This was a 27 hours travelling with endless bus journey through the winding but scenic mountain roads followed by overnight train to Xian. The soft sleeper cabin was pleasantly warm and clean. We drifted off to sleep by the rocky movement and the murmuring of the train. As we were approaching the terminal, we saw the old city wall stretched along the border of city centre. Finally, we have arrived in Xian, a city where Emperor Qin Shi Huang once conquered the si...

These last two days have been spent at Jiuzhaigou The town itself is nothing to write home about and it was a journey from Hell to get here, but that said, it has totally been worth it. Because the airport here is 3000 metres above sea level the fights are subject to frequent weather-related delays, and that was certainly the case for us. We were stuck at Chongqing airport for an extra six hours. While this normally wouldn't be too bad as we could entertain our...

We have said our goodbyes and left our luxury home and are now back on the road. As we drive through Chonqing, China's largest city (pop 35m!), I marvel at the scale of this place, and how little space there is to move! It would be an interesting place to spend a couple of days I'm sure, but were heading for the fresh open spaces of the beautiful Jiuzhaigou...

Wow! This journey is wonderful. Gentle, relaxing cruise along the most dramatic and beautiful section on the Yangtze. Actually sunbathing right now... can you believe it! The weather is lovely now...finally a chance to strip down to shorts and t-shirt and get my flip flops out. Our fellow passengers are a mix of Chinese and westerners. Our table has a nice bunch on it: a Canadian couple on the way to their son's wedding in the Philippines and a British couple...

As we made our way through Yichang, first by bus and then by taxi, it quickly became apparent that this is the grimmest, greyist, most depressing city I've ever seen. Glad we're not spending any real time here and using it simply to join our luxury cruise of the Yangtze. Our ship, Victoria Anna, is magnificent, and is a chance for us to really relax, if we weren't already. Our room with balcony is lovely and we are now enjoying the simple pleasures of being clea...