Blogs from Emei Shan, Sichuan, China, Asia - page 3

Since we left the Tibetan plateau everything has changed. The scenery is still beautiful but round every bend there seems to be another factory churning out clouds of black smoke and contributing to the thin veil of smog hanging in the air. The fields of barley and oil seed rape have been replaced by acres of fresh green rice paddies. Every inch of land is used for food production - even on the twisty turning mountain roads the grass verge is full of maize plants. It's hot and humid. The towns are bigger, there's more traffic, the road junctions are more complicated - some are more than a match for Spaghetti Junction. We even have motorways now although motorbikes aren't allowed on them. It all has more of an urban feel to it. We're also back ... read more

Day 469: Sunday 11th October - Over the border into Sichuan We arrive in Chongqing at 3am. I know because the ship sounds its horn, collides into the dock with some force and there is a lot of shouting outside. I go back to sleep and wake up at 6am as we have to get off the boat at 6:30am. Riley is staying in Chongqing for a few days but I can find nothing of interest in my travel literature which could persuade me to do the same. It sounds like just another drab Chinese city, and in my brief time there it looks as it sounds. It is famous for its hotpot but I’m sure I can try that in neighbouring Sichuan province. It is also incorrectly quoted in some sources as being the largest ... read more

Hey all, Sorry I haven't posted anything in a couple weeks, but, y'know, typical excuses like busy classes etc. I'm all well, rest assured. I try to update everyone on my life here as much as possible, but also keep in mind that I'm pretty busy here, and not on the internet often, so don't get yourself worried every time I go a week or more without posting a sizable blog or sending out personal e-mails. I'm trying my best to keep in touch, but I need to sleep too, haha A couple quick, but major points: Because the semester here ends Jan. 30, and my semester at ASU starts Jan. 19 for spring, I was confronted with a tough choice--go through the procedure of extending my stay here another semester, and therefore have a few ... read more

New Chinese Proverb says…”Man who walk up mountain with large back packs very silly when he can walk down mountain in suit and dress shoes… and so was our experience on Mt Emei as we approached the Qingyin Pavilion. Two Kiwi’s walking up a couple of thousand steps carrying full backpacks for 2 hours and 5,000 Chinese coming downhill, having taken the Cable Car to the top. We arrived into Emei Shan, more particularly the Teddy Bear Hotel late on 23rd April. The accommodation was amazing for the price and standard (200rmb for a twin room). The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. We had originally planned to only spend 1 night here and then a night on the mountain but due to Brent’s continuing chest infection we decided to spend an additional night calling ahead ... read more

16th March 2009 - Continued... After arriving in the town of Emei Shan at 6pm, we took a taxi to our hostel for the night where we shared ideas with other travellers on our best route for the following day. Emei Shan is one of four Buddhist mountains, reaching a peak of 3,099 metres (which is 10,167 feet, and according to Wikipedia, twice the size of Ben Nevis.) The route to the top is scattered with monasteries and temples which you can stop into depending on your route. Because of time allowances, our aim was to reach the peak by the second morning in order to watch the sunrise. This meant that instead of the three day recommended route, we would have to customise our trip to be as efficent and beautiful in the time we ... read more