Shinkansen We took the high speed train from Tokyo to Kyoto. I was a pleasant ride, very smooth. I like these rides the best because I can listen to eat a bento box, listen to music, and watch the scenery. My bento: Beef, pork, eggs Her’s: fishy sampler. Kyoto Arashiyama 20 minutes west of theRead more
Morning view from the hotel balcony Out for breakfast Looking back up the alley leading to the hotel. Wearing traditional Miao clothing. A beef noodle soup. Nothing too heavy or spicy for a change. Then off to explore the streets and alleys A lot of theRead more
Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge 30 minutes to the east of Wulingyuan is Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. Once a side attraction of natural space, it is now one of the premiere tourist destinations in the world, and construction is not yet complete. Covering over 23 square miles, the valley (much of it flooded by downstream dams) is a mixRead more
Another great breakfast at the hotel, this time with some pork noodles. It’s still raining, unfortuantely. A 15 minute walk to the east gate of the park… …and then a very long creepy ride up the cable line up to TianZi Mountain. Much longer and higher than the previous. More of these lacqueredRead more
Day Trip to Dazu Signed up for the wrong tour. I thought I was going to some park with a gorge and waterfalls. Turned out to be to the UNESCO World Heritage site (two sites, actually) in Dazu. We stopped in some small tourist setup, Some “antique” old-town style buildings. Read more
I had a green JR rail pass, which allowed me unlimited travel on trains, including the shinkansen (high speed) trains. I took one to Osaka to meet up with another penpal. Osaka is about an hour way by high speed rail. The ride is comfortable, smooth, and blazing fast. The scenery just flows by. IfRead more
I switched over to a new hotel with a Tibetan theme. Well decorated but not really close to anything. A place for prayer in the hallway. The view from the room 13th floors exist in China. Joni is happy we stopped for Japanese food. Just as I am feeling comfortable eating like a Chinese,Read more
Video shot early in the morning as I was woken up by the sounds no one can escape from in China: construction. April 16 River Cruise Feeling a bit better, we take another trip through the mountains. Again, I have no idea what river this is or what section. I think the first river wasRead more
Nope. Not Today. The morning of the 15th, I was just too sick to do anything. Plans, whatever they were, had to be cancelled. I’m not sure what Jing did that day. I just slept. Went out a bit at night to get some food. Just a few shots from the hotel balcony.Read more