Chengdu wasn’t actually part of our plans for China, it was in the opposite direction to everywhere else we were going but it seemed a marvellous idea after a few beers in a bar in Xi’an and we found ourselves joining our friends, occupying a...
As far as pre-death preparations go, the Army of Terracotta Warriors take burial planning to the extreme. Soon after Qin Shi Huang became Emperor in the 3rd century BC he ordered the vast tomb to be built. He spent the afterlife buried with a mighty clay...
The ancient walled city of Xi’an is a feast for the eyes, the senses and the taste buds. Brimming with history and culture it requires a few days to take in all it has to offer. Xi’an was certainly my favourite city in China, I...
The Great Wall snakes over the mountain ridges of northern China like the backbone of a mighty dragon. A crumbling monument of stone from the distant past that enthrall visitors today yet was built to keep out marauding invaders from the west. The only marauding...
One of the simplest and most enjoyable pleasures in Beijing is to spend time in many of its wonderful parks. These parks range from an attractive place to sit or stroll to the grand parklands of the Summer Palace or the Temple of Heaven. In...
Our favourite site in Beijing was definitely the Summer Palace, we spent a sunny day exploring this fabulous royal park and found it far more absorbing than the Forbidden City. Maybe it was the glittering lake or the leafy parkland, whatever it was we thoroughly...
Tiananmen Square marks the symbolic end to the Trans-Mongolian rail journey, stepping into this historic square romantically represents the end of the line, one iconic square to another, Red Square in Moscow to Tiananmen Square in Beijing 7826 kilometres away. It was the conclusion to...
Ulaanbaatar After our little adventure around the wide open spaces of the Gobi desert it felt strange to be confined in chaotic, noisy Ulaanbaatar. In the two full days left in Mongolia we saw an excellent cultural show, with traditional throat singing, I had and...
