Yangshuo and Ping'an: A Week in the Country

After an unpleasantly early flight from Shanghai, I took an hour-long taxi ride from Guilin airport to the small town of Yangshuo, nestled between the Karst mountains. We drove through small rural farming communities between the lush green mountains which jut out dramatically from the flats in between. Geologically, these mountains are the result of techtonic movements which thrust limestone sediments up from the sea bed to heights of over 200m. Many thousands of years of erosion followed this to generate the bizarre and beautiful landscape of Guilin and the surrounding region.

Arriving at my hotel I was immediately calmed by the serene setting and quaint style of the eco hotel by the banks of the Yulong river. It was such an incredible contrast to Shanghai, and the constant noise and bustle of the Chinese cities I have visited so far. For the first time since I arrived in China over 2 weeks ago, everything was quiet. Butterflies flitted by and hummingbirds visited the beautiful pink and red flowers planted around the hotel. I sat by the river bank and drank a mug of ginger tea, watching the small bamboo rafts sail past. It was as though every bit of stress from the preceding weeks (and months!) of my life immediately left my body. I decided to treat myself to a nap.

Into the Paddies

Today I'm flying over to Guilin for a week of bamboo boats and rice paddies in Yangshuo and Ping'an.

Shanghai: A Breath of Not-So-Fresh Air

I arrived in Shanghai in the early evening and took the subway to my hostel. I had arranged to meet a friend from Tokyo there so after dropping my stuff off in my room I headed up to the hostel bar and we had a few beers on the lovely roof top terrace. I was noticeably warmer in Shanghai and I was enjoying for the first time in my trip not having to wear a scarf and hat in the evenings (and early mornings). I was pretty tired from travelling so went to bed fairly early, and set my alarm for a sociably late time in the morning (I was sick of early starts after 3 days on the Yangtze river). 

My first morning in Shanghai I had a lovely lie-in and a leisurely breakfast before doing a little work. In the afternoon Sam and I headed out to explore Shanghai. I wanted to see the famous bund buildings and the pudong sky line across the river. It seemed a fairly simple walk from our hostel, so we wandered out. Instantly, the pollution was noticeable. It was a particularly smoggy day and my sinuses and eyes were hurting and my nose running within minutes of leaving the hostel. When we got to the river bank the skyline, although impressive, was very, very smoggy. Some buildings were difficult to make out behind the pollution.

Flight to Shanghai

Cruising the Yangtze River

After a wonderful but all too brief couple of days in Chengdu, I caught a train to Chonqing. I departed from Chengdu's shiny new train station, Chengdu East, which was a stark contrast to the somewhat run-down station I had seen in Beijing. The train too was fairly swanky, and a fast train that runs up to 200km per hour, meaning you can get to Chonqing in just 2 hours. I was exhausted, and slept for a little on the train, but when I awoke about an hour in I tried to force my eyes to stay open and witness my first real view of rural China, with the ramshackle houses and terraced farms. The extremely hilly, lush landscape was really pretty.

Arriving into Chonqing was also a much more pleasant experience than Xi'an had been. It was busy, but tolerably so (have I just been in China too long?), and it felt more ordered and clean. I also wasn't immediately hassled by beggars, and this time, my transfer was waiting for me. We drove to the docks on the Yangtze river in about 20 minutes, and my guide helped me to check in to my luxury 5* cruise ship (which had been upgraded when the one I booked was cancelled!). As I suspected, my new roommate would be Julie, a lovely Canadian girl I had met in Chengdu. They'd told me they would try and pair me with another single female traveller, so when we'd realised the previous day that we were on the same ship, it seemed likely we'd be paired together, and we were. (Although I later discovered that they'd tried to pair Julie with an elderly Chinese lady, but she had specifically requested that we share a room instead). 

Down the Yangtze River

Today I catch a train to Chonqing and then board a 3-day cruise down the Yangtze river, finishing in Yichang.

