http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/TrojanTraveler/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from TrojanTraveler en-us Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:19:00 BST Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:19:00 BST The Silk Road has been connecting people for centuries bridging spice traders with silk caravans long before backpackers every discovered its trails. It was here in the most accidental fashion that I met people from every corner of the world. I had come to Xinjiang China to experience its unique and singularly Uyghur culture. Instead it is the unexpected diversity that makes Kashgar the cr http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Xinjiang/Kashgar/blog-260176.html While trekking longlost regions of the world an intrepid traveler such as yourself frequently ponders what piece of equipment is of utmost importance to your travels that item of indivisible necessity that you would prefer to give your life for than continue forward on the journey without its help at hand. Indeed world explorers often find themselves in such a situation as ferocious lions f http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Xinjiang/Kashgar/blog-176303.html After staying two days in Jilin City story to be written soon we decided to hop a bus to nearby Yanji capital of China's Korean Autonomous Region. Tucked up between Russia and our true motive for going North Korea we figured it would be an off the beaten pathtype of escape. Almost true...Turns out Yanji is actually a pretty lively city. Much cleaner and newer looking than Beijing the area' http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Jilin/blog-169851.html UntitledPeter WinterThe adventures start again...Just wanted to give a brief outline of what the next two months has in store for me. Kaelyn arrived this past Monday and we have been staying at school while I wrapped up my last week of classes. After taking care of the enormous amount of preparation and the costs that go along with it we are finally ready to set off on our travels.This Monday http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/blog-167221.html I had a funny feeling in my stomach throughout the day. Not quite nervous bees flying around but rather a twisting knot that continuously retied itself deep inside my gut. And no it was not La Duzi. I was simply nervous about the afternoon ahead. Today I was moving from my comfortable room at Youdian Liaoyang Hotel near Peking University to my new home somewhere in Beijing. Not just a http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/Haidian-district/blog-134975.html The morning was chilly on top of the mountain a rather crisp start to the New Year. Zhangjiajie was experiencing a bit of a cold spell not the most desirable of conditions when your hotel room is devoid of both heat and heavy blankets. But then again it wasnrsquot really much of a hotel in the first place. Following my aimless foggy wanderings of the night before and the bus that proved http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Hunan/Zhangjiajie/blog-132577.html Senlin Gongyuan was a ghost town this morning. Known as Zhangjiajie Village by some the small town at the base of Wulingyuan Nature Reserve seemed to be more a setting for some bad horror movie than the booming tourist spot it claimed to be. Chinese New Year was fast approaching and it seemed the entire town had disappeared for the festivities. The empty fourstar hotels now locked up with l http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Hunan/Zhangjiajie/blog-130676.html The rain in Longsheng already had me down. The dark streets at 645am pushed me even further to the bottom. Best of all I had absolutely no clue what the day in front of me had in store and as today was set aside for travel that wasn't a good thing. A few days prior in Yangshuo I had booked a train ticket from the nearby town of Liuzhou to Zhangjiajie a small town in northern Hunan provinc http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangxi/blog-129662.html A loud city clock chimed early in the Longsheng air awaking me fifteen minutes before my scheduled 7 am alarm. A quick look around happily revealed nothing much had changed during the night. Yes still in an exceedingly basic hotel room devoid of any sense of homeliness. And yes the city outside still looks gray and as plain as this room. But who cares I wasn't here for the thrilling citys http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangxi/Longsheng/blog-128974.html Today I got out and did one of the things I was really looking forward to in Yangshuo Rock Climbing In yet another amazing coincidence I was left a short comment on this blog by a poster jess tipping me off to a great climbing company known as Xclimber noting that for a real challenge I should get to the cliffs. Little did they know I had booked a halfday climb with the same company only http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangxi/Yangshuo/blog-128217.html The day began as most do around here with peanut butter pancakes. Naturally I asked for a side of chocolate for dipping along with the freshest glass of pineapple juice this side of Bhutan. Once I had my fill of paradise on a plate I set off for my real goal of the day.One of desires during this monthlong trip was simply to get out and enjoy where I was. I didn't have to be going anywhere http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangxi/Yangshuo/blog-127612.html Somebody has to be up there planning these things...Following my deathdefying motorcycle down to Yangshuo I awoke the next morning with a sense of both excitement and confusion. I was ready to get out and explore the area but hadn't done much research and didn't know where to head first. So I didn't.Instead I enjoyed a fine chocolate banana pancake and yogurt muesli at the aptly named Minnie http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangxi/Yangshuo/blog-127284.html Sorry for this one Mom... Every bone in my body ached. I had just spent the better half of my day enjoying what was the tail end of a 31hour train ride from Chengdu to Liuzhou. I was hungry too. Two bowls of Kang Shifu noodles just don't seem to do the trick like Top Ramen does. I made my way out of the train station drearyeyed from the night of sleepless Chinese train riding. I needed to get t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangxi/Yangshuo/blog-126144.html A word of advice to all who plan to venture out on their ownBook tickets as far in advance as possible.Early yesterday morning my plan was to go to the local train station and simply see what my options were in order to make my way to Guilin and Yangshuo. A decently far destination I passed up on a 500 yuan plane ticket arriving late last night just to save a few bucks. My reasoning if I d http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Sichuan/Chengdu/blog-125117.html Just to create the setting for this piece I'm sitting in a small internet cafe down the street from my hostel surrounded by maybe 60 or so guys all playing World of Warcraft. At least 50 of them are smoking...My fourth day in Chengdu was rather ordinary save a relaxing afternoon at the famous Chinese poet Du Fu's garden. I spent my time just roaming the park along with a thousand other peopl http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Sichuan/Chengdu/blog-124823.html Or more appropriately How Chengdu Robbed My Tastebuds. But before I get to that a quick run down of the rest of my day.I woke up early around 645 to catch a tour to the nearby Giant Panda Research Center. Man those guys are cute We left early in order to catch them during their feeding time when they are most likely to be awake and not curled up under some tree. We first caught a glimp http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Sichuan/Chengdu/blog-124151.html My first real day in Chengdu and I don't think much more ridiculousness could have occurred unless of course I ran these streets as a naked waiguoren. My day started like most others around here. I awoke in a small dimply lit brick room devoid of all homeliness and comfort. The Loft a converted industrial warehouse now youth hostel is fantastic yet the rooms may be a bit too artsy for the http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Sichuan/Chengdu/blog-123677.html After arriving back in Beijing following a relaxing break in the States I'm ready to set off yet again. Tonight I will fly to Chengdu arriving around midnight. With a dorm bed booked at The Loft hostel it should be interested finally being completely on my own in China. Hopefully the past semester has prepared me enough for whatever will come my way in the next month.Read on to the next sto http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/Haidian-district/blog-123247.html