Jason

wheresjason



I started this blog to keep family and friends informed of where I am, and also to share some of my experiences



Travel Blog Posts


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wheresjason
May 23rd 2012

I spent a total of 3 nights in Lijiang and for most of that time I just hung around the guesthouse talking to some of the other Chinese guests and enjoyed walking around the old town in the evening. The best bit for me was the range of food on offer which I made the most of and even had KFC a couple of times. The downside was the amount of tourists, by far the most I have seen in China, and how jampacked the small streets became in the nightime. I found that it didn't really hold much value for me as a tourist but it was a nice place to take it easy for a couple of days and recuperate. On my last full day in Lijiang I caught a bus about 10 km ... read more



Lugu Hu

Published: May 16th 2012Asia » China » Yunnan » LuGu Lake
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wheresjason
May 16th 2012

The overnight train from Chengdu to Xichang in southern Sichuan was again a very easy and comfortable 9 hour trip, and I highly recommend using the trains for long trips. I booked a 2nd class sleeper for $24 and had about 7 hours sleep before arriving in Xichang at 7 am. I found a minivan going to the bus station, and when I arrived 15 minutes later I was lucky to catch the bus to Lugu Hu which was departing in 10 minutes. Lugu Hu is a large lake on the Yunnan/Sichuan border at an altitude of 2700 metres and as I found out attracts quite a few Chinese tourists, and as usual very few foreign ones. My original plan was not to come to Lugu Hu but because foreigners are not allowed into western Sichuan ... read more



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wheresjason
May 11th 2012

I caught the 8.30am bus to Songpan, a town 300kms north of Chengdu and only 100kms from Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. The trip took about 7 hours and I found it quite interesting following the river and passing near the epicentre of the devestating 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Most of the towns that were destroyed are full of new housing with only some remnants to be seen, including a few bridges that had collapsed which they haven't done anything about. The other interesting part was a definate tibetan feel the further we got from Chengdu which was reflected in the houses as well as the people. Arriving in Songpan and seeing the renovated city walls and temples I was worried that it might turn out to be another Chinese tourist town, but after going for a walk I ... read more



Chengdu

Published: May 9th 2012Asia » China » Sichuan » Chengdu
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wheresjason
May 9th 2012

The overnight train from Zhenyuan to Chongqing wasn't too bad at all. I had a 2nd class sleeper ticket which meant I shared the open compartment with 5 other people, all Chinese. The 15 hours went quite quick and I enjoyed most of the time trying to communicate with the others, which was pretty difficult. The train itself was good with food available, hot water for coffee and noodles, relatively clean squat toilets, and a spot to smoke between carriages. The lights were turned out at 10pm and I had a good sleep before being woken up at 4.30am just before we arrived at Chongqing. My idea was to board the first train to Chengdu, and I was told by the other passengers that I would have to catch a taxi to the other side of ... read more



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wheresjason
May 2nd 2012

After arriving back in Kaili after a disappointing night in Chong An I hopped straight on the bus bound for the Miao tourist town/village of Xijiang. The trip took about an hour passing some nice scenery along the way and then we were dropped off at the entrance gate at the top of the hill. I paid the $16 entry fee and joined about 100 Chinese tourists to have a look from the viewpoint over the town. The view was pretty good and after taking a few photos of the Chinese tourists dressed in traditional clothes I walked down the hill, across the river and eventually found a nice room in the main street above a candy shop for $11 a night. That night whilst I was having dinner at a cheap barbecue place I started ... read more



Wonderful Zhaoxing, and Basha

Published: April 21st 2012Asia » China » Guizhou » Zhaoxing
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wheresjason
April 21st 2012

Once arriving at Zhaoxing I put my backpack in my room and had a look around this large Dong minority village which contains 5 drum towers as well as numerous wooden bridges. It has a wonderful setting at the base of a valley surrounded by many farming terraces. It has quite a few hotels located in the traditional three storey wooden buildings but surprisingly few tourists. Whilst I was in town I only saw a handful of foreign tourists and only small groups of Chinese tourists. There were also quite a few tourist restaurants as well as a lot of local eateries all selling good food. The tourist side of things was kept very low key and the locals just went about their business as if we weren't there. The other thing I liked about the ... read more



Chengyang

Published: April 17th 2012Asia » China » Guangxi » Chengyang
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wheresjason
April 17th 2012

Last thursday morning I left my hotel in Ping An very early and walked down the hill in the rain to the carpark to catch the bus to Longsheng. The bus was on time but we had to wait about 30 minutes for some passengers that had been at a large wedding in town and were a little late getting up. It was an enjoyable 40 minute trip and the guy I had been sitting next to showed me the bus to get on for Sanjiang. We left right away and it took only an hour and a half to arrive at the Sanjiang bus station. A couple of the things I have noticed in China is the number of bridges they have, and also how much cement is being used for government works as well ... read more



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wheresjason
April 11th 2012

Our bus to Ping An left Yangshuo just before 8am and about 3 hours later we changed to a smaller bus which stopped at a small village so we could have a look at some longhaired women. This place was very touristy with all the ladies from the village trying to sell us souvenirs and charging people to take their photo. Also, besides our busload of mostly Chinese tourists there must have been about 5 more buses full of tourists at the village as well. After wandering around for 10 minutes they ushered us into a large building where we sat through a short but entertaining cultural show. The length of the ladies hair was impressive, almost reaching the ground. From here it was back on the bus where we drove along a pretty river before ... read more



Yangshuo and Guangzhou

Published: April 7th 2012Asia » China » Guangxi » Yangshuo
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wheresjason
April 7th 2012

My flight to Guangzhou went fine and I arrived about 8pm. After asking a few people I hopped on the right bus to take me into the city, and from the bus station I caught a taxi the last couple of kilometres to my hostel. The hostel was very modern with drinks and food available, and my 6 bed dorm room was fine. I also liked the location, just a short 8 cent ferry ride across the river to Shamien Island and a 15 cent ferry ride to the main part of town. On my first full day I just walked around the city area and Shamien Island. It was a pleasure watching the older people enjoying themselves in the park, dancing, singing, and exercising. The following day I caught the impressive underground to a large ... read more



A Week on Tioman Island

Published: March 29th 2012Asia » Malaysia » Pahang » Pulau Tioman
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wheresjason
March 29th 2012

After a very pleasant 2 and a half weeks back in Australia visiting family and friends I caught a flight yet again to Malaysia. I arrived early in the morning, caught the bus into KL and then made my way to Bukit Bintang and found some accommodation. I had a quick shower and then caught a taxi to the Chinese visa centre to apply for a tourist visa. After a bit of confusion I eventually lodged my application and was told to return the following morning for an interview. The next morning I arrived early and after a 1 minute, 2 question interview I was told to come back a few days later to pick up my passport hopefullly with a 90 day visa in it. Seeing it was still early in the morning I decided ... read more






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