Chengdu: Home of the Giant Panda

After a short flight I arrived in Chengdu and felt immediately happier - my hotel was located on a delightful old traditional street full of tea houses and ornate buildings, the type of thing I had imagined when I first thought of visiting china, and infinitely better than the character-less hotel I had stayed at in Xi'an. Somehow I felt instantly calmed. After settling in I headed out to explore a little of Chengdu - just down the street was wenhua park, known as the culture park. I had a little stroll around the lush green park, and watched the local people engaging in the popular group dances, and old ladies playing Mahjong (a traditional tile-based game that I am yet to fathom) and sipping green tea. Exiting at the south gate, I then headed into the neighbouring Taoist temple Qingtang Temple. I have never been anywhere that felt so calm and serene. It was exactly the antidote to Xi'an that I needed. The temple was beautiful - a series of small shrines filled with golden Buddhas, nestled amongst lush green vegetation and beautiful incense burners. Definitely the best 10 rmb I have spent so far. 

Flight to Chengdu

Xian: Not My Cup of Green Tea

As a traveller it as much about the experience of another culture as it is about the sights and views, and I always try to enjoy immersing myself in a new place. However, I'm afraid there is little good I can say about my experience of Xi'an.

I arrived by sleeper train around 8am, bleary-eyed and looking forward to checking into a hotel for a few nights of luxurious solitude. I had arranged a driver to pick me up from the station. But when I got off the train and emerged into the crowds of beggars, touts and everyday Chinese travellers in Xi'an, he was nowhere to be seen. As it turns out, his company had told him I was arriving on a later train, and it is only because my train was delayed, and through the kindness of my sleeper train  bunk-mate, that I was able to survive this experience relatively unscathed. When I got to my hotel, I was absolutely exhausted and in a pretty foul mood, so I went up to my room for a nap. I awoke refreshed a few hours later and went to explore the city. My hotel was located right next to the famous Bell Tower, with the Drum Tower just down the road. So, I explored the area a little and found a bustling street market where I was able to get some street food to fill my stomach - fried quails eggs on a stick and some  very spicy, but tasty, tofu. Although there was lots  of meat available as well, I didn't much fancy it, and figured I was being smart to avoid it and the potential food poisoning it promised.

Overnight Train to the Terracotta Army

Beijing: Welcome to Red China

On my final morning in Japan I lugged my bags over to Kyoto station and caught a train to Osaka Kansai airport for my late afternoon flight to China. Knowing I would soon be stuck behind the great firewall, after checking my bags my next priority was to find some free wifi and get my last fix of social media. Thankfully this turned out to be fairly easy, and I spent an hour or so making final contact with friends and making sure I had everybody's email addresses so that I could stay in touch during my 3 weeks in China. I left it quite late to go through security, unsure as to whether there would be wifi on the other side. As my flight drew nearer I finally persuaded myself to let go of the internet and go through airport security. When  I arrived at the correct security gate, liquids and tablet in hand, I discovered that they were not providing free ziplock bags for your liquids. They directed me downstairs to a drug store where I could buy one. So, rather briskly, I headed down to the shop, and bought a ziplock bag. I rushed back upstairs and across the airport to security, anxious that time was now running quite short. As I unpacked my belongings into the plastic airport security tray a chill ran down my spine. Where was my purse? I knew it had been in my hand when I first approached security. I frantically checked my bag and my pockets but it was gone. In my haste, I must have left it downstairs in the shop. So for the second time that afternoon, I dashed across Osaka airport, now panicked both due to the lack of time, and the possibility that I may never be reunited with my purse (containing many, although not all of my cards - I'm not THAT stupid!). When I got to the shop the girl, who had served me previously, looked relieved and together we ran up the escalator to the information desk where she had handed it in. I breathed a deep sigh of relief as the lady handed me back my purse. But time was now running desperately short and so I ran back over to security for the third time. Red faced and out of breath, I put my belongings into the security tray and headed through. They had a pretty good look at my e-cigarette and the spare oil I brought for it, but let me through no problems. I made it to my gate about 5 minutes before boarding. Turns out there was free wifi on the other side.

