East Asia
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The Longji Rice Terraces
The Longji Rice Terraces sit high above the villages of Longsheng County, about 100km northwest of Guilin. They have been cultivated for over 600 years, beginning in the Yuan dynasty and continued to develop through the Ming and Qing periods. The terraces follow the mountain contours up to altitudes of 1100m. My visit was timed…
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Impression Lui Sanjie, Yangshuo
The Impression Liu Sanjie show in Yangshuo is one of the most spectacular outdoor performances in China. With over 600 local performers and taking place on a section of the Li River with 12 karst limestone peaks forming the backdrop, it is visually stunning. And a must-see when visiting Yangshuo. The show debuted in 2004…
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The First and Second Sino-Japanese Wars
After a long 7+ hour train ride from Zhangjiajie to Guilin and a delay in getting picked up by the guide, who some how went to the wrong train station to pick me up, we jumped straight into sightseeing in Guilin City. Something that has come up quite a few times on this trip has…
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Bamboo Rafting in Yangshuo
After arriving in Yangshuo via a cruise down the Li River, I had the rest of today and tomorrow morning to experience the best this small town, south of Guilin, has to offer. The selection of activities to pick from was extensive and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do everything. So I opted…
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A River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo
The 4-hour cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo along the Li River is considered one of China’s top scenic experiences and the highlight of visiting the Guilin region. The karst limestone landscape is iconic – it is frequently seen in Chinese art and even appears on the country’s 20 RMB banknote. The starting point for most…
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The Cave and the Elephant of Guilin
I arrived in Guilin mid-afternoon after a 7-hour train ride from Zhangjiajie and headed straight into the small city to start sightseeing. Guilin lies in the northeastern part of Guanxi Zhuang Autonomous Province in southern China and is famous for its dramatic karst limestone hills, lakes, caves and rivers. The city’s name translates to mean…
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FengHuang Ancient Town
A local legend says that two phoenixes’ flew over and were so taken with the beauty of this ancient town that they lingered, giving it the name FengHuang or Phoenix. This ancient town is located within the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province. The Tuojiang River runs through the town, defining its…
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Furong – An Ancient Waterfall Town
Furong ancient town is one of Hunan Province’s most unique towns, built along the steep cliffs above the You River and with a waterfall cascading right through the middle of town. Furong is especially special at night, when the entire riverside is lit by glowing lanterns, and the waterfall is illuminated. Furong Zhen was originally…
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A Cloudy Day on Tianmen Mountain
Not every day of a year-long travelling adventure can be perfect. And this was just one of those times where I had to accept that the weather was not good and I would have to suck it up and enjoy what I could. I had hoped that after a pretty cloudy day in Zhangjiajie National…
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A Cloudy Day in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is located in northwestern Hunan Province, and is one of China’s most spectacular landscapes. It is a dream-like scenic area with sandstone pillars that reach into the clouds, mist and thick forest. And it is the inspiration for the ‘Hallelujah mountains’ that feature as the stunning background of the Avatar movie.…
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Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon
Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon lies about 40km east of Zhangjiajie City. It is a lush, deep gorge carved by the Lishui river and its tributaries. The canyon is a subtropical forested valley with steep quartz sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, caves and clear streams. It formed over hundreds of millions of years through a combination of tectonic uplift,…
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Earthquake Risk in Tibet
Tibet lies within one of the world’s most tectonically active zones. Earthquake hazard in the region is tied to the ongoing collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Active faults criss-cross Tibet, with strike-slip faults in the north and west, normal faulting trending from north to south and thrust faults along the Himalayas. There are…
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Magnificent Everest
Our first glimpse of Mount Everest came just as the sun was rising at the first pass of many that we would be travelling over today. Our goal was to reach Everest Base Camp in the late afternoon. The light was perfectly catching the East side of the mountain and the mountain stood so distinctly…
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Climate Change in Tibet
Climate change is hitting Tibet especially hard, and many scientists describe the region as ‘the third pole’ because of its vast reserves of water and gases in glaciers and permafrost. Below is a brief overview of what is being observed in Tibet: Tibet is the ‘water tower of Asia’ and so climate change here has…
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Sakya – A Fortified Monastery
The monastery was founded in the 11th century by Khon Konchok Gyalpo, a member of the Khon family. The Khon family were important within Tibetan Buddhism at the time, and established a new school of Tibetan Buddhism here called the Sakya School during what is known as the ‘second spread of Buddhism in Tibet’. Something…
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Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and A Chum Festival
Tashi Lhunpo is a major Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Shigatse, Tibet. It was founded in 1447 by Gedun Drupa who later became the first Dalai Lama. And it is traditionally the seat of the Panchen Lamas, the second highest line of reincarnated lamas in the Gelug school after the Dalai Lama. We were lucky enough…
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Lhasa to Gyantse along the Friendship Highway
Today we departed Lhasa on our way to Gyantse along one of the most scenic and historically important routes in Tibet. In total it is about 260km and takes about 8-9 hours when you include stops to enjoy the scenery. We would be travelling along the Friendship Highway for the next few days, the main…
Colette's Grand Detour 