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looking for my zihuatanejo - Andrew Chapman

Been working for 10 years now, had enough of the rat race, decided I wanted to 'live the dream' so I am about to embark on travelling the world at the end of June 2008. The plan is to start in Mexico, travelling overland to Guatemala flying on to Ecuador then making my way overland down the West coast of South America through Peru, Bolivia, Chile & Argentina. The plan then is to fly on to New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Australia before travelling through South East Asia (East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam). Hope then to see China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan before heading to the Himalayas in Tibet and Nepal. Hope to finally end up in India and then Sri Lanka. This is the plan, should take around 2 years but who knows what will happen...........

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by looking for my zihuatanejo, order by Date newest first.

By looking for my zihuatanejo
November 1st 2009

Back to Beijing and waiting to go to Tibet Asia

6.The Bird's Nest, Beijing's Olympic

Day 489: Saturday 31st October - A Tibetan temple in Beijing and the Bird’s nest I arrive back in the capital at approaching 9am after my 10 hour overnight train journey from Hohhot. Every train journey I have taken in China has been on my own and I have been the only foreigner in my carriage on each occasion with all eyes fixed on me. Next time I’m on the train, in just 36 hours time it will be with two friends (one who I’ve still to meet) on my way to Tibet. That promises to be a very different experience. [View Full Entry]

2. Incense burning at Lama Temple, Beijing

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 30th 2009

Horsing around on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia Asia

14. On my horse, Xilamuren Grasslands, Inner Mongolia

Day 486: Wednesday 28th October - I thought travelling was stress free? Unusually I am writing this as it is fresh in the memory, the same evening sipping a beer and enjoying the sense of achievement. Let me explain. Winding the clock back half a day ago and I am woken by the guard on the train from Beijing half an hour before we arrive in Hohhot (pronounced Huhehaote), the capital of Inner Mongolia. I look out to the more barren landscape that confronts me now, a landscape closer to winter than that of Beijing and surrounds and psyche myself up [View Full Entry]

1. The Yurt I stayed in on the Xilamuren grasslands, Inner Mongolia

4. Wild horses on the Xilamuren Grasslands, Inner Mongolia

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 28th 2009

The heart of Dynastic China Asia

60. Happy to be a real man now that I've walked on the Great Wall!, Jinshaling

Day 482: Saturday 24th October - The Forbidden City I’m not exactly full of beans this morning and it takes me a while to get going. I soon get a bit of urgency to my day when a chat with an Israeli girl over breakfast reveals that the Forbidden City where I had planned to visit today will take a full afternoon at least to walk around. It is 11am when I leave the hostel and walk the 750 metres towards Tiananmen Square. As I enter Tiananmen Square a young girl approaches me and starts talking to me in English. She [View Full Entry]

3. Some Chinese kids posing for a photo holding Chinese flags in Tiananmen Square, Beijing

9. Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing

10. Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 23rd 2009

Pingyao - A charming ancient city Asia

3. Yamen hostel - the former Ming Governor

Day 480: Thursday 22nd October - Finally getting out of the city for an ancient Chinese town I think one of the reasons that I haven’t enjoyed my second visit to China as much as my first (apart from the weather not being as good) is that I’ve almost exclusively spent my time in cities. Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Tunxi, Chengdu, Xian, Luoyang.....nearly all huge cities of several million, choking with traffic, people and smog. I’m no city person and the only place where I haven’t stayed in the city was visiting Emei Shan and travelling up the Yangtze by boat. I [View Full Entry]

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 22nd 2009

Luoyang - a bad start, but a good end Asia

29. Longmen Caves, Luoyang

Day 477: Monday 19th October - The bus breaks down I get up early to catch my 8am bus from Xian to Luoyang. There are plenty of buses that ply this route and they leave regularly so I didn’t need to get up so early but I wanted to so that when I arrive in Henan I still have time in the day to visit the Longmen Caves. It may seem rushed and I admit that I am travelling particularly quickly on this section of my trip but I’m in a hurry to get to Beijing. I want to get to [View Full Entry]

1. Stranded on the side of the road after the bus breaks down on way to Luoyang

2. Entrance to Shaolin Temple complex, near Luoyang

4. Kung-fu students, Shaolin Temple, near Luoyang

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 18th 2009

Xian - The home of the Terracotta Warriors Asia

29. Pit 1, Terracotta Warriors, Xian

Day 475: Saturday 17th October - Walking Xian’s city walls Xian creates a good impression as soon as I step out of the train station. A section of the imposing city walls built in the 14th century during the Ming Dynasty are straight in front of me and for the first time since I left Huang Shan 10 days ago the sun is shining. What a difference the sun makes. I catch a bus from opposite the train station to the hostel I have booked, which is close to the city centre. My good first impression of the city is reinforced [View Full Entry]

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 15th 2009

Panda’s, teahouses and the world’s biggest Buddha in Chengdu Asia

42. Meeting my new Panda friend for the first time, Panda Research Base, Chengdu

Day 472: Wednesday 14th October - The world’s biggest Buddha After yesterday’s exertions on Emei Shan I’m in no hurry to get up early this morning and just take my time instead. After a relaxed breakfast I get on my way. The bus station is next door to the hostel so thankfully it isn’t a long walk. The buses to Leshan are hourly but I’ve just missed one so I have an hour wait. A Swedish guy that was in my dorm last night joins me in the bus station; he is on his way to Chengdu. This guy is one [View Full Entry]

2. Buddha carvings in Leshan Grand Buddha park, Leshan

13. Leshan Grand Buddha's rather large foot, Leshan

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 13th 2009

Climbing one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains Asia

13. At the summit of Emei Shan with Jin

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 [View Full Entry]

1. Jin at the start of the climb on Emei Shan

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 11th 2009

Cruising the Yangtze River upstream Asia

22. Posing in traditional dress on Daning River - a tributary to the Yangtze River

Day 465: Wednesday 7th October - A journey with an uncertain ending I don’t know why I do it to myself but if I’m honest journeys like this are actually one of the fun things about backpacking in a strange way. What am I talking about? Well a journey where you have a destination in mind but don’t know if you will be able to reach it and one where you have no accommodation pre-booked. I’m sure 99% of the population would consider what I’m doing today a definite ‘no way I’m doing that’ but I belong to the 1% of [View Full Entry]

2. A model of The Three Gorges Dam as the pictures don't show it too clearly!!

By looking for my zihuatanejo
October 6th 2009

Step aerobics up Huang Shan with half of China Asia

13. Heavenly Capital Peak, Huangshan

Day 463: Monday 5th October - Another day, another province Not too much to say about today. My bus leaves Hangzhou for Tunxi in neighbouring Anhui province at 11:20am. This should give me plenty of time to get up and get ready at my own pace. However, I was of course forgetting that this is China and the bus station is over 10 kilometres from my hostel! The verdict on reception is that a bus would take an hour to do the journey due to it being busy because of the holiday period so I opt for a taxi instead as [View Full Entry]

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looking for my zihuatanejo | Andrew Chapman | Travel Blog

looking for my zihuatanejo - Andrew Chapman

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