China

 

   

All aboard the Cockroach Express

17 July 2008 | Last Update 30 July 2008

P: Well after Kunming we had to get to the border with Vietnam. The only option is on a sleeper bus. I was pretty eager to try them out as they look really cool from the outside. Buying the tickets was easy enough for a change. We managed to get two beds for the night before we had to leave perfect....

Kunming/Lijiang - return journey

16 July 2008 | Last Update 30 July 2008

A: The softsleeper train turned out to be really enjoyable. We shared our luxury (a little vase with plastic flowers was standing on the table :-)) 4 berth with a mother and her two kids (1 boy aged about 14 and a girl aged about 10). The girl was unable to calm down. She must have been powered with...

Emei Shan - repent for your sins

12 July 2008 | Last Update 30 July 2008

A: The LP guidebook describes Emei Shan as follows: "A cool, misty retreat from the Sichuan basin's sweltering heat, Emei Shan, 130 Km southwest of Chengdu, is one of the Middle Kingdom's four famous Buddhist mountains... Here you will find lush mountain scenery, plantations of tea trees, scads...

Quick pit stop in Chengdu

07 July 2008 | Last Update 25 July 2008

A: The journey on the night train was not that relaxing at all. At some stage (the main lights had already been switched off) I woke up to the shouting of the train attendant. She was shouting at the two Chinese lying opposite to us. First I think that I need to decribe Chinese hardsleeper compartme...

Xi'An and the 8th world wonder

06 July 2008 | Last Update 30 July 2008

A: As often as possible we try to travel by night train in order to save time. Thus we arrived by night train from Pingyao in Xi'An. This time the arranged "free train station pick-up" did not work and we ended up walking to the hostel. It was not that easy to find the hostel as we had to ...

Pingyao: perfect timing once again

05 July 2008 | Last Update 30 July 2008

A: We left Datong by night train for Pingyao. Pingyao is situated south of Datong in the Shanxi Province. As per LP guidebook, Pingyao is "possibly the best preserved ancient walled city in China. Pingyao has a movie-set charm that makes the hearts of even the most hardened expats skip a beat&q...

Datong - we are famous!

04 July 2008 | Last Update 30 July 2008

P We have just left Datong. I hadn't realised we were famous in China.The locals loved us. Datong is a little city north west of Beijing on the line to Xi'an. It does not see many western tourists. We were here to see the Yungang Caves. These are a collection of caves carved into a cliffside. Inside...

From bumps to beeps!

03 July 2008 | Last Update 25 July 2008

P We have arrived safely in China. I was pretty apprehensive about arriving here. After having such a wonderful time in Mongolia I was worried that China would be just hassle. I was pleasantly suprised at how easy Beijing is to handle. The random shouts of hello and the accompanying waves are funny....

      
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