Shanghai was the final destination on our amazing journey through China. I was happy that we left this modern and progressive city to the last as we were able to take advantage of the cheap shopping and pick up our first souvenir (a little terracotta warrior that I bargained down but pretty sure I paid too much for). With a bit of time on our hands we meandered through the streets and took it at a slower pace. This allowed us to really enjoy what Shanghai h...

Travelling on the Silk Road is like stepping back through time. Staring out the train window and watching the cracked mud flats and wind farms, you really are in the middle of nowhere. We booked all 5 train trips for the Silk Road in Xi'an due to the tight timing and thought with a range of durations from 5-24h why not give all the Chinese train classes a run for their money, from the hard seater 'cattle' class to soft sleeper. We were not disappointed with th...

Xi'an is a place I've wanted to visit ever since I heard about the Terracotta Warriors. Stepping into the pit of the discovered sculptures was breathtaking. The intricacy and volume was unbelievable. As we circled the statues there were still unearthed warriors along with those being repaired. We hired our first tandem bike on top of the Old City Wall overlooking the bustling city. The top of the wall is about 15m wide, and I was glad that we chose this spar...

There are two ways to travel on the Yangtze River to see the three gorges - either a no frills boat ride, which requires passengers to bring their own food for the 4 night/3 day trip, or an all inclusive cruise ship. As we were to spend a significant time on the boat, we opted for the boat with food. Though this was a giant step up from the hostels, the break was most welcome after our previous adventures and bumpy car rides. As we entered the chandelier lit...

Although not on our original itinerary, we were told by multiple people that if you are in Sichuan you must visit the Jiuzhaigou national park. With this in mind we booked a couple of inland flights and slipped it in-between Chengdu and Chongqing. Jiuzhaigou translates to the nine villages valley and is one of China's most prized natural treasures. The Tibetan culture is very strong in this area, which was an added bonus after our trip along the Sichuan-Tibetan...