China

Preparations
South America
North America
Asia
Africa
Europe
Returning home

Pictures
Route
1 Journey to Hong Kong
2 Parks and horses
3 Temple and lights
4 The Peak
5 Ngong Ping
6 On to Macau
7 Macau
8 To mainland China
9 Guangzhou
10 To Zhaoqing
11 Seven Star Crags Park
12 Wuzhou
13 Angry in Yangshuo
14 Li River Boat trip
15 Soaking Bamboo
16 On to Guilin
17 Beauty Peak
18 Catch up day
19 Train to Kunming
20 Christmas in Kunming
21 Bamboo Temple
22 More visas
23 Bus to Dali
24 The Cloud Path
25 Dali to Lijiang
26 Tiger Leaping Gorge
27 Chilled at Sean's
28 Lijiang
29 Lijiang Old Town
30 Black Dragon Pool
31 On to Mengla

China

Our route is shown in red (click map for a more detailed version)

China, eh? After Canada, another massive country, but one with rather different travel challenges than Canada and South America. Our route took us through southern China, starting in Hong Kong and Macau and then through Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces. This is a route suggested by our reliable (usually...) Lonely Planet guide as one that combines some wonderful scenery as well as cultural diversity, and (for Stef) spicy cooking. Sounds good! We reached the northern border of Laos early in January 2006.

We have already found out that communication is difficult here. We don't speak or read Chinese, and hardly anyone speaks a word of English. We manage to get around all the same but it's a shame that China's rich cultural heritage remains so inaccessible to us, and a friendly chat with the locals is limited to smiling, nodding, pointing. It's a country of contrasts, tradition vs. modernity. Confucius and concrete. Rice farmers in the fields texting away on their mobile phones. It's the one to watch everyone says.

Diary

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Dec	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Dec
Dec	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	1	Jan
Jan	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Jan

Books, Films, Music, Links, etc.

For more references, check the links section.
•	Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sān Guó), by Luo Guanzhong. "A swashbuckling historical novel about the legendary battles that took place during the latter half of the Han dynasty, when the country was divided into three kingdoms. The novel remains as popular today in China as it was when it first appeared in the Ming dynasty." (LP) We found the English translation by Moss Roberts in a bookstore in Guìlín.
•	The Last Emperor (film) "The tragic story of Puyi, China's final emperor who ascended the throne at age three." (LP)
•	Wild Swans, by Jung Chang. "Offers a backdoor view into Chinese history, following three generations of women from the final days of Imperialism to post-Cultural Revolution China. "(LP)
•	Water Margin/Outlaws of the Marsh (Shuihu Zhuan), by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong. "A rollicking tale of a group of outlaws, with good hearts, who fight against corruption and evil during the Northern Song dynasty. Considered as one of the great historical epics of China, along with Romance of the Three Kingdoms." (LP)
•	Hong Kong local hero, Jackie Chan's movies

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