Arriving in China for the second time, we knew pretty much what we can expect from Chinese accommodation. However, this time round we were lucky to be able to combine less touristy places and cities with lots of cheaper hostels. Our first base was Kashgar, in the far west of China en route of the Silk Route. We stayed right in the midst of the Old Town in an atmospheric traditional home around a big courtyard. Rooms were basic but that wasn’t a problem as we were able to hang out in the courtyard or on the rooftop terrace. Next stop was Chengdu with so many good value hostels that it was difficult to make a choice. Read More
Category Archives: China
Shaxi – On the Ancient Tea Horse Trail
Everyone knows the Silk Road but not many are aware of the Tea Horse Road which was a trade route linking south west China with India through Tibet. There were two main routes originating from tea production centers of Yunnan, famous for its Pu-er tea and Sichuan, famous for its Ya-an tea. Tea being one of the priced traded goods along with sugar and salt were all carried by caravans of horses, mules and yaks though various routes. These caravan routes also went though Myanmar, Laos and Nepal until the 1950s. Read More
In love with Pandas!
After three months of Off the Beaten track travelling through Mongolia and Central Asia, Chengdu was the first big city planting us back in the modern world. We enjoyed a couple of days of good food, our nice warm room, hot showers and went to visit Chengdu’s most famous residents, the pandas! Read More
Kashgar – Another face of China
We arrived in Kashgar in the dark after a very long day that started with us trying to find a ride from Kyrgyzstan across the Irkeshtem pass into China. It felt strange to leave Central Asia as we are amazed at how we truly enjoyed this part of the world. Leaving behind Central Asia where we had spent 6.5 special, exciting but also tough weeks we imagined going back into China as a small step up in the modern world and switching into a different world. Read More
5 Maanden getrouwd
In de vijfde huwelijksmaand waren we in Tajikistan en China. Het was de tweede keer China, maar het land is groot genoeg om in bijna acht weken tijd nooit op dezelfde plek te komen. De enige plaats die we twee keer hebben aangedaan, met name om goedkoop naar Tokyo te kunnen vliegen, was Shanghai. Dat is waar de foto is genomen, met de beroemde skyline op de achtergrond. We trokken wel wat bekijks op ‘The Bund’.
The Places we call Home in China
A nice hostel or guesthouse can make such a difference when you travel. As we are travelling low budget, accommodation is an expenditure we try to save on, however, it must be safe and clean. Accommodation in China was slightly higher priced than what we thought it would be, however, quality was also higher than in many other Asian countries. Nearly all our rooms had air conditioning (which was very welcomed as China had its hottest summer in six decades) and a private bathroom, even with hot water! Generally speaking, overall, we spent an average of 130 yuan/16 euros per night (per room). Of course cities were more expensive than smaller towns. Read More
Wat we geleerd hebben in China
Je hoort wel eens verhalen over een land waarbij je je dan afvraagt of dat echt zo is. De enige manier om er dan achter te komen is om zelf te gaan kijken. En zo, land voor land, leren we veel over een cultuur, over de lokale inwoners en over de geschiedenis van een land. Zie hieronder een lijstje met een aantal punten die wij hebben opgestoken tijdens onze maand in China. Lees verder
Impressions of Yangshuo
After several weeks in China, seeing many Chinese cities and towns, it was a breath of fresh air (literally) to be wandering around the Chinese countryside. We decided to base ourselves in a converted Chinese farmhouse 4km outside of Yangshuo (Guilin). The location could not have been better as we were amongst rice paddies, lush greenery and swaying bamboo trees. Everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by karst mountain peaks in all sizes and shapes. Right across from the farmhouse, we ended every hot day with a swim in one of the two natural swimming holes. Read More
Het visum voor China
Visums zijn eigenlijk ondingen. Ik snap ook wel dat een land een beetje in de gaten wil houden welke mensen er in en uit hun land gaan en wat hun redenen zijn, maar waarom moet er vaak zoveel papierwerk voor worden ingevuld en hoezo moet zo’n sticker of stempel soms meer dan 100 euro kosten? Lees verder
Museumdag in Shanghai
Musea zijn vaak een snelle manier om een bevolking goed te leren kennen. Het probleem is echter dat de term museum nogal rekbaar is. Een museum kan een enorm interactieve en leerzame expositie zijn, maar kan net zo goed een één-kamer ruimte zijn met wat stoffige krantenknipsels uit lang vervlogen tijden.
In Shanghai dachten we ons er maar weer eens aan te wagen, niet in de laatste plaats omdat het ons weer wat tijd in de airco opleverde. Buiten geeft de thermometer 35 graden aan dus iedere mogelijkheid voor verkoeling grijpen we aan. We hebben drie musea uitgekozen Lees verder
