Tibet to the Tropics: Yunnan

Asia » China » Yunnan
January 25th 2008

Published: April 8th 2008

We had done it, we were officially out of the permit zone that is the Tibet Autonomous Region, but in Zhongdian we were still very much in Tibet. The faces, clothing and houses all still looked Tibetan. Above the 'old town' stands a prominent Tibetan Gompa with an even more prominent prayer wheel next to it. In fact this is allegedly the biggest prayer wheel in the world, and as it takes at least ... Read Full Entry

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Erika Bird and Robin Searle

Banchory to the Bosphorous by Bike

We are Erika and Robin from Scotland and in April 2005 we quit our jobs and set off to cycle from Scotland to İstanbul. We reached İstanbul in October 2005 having discovered that cycling truly is the best way to travel and so decided to keep going beyond the Bosphorous...... We had never cycled any long distance before but had been wanting to travel for a long time and had finally saved enough and realised ıf we didn't set off now we never would. We decided cycling would be the best form of transport as we wanted to learn more about the countries and people we passed through at a s... full info

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Bai Dancers, Dali

Park Life, Dali

Old Comrades play cards and this Chinese domino game all day long, while their caged birds sing sweetly from the trees overhead. You can find the same scene in city parks all over China.

Ethnic Dancers, Dali

Chinese Torture

She sold it as a 'medical massage' but my legs hurt more afterwards than they had before.....

Old City Gate, Dali

Chinese Menu

Restaurants everywhere in China usually display their ingedients, often this is the only menu, you simply pick what you want and how you want it cooked. In Dali they disply the food in the street.

Bai Pagoda, Dali

Faces of Yunnan

On the streets of Dali, many different non-Han faces.

Dali

The Road South

Somewhere in central Yunnan

Bai Pagoda

Somehwere in the maze of hills and valleys south of Dali, central Yunnan.

Terraced Valleys, central Yunnan

Over Hills & Valleys

Central Yunnan

Enter the Tropics, Enter the Forest

Tropical forest near Simao, southern Yunnan

Tea vs. Rainforest

The Rainforest is definitely losing this one. Pu'er region, southern Yunnan.

Endless Forest, Endless Hills

Xishuan-Banna region, south Yunnan.

The Road to Laos

Well more of a muddy track really... Our shortcut to avoid Jinghong.

Deep in the Forest, Xishuan-Banna

Morning Mists

Clearing to reveal the landscape of Xishuan-Banna, on the road to Laos.

Shrinking Forests

Near Mengla, Xishuan-Banna. Rainforest is replaced with fruit, tea or rubber plantations.

Rubber Plantation

Sterile monoculture replaces the planet's most diverse terrestrial ecosystem.

8th April 2008

Stephen Paul
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Love your blogs!
So where is the end of the road?!? I love this entry, the mountains are spectacular as is the culture. The "giant aloe" is actually an Agave though, native to the Americas. In fact it looks like Agave americana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Agave_americana4.jpg looking froward to the next post, Cheers!

8th April 2008

Shirl & Dave
non-member comment

Hello again
We were beginning to wonder if you had disappeared in the misty mountains never to be seen again! Great to hear from you and lots of good photos this time. It's hard to believe you have been gone for 3 years. Keep on truckin'! Love, Shirl and Dave

14th April 2008

jimguru
Jim R

Another great entry
Yes, once again inspiring! And sitting here in a Guwahati internet cafe I appreciate the effort that goes into getting te most basic blog written and uploaded!! Happy roads!!!!

24th April 2008

mimi
non-member comment

Very many thanks!
This blog is another great one for which I am grateful for your efforts to write it and to load the photos. Also, I am always so happy to read that you are well even if tired.

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Tibet to the Tropics: Yunnan

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