Flying to China

Today I leave Japan and travel to the next country on my tour - China. This morning I'll be getting a train over to Osaka where I board my flight to Beijing, arriving around 7pm (local time)

Kyoto: Overdosing on Temples

My trip so far has been extremely busy and I am now painfully behind on my blogging, so as I write this post I am sat on a bus to visit the Great Wall of china. However, this post is about my wonderful 3 days in Kyoto, and the second half of my Japanese experience. 

On my last day in Tokyo I awoke early and packed up my bag (how is it that luggage always seems to expand as you travel?). I had planned to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) down to Kyoto in the afternoon, but before I left I wanted to check out one last shrine - the Sensoji shrine about 30 minutes walk from my hostel. So I stowed my main bag at the hostel and headed out. The walk was fairly straight forward and soon I found myself at the end of a long narrow street lined with stalls, and decorated with the beautiful orange and red Japanese maple leaves that make Tokyo so beautiful at this time of year. The street was absolutely rammed with people, and it took a further 10 minutes to get through the crowds to the shrine. It was Saturday, and it felt as though everyone in Japan had come here. Amongst the ornate buildings were large incense burners which are used as a form of prayer to make wishes for luck and prosperity. Inside the temple itself people followed another Japanese prayer ritual practised at many Buddhist shrines - you first offer a small monetary donation, then bow twice, clap twice, bow and then clap again. This also is thought to be a way to make wishes. Around the temple were many other forms of entertainment, including a group of around 20 girls doing gymnastics.

Bullet Train to Kyoto

I'm catching a bullet train down to Kyoto today!

A Few Photos From Tokyo

I wasn't able to get any photos to upload with my blog post for Tokyo, but I've reduced file sizes so hopefully this will work. Here are just a few pictures from my time in Tokyo.

Totally Tokyo

First stop on my Asia adventure was Tokyo - land of technology, anime, and sushi. I arrived at 9am after an 11 hour flight in which I achieved a grand total of 3 hours sleep, exhausted, confused and desperate to find my way to my hostel and my bed as soon as possible. After a fairly smooth passage through immigration, I managed to find my way over to the train station where I was confronted for the first time by the Japanese rail (JR) and subway system. Thankfully, two years living in London prepared me well for following the transport system and I have subsequently found it pretty easy to get around, but in my sleep-deprived, jet-lagged state it was all a bit much. Eventually I found a manned ticket office and the lady there was able to sort me out with a ticket and pointed me in the right direction for my train. Which I missed by about 30 seconds (typical!) and had to wait 40 minutes for the next one.

Departure Lounge: To Japan

Today I begin my 4-month adventure!

I fly to Tokyo this afternoon, arriving around 9am (local time) tomorrow morning.

Travel Prep: Asia and Australasia

I am now in the final weeks of preparation before I depart on my adventure around Asia and Australasia. I will be gone for 4½ months and visit 10 different countries. Logistically, it is rather complicated. In terms of visas and entry requirements, just finding out what you need and what is and isn't allowed is a mammoth task in itself. So, here is some of the wisdom I've gained along the way. 

Asia Adventure

Hello, stranger!

Great news - I'm planning another trip, which means more posts here very soon. This time I'm indulging myself in some purely recreational travel, no field work! And, I'm finally going to make it over to Asia, one continent I've not been lucky enough to visit before.

I'll be jetting off on November 13th for 4 months travel around southeast Asia and Australasia. Here's a list of the places I plan to visit:

• Japan
• China
• Vietnam
• Cambodia
• Thailand
• Laos
• Borneo
• Bali
• Komodo, Flores, Rinca
• Australia
• New Zealand

Watch this space for new travel updates very soon! 

Wild Travel: Leopard Sighting in South Africa

Here's a video I recently posted on youtube showing a baby leopard we saw during a safari in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa.