If you’ve only recently tuned in, this is my third and final China ‘wrap-up’ post. (I’ve already done ones on Beijing and Shanghai so check them out). When I started this trip in July, one thing I had in mind was to see where else in the world I could potentially happily live. Each city I travel … More Yangshuo wrap-up: Can I live here?
In Yangshuo I stayed at the Sudderstreet Guesthouse which offers guests cheap/free daily bicycle renting. The bikes cost around 10RMB a day to rent and after 5pm they are free. (You can also rent electric bikes for a bit more money). The bikes were well used as it’s about a 10 minute bike ride from the guest house to the town … More Cycling and strolling through Yangshuo
There were five things I absolutely wanted to do and see in my week in Yangshuo, Guilin: Longji rice terraces and Ping’an Village Li River hike Bamboo raft ride Countryside cycle tour Cormorant fishing But because I was an idiot and didn’t play ahead properly/look at a map (in addition to new new government rules about bamboo rafting), … More Yangshuo: 1-day cycle tour
If you google ‘Guilin’, every other photo you see will probably have a cormorant fisherman in it, including the trademark straw hat. This was one thing I definitely wanted to do and I jumped at the chance when I found out my guesthouse organised nearby evening cormorant fishing experiences. Cormorant fishing is an ancient method of fishing using a trained … More Yangshuo: Cormorant fishing spectacle
I had just spent eight days in glorious Shanghai, which just wasn’t long enough for me. Weirdly, I’d heard people recommend staying no more than 4 or 5 days in Shanghai. Maybe it’s just my love of big cities but I could have happily stayed in Shanghai for another week doing nothing in particular. But … More Yangshuo: Trading skyscrapers for mountains
After a pretty, errr, challenging week in Beijing and intro to China, (almost being homeless, train ticket stress, communication difficulties), you can imagine I was skipping in delight about the idea of arriving in metropolitan Shanghai. And it didn’t disappoint! Let’s see how it fared. (I’ve only employed a ‘rating out of 5’ system so I have an easy way to rank each city! I’m not wanting to judge anyone else’s homeland harshly!) … More Shanghai wrap-up: Can I live here?
If there’s anything in Asia I love almost as much as a temple, it’s the leafy green, ornate roofs and calm atmosphere of oriental gardens.
Say hello to Yu Garden, about a 20 minute walk down from The Bund. I can’t lie, it was pretty packed when I went but it was still beautiful. For just a small entrance, who can say no to a visit. Make sure it’s on your list!
Say hello to Yu Garden, about a 20 minute walk down from The Bund. I can’t lie, it was pretty packed when I went but it was still beautiful. For just a small entrance, who can say no to a visit. Make sure it’s on your list! … More Shanghai: The magical Yu Garden
After my visit to the gorgeous and imposing Jing’An Temple, I wasn’t sure if anything could surpass it. However, the quaint charm of the smaller Jade Buddha Temple came close. … More Shanghai: Jade Buddha Temple
Barely two weeks into my China visit and I had already uncovered a plethora of cultural differences; some expected and some utterly foreign. Dating was one of these. If you ever watched the cracker of a dead-pan humour documentary Paul Merton in China back in 2007, you’ll be wise to the Chinese take on dating. (I can’t lie, watching … More Shanghai: Finding love the Chinese way
Please, let us give the children of Syria a future. We cannot allow the survivors to grow up and listen to how we failed them and their country. … More Standing With Aleppo
Hi, I'm Emma 