I could wax lyrical about this place until the cows come home, but what they say about a picture speaking a thousand words is so true when it comes to Tibet. Here are some photos from the 6 days I spent there. If you’re moderately interested in visiting this jewel of a place, now is the time – the Chinese are constructing up a storm there and I fear it won’t be the same for much longer.
globe trotting
47 hours on a train
Brad Pitt spent 7 years in Tibet. I spent 47 hours on a train getting there. Thus, I feel like we have gone through the same journey and are effectively the same person. I’m just waiting for Angelina Jolie to jump out of the cupboard and tell me I’m married to her, and then I’ll be quite content to die thereafter. All my life goals would have been met!
Zhangjiajie -you need to see this place!
First off, don’t ask me how to pronounce this word. Think you say Jung Jea Jee but who the hell knows. Seriously though, this is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. Not just in China, but in the world. We throw around this phrase of ‘it took my breath away’ without actually experiencing it. Wait until you see the stone pillars for the first time – it’s like being hit in the chest with a club!
Guangzhou in photos
Guangzhou – I’ll be honest, in planning my Chinese trip, this city was only on the plan because it serves as a convenient transit hub to Zhangjiajie. Guangzhou is a big, modern city that is trying really hard to compete with the best of them. Here I am typing this and I’m certainly glad I spent a couple days there, if for anything, the architecture is amazing. Here are some pics from the few days spent here.
24 hours in Yangshuo
I try to condense my posts down to the Chinese province level as I don’t want to bore you with details of every place I see but Yangshuo needs some attention. The idea to write this came to me whilst holding on for dear life to my 60 year old motorbike driver whilst he was navigating the worst potholes in history. Did I mention on a motorbike? No helmet (and my brain is kind of a sensitive issue). At the time, I thought I’d lose a limb, but now that I’m safe and sound on a bus, we can joke about it a little!
The Dinks In Transit guide to Hong Kong
Hong Kong. Wow. You’re one of those cities we all hear grand stories about. The sceptic in me kept on warning me not to built up unrealistic expectations that won’t be met when I arrive. Unrealistic expectations… not in Hong Kong. This city is so easy to love! From the moment you see the harbour and the skyscrapers, I just wanted more and more of the place!
The not so glamorous side to backpacking
Let me start off by saying backpacking isn’t for ants. Yes, it’s an amazing opportunity to see the world and conserve limited cash and all that. But you know that already. This post is about what they don’t tell you about!
The Trans Siberian – route marker 5,642km
Greetings from Ulan-Ude! Same ring as London? New York maybe? No, you’re wrong. More like Poffadder. The towns claim to fame is that it has a gigantic statue on Vladimir Lenin’s head. Ulan Ude is a shower stop for me – I can’t stomach the idea of a 35 hour trip to Mongolia so decided to have a pitstop in this metropolis.
The Trans Siberian railway and the drunk Russian called Serg
I’m currently writing to you from a town called Krasnoyarsk, about 4065 km’s from Moscow. Getting here wasn’t a small deal – it meant the longest train trip yet – another 2400kms, passing through 2 more time zones and officially crossing the Ural Mountains – effectively the marker that separates the European side of Russia with the Siberian side of Russia.
Dinks in Transit 