by Rick Griffin
The deadline is the end of this month to register for the Santee Chamber of Commerce’s tour of China, March 31 to April 8, 2014. The trip includes visits to the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing, as well as Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, Hanshan Temple and the National Embroidery Institute in Suzhou, Lingyin Temple with a 64.3-foot camphor-wood-carved Buddha in Hangzhou and the Yu Garden and Pudong economic development zone in Shanghai. Cost begins at $2,399 per person, which includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, accommodations in five-star hotels, three meals per day, admission to tours and attractions, English-speaking tour guides, intra-city transportation and airport shuttles. For more information, contact John Olsen or Aremy Barrera at the Santee Chamber, (619) 449-6572.