Driving around Yunnan in the spring is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. There were rolling hills filled with lilac and white azaleas, small yellow rapeseed fields and every now and then a few trees filled with pink or white blossom. Truly stunning. Continue reading
Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge
The Yunnan 10 day tour involved a trek of Tiger Leaping Gorge. I know me and my fear of heights and a 7-9 hour arduous, difficult and perilous trek with narrow paths and sheer cliffs is not my thing so I went for the soft option and took a taxi. Continue reading
I am sure that some time ago Lijiang was an absolutely gorgeous town. Very picturesque and quaint. Narrow streets, wooden houses with red lanterns, canals and pretty stone bridges. Continue reading
Xizhou was exceptional in that there were no tourists whatsoever. The town is not geared up for that and it was just wonderful to experience an authentic town. We walked down a street with shops selling pyjamas, slippers or even burial clothes which are the traditional Chinese blue shirts and trousers that people seldom wear on a daily basis, even caught a glimpse of a barber in the midst of shaving someone’s head. Continue reading
Long gone are the days where you could arrive in some distant land and be the only tourist there. In China there are 1.3 billion people potentially willing to travel, so the main sights in China are packed full of Chinese tourists. The odd thing is they seem to travel in groups and stick to the main drag, once you leave that you hardly see anyone. Continue reading
Was I ready for China again? Would China part 2 be ok? Well, I was charged double by the taxi from the airport and checking into my hotel took about an hour where I had to use mime, play Pictionary and use a translation app. Continue reading
I was really looking forward to going to China to see my son who is studying Chinese in the city of Tianjin, about half an hour from Beijing. It was lovely to see him and fuss and spoil as mothers do and truth be told, he fussed and spoiled me too. It was fabulous. Continue reading
