After looking at prices and travel times for the trip to Urumqi, plus how few unreserved spaces remained due to us travelling during Golden Week (the 7 day period that encompasses October 1st, the founding of the Peoples Republic of […]
Tokyo 2: Electric Boogaloo
Akihabara Our first taste of the futuristic side of Tokyo was the district of Akihabara. Known colloquially as Electric Town, Akihabara was originally an area full of shops selling white goods and electronics but it has since evolved into a […]
Exploring Edo
The city now known as Tokyo rose to prominence as the capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603, when it was referred to as Edo. Elements of its heritage are still easily viewable today and Rosanna and I were keen […]
Pingyao – The Turtle Town
The 16 hour train journey into Pingyao was possibly the lowest point of the trip so far. In a fit of thriftyness we chose to travel by hard seat, the cheapest fare available with a guaranteed seat. Our preferred option, […]
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
“It’s funny” beamed Ivan, twisting round in the front passenger seat to address the four tourists squeezed into the back seat of the taxi “he tells me that this isn’t actually his taxi, he is borrowing it from a friend […]
Ulan-Ude
“Ude is river, that runs through town. Ulan is Buryat word for red, like blood. Ulan-Ude, it means blood river.” These are the words of the local man who shared our train compartment for the journey into Ulan-Ude. He had […]
