Before I start here, I want to mention again about the terrible flooding that happened in Yangshuo before we arrived, which obviously doesn't fit with my light hearted title. Floods occur every year in this area, however they are usually very minor, just ankle deep which the buildings and businesses are set up to deal … Continue reading Relaxation With A Pinch Of Panic
Neither my husband or I have ever been on a cruise before, the closest comparison we had would have been an over night ferry. So our three day cruise down the Yangtze river was a first. It started out with a surprise as we found out that the river is not actually called the Yangtze, … Continue reading Our First Cruise
A visit to Chengdu can mean only one thing, visiting the Panda sanctuary, or at least that is the common perception. It is a bit of a shame actually, as the city itself is interesting. We did of course go and see the pandas, but the day before we went for a hot-pot, as this … Continue reading We Didn’t Say No To Panda
In China longevity has a very important place in their culture and on our last full day in Emei Shan we actually visited near-by Leshan and saw three different sides to longevity. The day started with a trip to the Leshan Buddha, our local guide, Patrick, was good enough to arrange transport for the group, half of … Continue reading It Is All About Longevity
We arrived in Emei Shan after a 20 hour sleeper train, so we were pretty exhausted and ready to relax. Luckily the accommodation during our stay at Emei Shan was in a buddhist monastery. As we entered the monastery I could feel the serenity washing over me. After freshening up in the communal showers, … Continue reading A Shortcut to Monkeys
As we leave China I feel I should do a short update. We are three weeks into our new adventure now and coming towards the end of our first organised tour. I am writing this from a bullet train en-route to Hong Kong, which although part of China in name doesn't seem to be in … Continue reading China Update
I had been looking forward to seeing the terracotta warriors for a long time, perhaps that is why it didn't quite live up to my expectations. On our way to the warriors our guide explained a bit of the history behind the famous warriors. The emperor who built the terracotta warriors was called Qin Shi … Continue reading Terracotta Warriors
If you know me, you know I am not religious. The closest thing to religion I would relate to is Humanism, which isn't quite the same thing. That being said I still respect other people's religions, I also enjoy learning things I didn't know about them and admiring the beauty created in the name of the … Continue reading A Day Of Religion
If there is one thing that China is famous for it is walls. We had just arrived in Xi'an after a 15 hour overnight hard sleeper train from Shanghai and couldn't wait to stretch our legs, which was just as well really given the next thing on our itinerary was to cycle round the city … Continue reading Cycling Around On A Wall
The biggest impression Shanghai left on me was CROWDS. If I am honest I really didn’t enjoy Shanghai as much as I enjoyed Beijing or have been enjoying myself in Xi’an. I wouldn’t say I didn’t like the city or that I didn’t have some highlights during my time there, it just didn’t have the … Continue reading Shanghai
Quite Ready For Another Adventure 