Road to Tagong on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau
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. The hostel-owner’s son toddles around the lobby in his blue split-pants, the kind that allow […]
No Spitting Allowed
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 the opportunity to see Hong Kong as well. It was the late 80s, and Hong […]
Seaside Qingdao
Challenges of the Chinese Train in Summer Summer is in full swing, and it seems like everyone is on vacation. Trains are jammed, with seats sold out weeks in advance. We tried in vain to buy a ticket to Harbin in the north and to Xi’an in the south. Then we started looking into buses. […]
Shinkansen to Nagasaki
The first Shinkansen voyage of the trip was a long haul. We left from Odawara Station, south of Yokohama. It was the first day the Japan Rail Pass was valid, and we were excited to start getting our money’s worth. The pass is only for visitors, and must be purchased before you arrive in Japan. […]
The Road to Cuzco
San Luis bus company was only 45 minutes late getting started. We left Puno and started climbing. The beginning of the route took us through a number of small, mountain towns. We stopped a few times to let passengers on and off, a perfect time to buy some choclo (giant corn) or a bag […]
A long ride
Route 40 from El Calafate, in southern Patagonia, to Bariloche in the Lakes District is still known to be an adventurous route. It passes through mountains and valleys, national parks and reserves, small towns, farms and open plains. The journey took two days. The first day was almost entirely on gravelly unpaved road. After 14 […]
New Home
Christ Church was a pleasant city with the Avon River meandering through and punters giving people a ride along it. There were lots of historic buildings, monuments, parks and gardens, and some nice public spaces. We walked into the old Canturbury Provincial Council Building and were amazed at the stained glass, painted, ornate wood and […]