cold. We are expecting temperatures from a high of 10F to -10F. The temperatures could be even colder, my hope is there is no wind. The cold will be a challenge for the camera gear. We are used to the cold and have the proper gear. We subscribe to the old Norwegian saying: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”.
Our journey starts in Beijing for two nights before we fly to Harbin. Our one full day in Beijing is currently open and activities will be weather dependent, maybe a trip to The Great Wall. I am looking forward to eating at the night market, love the street food there.
Originally I was thinking we would take a train to Harbin. Previously we have used a local broker to make train arrangements for us in China. They advised me while trains to Harbin are reliable, acquiring tickets is a hit or miss at the 30 day window. They suggested we fly, so that is what we will be doing.
We then have 4 nights and 3 days in Harbin. While in Harbin, we have arranged for a local guide, driver and a car. This will help us get our bearings and let us cover a good bit of ground during those days. Our last day will be on our own, returning to sights we want to explore and photo further.
While in Harbin we will explore snow and ice buildings, ice carvings, snow sculptures, an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, tigers, and more.
Many have asked how we pack for such a trip and keep the weight down. Currently our checked bags weigh 25 and 29 pounds. We have a weight limit of 40 pounds on the domestic flight.
We have several different bags and chose which one to use depending on the trip. We have a master list with all the weights of each piece of luggage we have. As this trip will involve cold weather we are packing light weight garments which can be layered. Our outer layer will be our Nat Geo Antarctica coats and Cabelas cold weather guide pants. One pair of extreme cold weather boots will be the only shoes we are taking and should be all we need.
We always pack a substantial first-aid kit, just to be prepared along with Duck Tape and a few repair items. The Scrubba will be there for laundry as needed. We usually pack some instant coffee, tea and dry soups for warm drinks. When you come in from the cold this is just a nice comfort thing.
We split our clothing between our checked bags and here is our packing list for this trip. Lynn makes these lists as we pack so we know what has been packed and in which bag.
Here is a picture of our list which was made as we packed.
Known as the “Ice City” of Harbin, we have learned the temperatures can be rather cold. We are expecting temperatures from a high of 10F to -10F. The temperatures could be even colder, my hope is there is no wind. The cold will be a challenge for the camera gear. We are used to the cold and have the proper gear. We subscribe to the old Norwegian saying: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”.
Our journey starts in Beijing for two nights before we fly to Harbin. Our one full day in Beijing is currently open and activities will be weather dependent, maybe a trip to The Great Wall. I am looking forward to eating at the night market, love the street food there.
Originally I was thinking we would take a train to Harbin. Previously we have used a local broker to make train arrangements for us in China. They advised me while trains to Harbin are reliable, acquiring tickets is a hit or miss at the 30 day window. They suggested we fly, so that is what we will be doing.
We then have 4 nights and 3 days in Harbin. While in Harbin, we have arranged for a local guide, driver and a car. This will help us get our bearings and let us cover a good bit of ground during those days. Our last day will be on our own, returning to sights we want to explore and photo further.
While in Harbin we will explore snow and ice buildings, ice carvings, snow sculptures, an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, tigers, and more.
Many have asked how we pack for such a trip and keep the weight down. Currently our checked bags weigh 25 and 29 pounds. We have a weight limit of 40 pounds on the domestic flight.
We have several different bags and chose which one to use depending on the trip. We have a master list with all the weights of each piece of luggage we have. As this trip will involve cold weather we are packing light weight garments which can be layered. Our outer layer will be our Nat Geo Antarctica coats and Cabelas cold weather guide pants. One pair of extreme cold weather boots will be the only shoes we are taking and should be all we need.
We always pack a substantial first-aid kit, just to be prepared along with Duck Tape and a few repair items. The Scrubba will be there for laundry as needed. We usually pack some instant coffee, tea and dry soups for warm drinks. When you come in from the cold this is just a nice comfort thing.
We split our clothing between our checked bags and here is our packing list for this trip. Lynn makes these lists as we pack so we know what has been packed and in which bag.
Here is a picture of our list which was made as we packed.
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