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...

Sichuan - Tibetan Highway Shangri-La > Xiangcheng > Litang > Kangding > Chengdu Our journey from Shangri-La to Chengdu took us through the prefecture of Garze; a region of the Sichuan province that was part of Tibet prior to Chinese rule. It is very difficult to get travel permits into Tibet, but with a population made up of almost 80% ethnic Tibetans this is a good place to travel to experience Tibetan culture. The journey through Garze involv...

Lijiang The old town of Lijiang was recently made a world heritage site due to its unique layout and architecture from many of the local ethnic minorities over its 800 year history. Most of the buildings have now been turned into shops, restaurants and guest houses, so the area has a bit of a theme park vibe to it, but despite this the town is undeniably stunning. We were lucky to be here in the low season and were able to walk around the small winding alleyway...