Moving on from Cuba
Arriving in Guatemala City after spending some time in Cuba was like a huge slap in the face by commercialism. An endless stream of billboards, fast food restaurants and American retail chain stores seemed to line the roadside giving a real modern and racy feel. In Cuba the only billboards that could be seen [...]
Getting to the Airport in Shanghai
My memories of Shanghai always involved traffic jams and general difficulties in getting around on the city’s only jam packed subway line. How things have changed! The Shanghai metro system is now extensive and still expanding providing excellent coverage. This combined with perhaps a few newly constructed roads has resulted in Shanghai being much more [...]
Boracay – Getting there
Although this was my first visit to the Philippines I can confidently say it won’t be my last. A huge surprise was just how close it is to Hong Kong. (My flight from Shanghai to HK was longer than the HK to Manila section.) Flights to Boracay, despite being an easy 1 hour or so [...]
Train from Nanning to Hanoi
The overnight train service running daily between Nanning and Hanoi is very comfortable in Chinese soft sleeper carriages however don’t look forward to getting too much sleep. Departure from Nanning is currently at 6.45 pm, with arrival in Pingxiang a little after 10pm for Chinese border control formalities which took around 90 minutes. [...]
Yangshuo to Longji Rice Terraces (4)
Day 4 – Butterfly Valley to Pingan (48 klms) The hotel in Butterfly Valley is in a surprisingly beautiful location, next to a Yao minority village some 4 kilometres off the main highway in a gorge filled with luscious foliage and a gushing mountain stream. For me, today was the big [...]
Yangshuo to Longji Rice Terraces (3)
Day 3 – Guilin to Butterfly Valley (82 klms) An easy ride this morning out of Guilin, we make our way through some wonderful little villages and classic rural China countryside under chilly but glorious blue skies and sunshine. The karst scenery ended not far out of Guilin and for a short time [...]
Yangshuo to Longji Rice Terraces – Rest Day
After yesterdays cold and wet weather we find things have deteriorated even further with a top forecast of only 8 degrees today. We decide to postpone our Guilin departure till tomorrow (Friday) and return to Yangshuo to pick up warmer clothes. This turned out to be a fantastic decision, not only for the [...]
Yangshuo to Longji Rice Terraces (2)
Day 2 – Xingping to Guilin (72 kilometres) Just the slightest feeling of fatigue and a case of raging saddle soreness were dominating my mind for the first 20 minutes on the bike this morning. This all dissipated quite quickly as we emerged into a valley and cycled directly towards a row [...]
Yangshuo to Longji Rice Terraces (1)
This time of year in Yangshuo is usually a fantastic mixture of warm, dry days that are perfect for cycling. So I decided to head off for a few days on a cycling research trip with one of the Directors over at Bike Asia . For the most part the route we followed was [...]
Flying from Guilin to Kuala Lumpur
I have been a fan of the discount airlines in Asia for a few years now. Air Asia, who started flying into Guilin from Kuala Lumpur last year, frequently has great deals on offer for those who can plan ahead. The secret for making the experience as enjoyable as possible is to remember [...]
Bus from Hong Kong to Shenzhen Airport
Getting from downtown Hong Kong to Shenzhen airport has never been easier. While there are plenty of flights from HK airport to mainland cities, the decision to make the trek over to Shenzhen will save you money. Flights from Shenzhen to cities all over China can be up to 60% cheaper than a [...]
Trains in China
A few years ago while sitting on a train I decided to calculate just how many hours I had spent on trains during my time as a tour leader here in China. Total time was 2,184 hours or the equivalent of 91 days. (Although to be fair I did include the two times [...]
Getting to Yangshuo from Guilin Airport
The biggest development in traveling to Yangshuo since the introduction of the express bus years ago, in my opinion, is the opening of the expressway which has reduced travel time from Guilin airport to Yangshuo to just 50 minutes. The best way for you will be ruled by cash and/or time but your [...]
Getting to Yangshuo from Guilin (Public Bus)
This is easy! Every guidebook and online forum seems to touch on this subject. Quite commonly I see that the time for the journey is underestimated – you are very lucky to do the trip in one hour these days. Most buses will take between 70 and 120 minutes. Local Bus or Express [...]
