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Where to next? This is a journal about Phil's progress as he backpacks his way west from his beloved Japan.

Trip: China

There are [19] stories from my trip: China


Gallery: Lhasa to Nepal border

CHINA | Friday, 14 Sep 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Lhasa to Nepal

CHINA | Thursday, 13 Sep 2007 | Views [2466]

I've been out of access for most of this epic adventure from Lhasa to the Nepal border. Here's the abridged version. Day 1 An intrepid foursome of Jim the Brummie, Rochelle the Kiwi, Shoen the Japanese girl and myself set off once our guide turned ... Read more >

Tags: i should have known better!, tibet


Gallery: Tibet

CHINA | Tuesday, 4 Sep 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Tibet

CHINA | Monday, 3 Sep 2007 | Views [887]

Shangri-La, the Land of Snows, call it what you like Tibet is here and so is every tourist and his dog. Lots of dogs actually. Lhasa is like nowhere else you could imagine. Just hundreds of people walking clockwise around religious edifices such as ... Read more >

Tags: general, sera monastary, tibet


Gallery: Xining

CHINA | Monday, 27 Aug 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Xining

CHINA | Monday, 27 Aug 2007 | Views [864]

Somehow managed to wake up at oh-my-god o'clock and get to Xi'an station, board my hard sleeper and sleep reasonably well.  The first thing I saw when I woke up were big mountains and drizzle - western China.  Spent most of the journey chatting a bizarre ... Read more >

Tags: general


Gonna miss you, Xi'an!

CHINA | Saturday, 25 Aug 2007 | Views [810]

So here I am waiting until FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING to catch my train to Xining, cash in hand and fingers crossed.  I love Xi'an.  What a lovely city!  Nicely balanced between the insanity of Shanghai and the lifelessness of Beijing (historical ... Read more >

Tags: General


The Tibet Saga

CHINA | Saturday, 25 Aug 2007 | Views [556]

Why is Tibet such an arse of a place to get to? If it were a genuine attempt by the Chinese to preserve and protect all that is sacred, unique and wonderful about the place it would be fair enough. But given that the Chinese have done their level ... Read more >

Tags: scams & robberies, tibet


Xi'an so far...

CHINA | Friday, 24 Aug 2007 | Views [419]

I'm beginning to like this city!  The main reason possibly being that food is so much easier to get here - there are mountains of places to eat, so much so that pointing at stuff is easy to do when the kanji proves impossible to read...which is most ... Read more >

Tags: Markets


Gallery: Xi'an

CHINA | Thursday, 23 Aug 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Pingyao

CHINA | Thursday, 23 Aug 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: The Great Wall

CHINA | Thursday, 23 Aug 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Pingyao

CHINA | Wednesday, 22 Aug 2007 | Views [773]

THIS is the China I've been dying to see!  It was definately worth the never-again train ride to don't-go-there Taiyuan.  Getting onto the train in Beijing was like trying to push to the front of a rave carrying a rhino.  Half-naked, incredibly sweaty ... Read more >

Tags: General


The Great Wall

CHINA | Monday, 20 Aug 2007 | Views [481]

The word Great doesn't seem to capture how awesome in so many ways the Wall actually is.  I suppose I can congratulate myself on finding a good bit of wall though, worlds away from the tourist traps of Badaling and Mutianyu where the wall is drowned ... Read more >

Tags: Adventures


Beijing

CHINA | Saturday, 18 Aug 2007 | Views [783]

Talk about luxury!  Soft sleepers are pricey but what a wonderful way to sleep through the night and arrive in Beijing the next day! It's a different world from Shanghai.  So much more space, greenery and chilled-out-ness.  Unlike Shanghai I no longer ... Read more >

Tags: General


Shanghai

CHINA | Saturday, 18 Aug 2007 | Views [835]

"Welcome to Shanghai!" said the flashy neon and enormous buildings doing their best to peer through the thick smog and drizzle covering the city.  Thanks to the typhoon and a detour via North Korean seas we arrived 5 hours late, leaving Sai ... Read more >

Tags: General


The ferry

CHINA | Friday, 17 Aug 2007 | Views [689]

Finally, a computer which works!  Having issues uploading photos though...  Anyway... So the ferry trip was fun.  Kind of.  I guess I don't recommend going in typhoon season.  We were hit by a pretty big one and let's just say some of the smells and ... Read more >

Tags: General


Gallery: Beijing

CHINA | Friday, 17 Aug 2007 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Shanghai

CHINA | Thursday, 16 Aug 2007 | Photo Gallery


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