Kawaguchiko and Fuji

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To Fuji We travel by train towards Tokyo then divert by bus to head up the mountains to Kawaguchiko. The whole journey takes over 5 hours.   The town is named for Lake Kawaguchi, one of the 5 lakes surrounding Mt Fuji. While this lake is surrounded by lodges and other tourist attractions, we are visitingRead more

Shangrila (Zhongdian County)

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Chengdu I fly west to Chengdu, one of the hubs for heading up the Himalayas. I meet up with Jing and we grab some Chengdu food.   One of my favorites: Corn-fried Corn. It’s sweet corn, coated in a mix of a salted duck egg and corn starch, and then fried in oil. Crunchy, salty,Read more

Off to Jiuzhaigou Valley

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Joni and I are companions on the “10” hour bus ride to Jiuzhaigou Valley in the Tibetan Plateau, just 424km north of Chengdu. The bus is far from comfortable. No AC, no heat. Windows don’t really open. No restroom. Barely any brakes. The driver is intent on never stopping… but since the bus would breakRead more