The Blog according to Sin

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This blog is dedicated to my brother, who took a break from his studies to fly out from Lisbon and join the roadtrip through the Middle Kingdom.

I'd not seen my brother for 10 years, and this trip was a good way for us to reflect on times past. It was also strange to see that although we had totally different upbringings, we shared very similar personality traits that could easily identify us as brothers. I was also glad to see that my brother had commendable skills as an amateur photographer. This first photo of the donkey trek in Lijiang was taken by me using his mighty big Canon DSLR. It has to be one of my favourite photos, and also proof that he had the better camera. Despite this, I'll not revert back to DSLRs in future as I think my trusty Leica D Lux 5 proved it's worth as can be seen in the photos on all the past blogs. Aside from the first photo, all other photos below were taken by Sinclair Patrick Owen & Co. I am hoping now that Sin will be able to join the next adventure, not purely for his skills behind the camera, but also as a brother and a buddy.

It's been two weeks since our return and I have settled back into my job. Last week I was in Hong Kong speaking at a conference. The highlight of the conference was a keynote speech by Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, titled by the Guinness Book of Records as "The World's Greatest Living Explorer". Addressing the audience of finance professionals, Sir Ranulph capitivated us with stories of his past endeavors, from failing A-levels at Eton College, to his time with the SAS and the Sultan of Omens forces, to his achievements as an Adventurer. Although truly inspirational that he has spent more than 40 years making a career out of often life threatening expeditions, I'll not kid myself into thinking our cushy roadtrip was one millionth as challenging as spending month on end in pitch black Antarctic conditions. No, our antics across China were more akin to a Top Gear challenge, and I'm happy with that.

The space below is reserved for Sin's forthcoming write up of the trip. Take your time bro.

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Comments

[deleted_49612]

Photos
Your brother really did take some fantastic pics! :)

[The Great China Roadtrip]

Agreed
Thanks. But then again, China is very photogenic, unlike me !

[Dileep Rao]

I TRAVELLED WITH YOU ON MY ARMCHAIR !
Sitting here in Dubai it was fantastic travelling with you, Sin and Co ! While most of your trip was great you didnt hesitate to pull your punches where you found something sub-standard - truly appreciate ! Awaiting the vet's perspective ( I have a pet and hence have a love-hate relationship with some of Dubai vets !). When is your next - looking forward !

[The Great China Roadtrip]

Thank you for the kind comments
The next trip will be in April 2013, same dates as this trip. I'll be planning the route this summer, but it will either be Shanghai to Singapore, Mongolia, or Tibet. I will be recruiting a couple of people to join the trip in early 2013, so let me know if you are interested. I'll also have a more appropriate set of cars, but more on that soon.

[Dancing Dave]

HEADING TOWARDS HEAVEN
Unreal photo...takes me back to Yunnan...travelling heaven

[Dancing Dave]

WHIRLWIND
6 maybe 7 provences in this blog...Hebei (Beijing)...Shanxi (Datong & Pingyao)...Shaanxi (Xian)...Sichuan...Yunnan (Lijiang)...Shandong (Qufu)...and maybe Guanxi (Yao)...what an adventure. I'm blogging China next...I invite you for the ride.