8:15 am Danba, high in the mountains of Sichuan Province in southwestern China. We ready our packs, go downstairs to the hostel’s common area and cross the town’s one street to grab some pork and veg-stuffed steamed buns for breakfast.…
Danba County is a 12 hour, very bumpy bus ride from Chengdu. The roads are narrow and dusty, and many sections are either being upgraded or repaired from damage from the massive earthquake in the region a few years ago.…
Chengdu Chengdu is a comfortable, easy-to-navigate city and a good jumping off point for many of Sichuan’s sights. Within reach are beautiful national parks, mountains and valleys, and the Tibetan plateau to the far west of the region. Chengdu has…
Enticed by the views in Guilin, but wanting to get far away from the city, we set our sights on Yangshuo. Since we hadn’t yet gotten onto the Li River, we signed up for bamboo raft transport from Yangdi, near Guilin,…
Language is an occasional barrier to getting the best eats in China, but we refuse to be deterred. We’ve developed some good strategies, and have been greatly enjoying the results. Last month in Pingyao we met a couple who told…
Guanxi Province is known for its stunning natural beauty: green rivers meandering by lofty, tree-covered hills and jagged, gray karst spires that reach into the sky. There’s a national forest, subtropical mangroves, and miles and miles of farmland. The province…
Twenty-four years after visiting Hong Kong with my family, I wondered how things may have changed. I was a teenager then, and had been living in Japan as an exchange student. My family had come for a visit, and took…
Suzhou (Sūzhōu) is a quick, half-hour high speed train ride north of Shanghai. Once home to over 100 gardens, now there are about a dozen. It’s still known as Garden City, and is a popular stop on the tourist trail.…
Shanghai: A Great Place to Refuel After a month or so of wandering China, Shanghai was a wonderful place to rest up. It’s very much a modern city, with all the bright lights, shopping, dining and entertainment venues one could…
Provincial capital Nanjing was an enjoyable stop, greener than most, with a definite university feel. Unfortunately most-known for the 1937 massacre and violence (Rape of Nanking) following the Japanese capture of the city, Nanjing was also twice the former capital,…