We weren’t sure where to head after China but flights to the Philippines were reasonable and laying on a beach sounded rather appealing after the tough hikes in China. The price was basically the same if we flew to South Korea first though so that’s what we planned on doing. It’s not a cheap country…
Tag: culture
Chengdu and it’s Giant Pandas | Our final week in China
After two months exploring China we’ve decided it’s time to leave. We’ve had the most incredible time and seen some of the best scenery in our 16 years travelling around the world but when things start to annoy us in a country we know it’s time to go. Things that were minor and never used…
Exploring the Tibetan villages around Danba
Danba is considered to be one of Sichuan’s gateways into the Tibetan regions but for us it marks the end of our time in this magical area of the world. We had a long walk with our backpacks through Danba to our hostel which was very rustic. I felt like we were backpacking in 2009…
A wild west Tibetan town in western Sichuan
Tagong is a one road town, surrounded by pastures, backed by mountains and full of Wild West charm. It’s home to Tibetans who pride themselves on their horsemanship skills. After exploring the very traditional Tibetan towns of Litang and Garze we were a little surprised to find Tagong had catered to domestic tourists with lots…
Challenges travelling the Tibetan Plateau and hospitable locals
Getting from Litang to Garzi (also known as Ganze) took a long while. We woke up to a fresh layer of snow on the hills, it’s April but Litang sits at 4000m elevation so winter lasts longer up here. We made our way to the shared van area which can be a little intimidating on…
First impressions of a Tibetan town in China | Litang
Our adventures in China are about to change as we make our way through western Sichuan which is part of the Garze Tibetan Prefecture. It’s basically a vast region on the Tibetan plateau where Tibetans live in China. You could call it eastern Tibet and I’ve even heard someone call it ‘Inner Tibet’, similar to…
A wild pilgrimage hike around a 6000m holy mountain | China
It’s time for us to leave Yunnan and make our way into Sichuan province, famous for its spicy food and pandas and while many people visit for those two reasons we’re here for others; the mountains and to visit the Tibetan villages and towns. Our first stop was Yading Nature Reserve which took us about…
Shangri-La and the most important Tibetan monastery in Yunnan | China
The town of Shangri-La used to go by the name of Zhongdian but after the bestselling book called Lost Horizons described a location that resembled the town they decided to rename it. Sadly in 2014 a devastating fire tore through the old town, destroying over 200 wooden houses which were up to 1000 years old….
Exploring Yunnan’s ancient towns | China
It’s time to leave the unseasonably hot weather in Guizhou province and make our way to the high plateau in Yunnan. To get there we had to catch two high speed trains, travelling at speeds of 300kmh until we arrived in the town of Dali which sits at 1975m and is nestled between mountains and…
Meeting the locals in traditional Dong villages | China
Zhaoxing is a traditional village, all made of wood and home to the Dong ethnic minority group. It used to just be a special place where a few western tourists came to see a real Chinese village but with the high speed railway being built it’s brought with it the domestic tourists. Luckily the village…
NON STOP TRAVELLING 