Now that we had ended our trip here in Vietnam, we had made plans to travel in Shenzhen, China. To be honest, after traveling through there for a month about 6 months earlier, I hadn't originally planned on going back. After close to five months in Asia I was really looking forward to getting away from rice and noodles for breakfast…
Emei Shan – 1 of 4 Sacred Mountains in China
December 29, 2011
With China having so much to offer outside of their main cities, we decided to head to Mount Emei Shan - 1 of 4 Sacred Mountains in China. It would also be great since we had been looking for a chance to get out into the smaller towns and spend time in the countryside. We decided to spend a couple days…
Temples & Pandas in Chengdu, China
December 29, 2011
Upon leaving from Xi'an, we embarked on a backpacking journey to see the temples and pandas in Chengdu, China. We took another overnight train to get to Chengdu but going back to the experience I had from Beijing to Xi'an, this time we booked hard sleeper tickets. They are a bit more money but there are just 6 beds in one…
The Army of Terracotta Warriors – Xi’an, China
December 28, 2011
As mentioned in my last post, the main reason a lot of people make a trip to Xi'an is to see the Army of Terracotta Warriors which is about an hour and half by bus from the city. They were discovered in 1974 by local farmers while drilling a well. The Army of Terracotta Warriors is also said to be the…
Xi’an – The Oldest Chinese City
December 28, 2011
We left Beijing the following morning after visiting the Great Wall to head to Xi'an, the oldest Chinese city. It would be a 13 hour train ride, this much we knew. What we didn't know though was the difference between a 'hard seat' ticket vs. a 'hard sleeper' ticket. Basically there a three classes of train travel in China. A soft…
Cloudy Day at Badaling- Great Wall of China
December 27, 2011
On our last full day in Beijing, we had planned to catch a morning trip to the Great Wall at Badaling which is a touristy section but the closest part of the Great Wall in relation to Beijing. It would be our last chance to visit the wall since we had booked a train already to leave the following morning so…
Backpacking Beijing, China
December 26, 2011
Upon finishing our Trans Mongolian trip, we were set to start our adventure backpacking Beijing around seven in the morning. Of course I was still backpacking with my two Swedish friends and I really had no idea they would be such a spectacle to the Chinese with their blonde hair. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to be…