Blogs from Heilongjiang, China, Asia

Departing Mongolia and heading for China was the next leg of the journey, and a whole host of ice-coated treats were just around the corner. Yabuli ski resort is China's largest ski terrain, so a certain amount of effort has been made to ensure that the right kinds of elements are in place. In terms of accommodation, there are a variety of options in the local area, but seemingly, the sizeable Club Med property appears to be the only resort hotel within immediate reach of the foot of the main ski slopes. Excursions exist on the kind of scale and theme which only a ski trip to China could hint at, and the world's longest toboggan run, an adventure in itself, is actually woven into the slopes and clearly visible from the chairlift which ferries a ... read more

January and February in Harbin, China, are the pretty chilly. A city in the North-Easternmost part of the country, gets the cold winds from the Siberian winter. Originally a place 'for drying nets' (the literal translation of it's name), Harbin has capitalised on it's cold, cold winters... with an International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival! Because, what do people want to do when it's minus 30 out? That's right, walk around ice sculptures of buildings and wonders of the world. The original Ice Lantern Show and garden party was interrupted by the Cultural revolution, but in 1985 the festival resumed in Zhaolin Park. Sculptors come from around the world to participate, and Guinness world records have been made and broken, including the largest snow sculpture that was 250m long, 8.5m high and used over 13,000 cubic ... read more

Fun on the ice and snow!!!!! And fun at the aquarium!!!!... read more

Harbin! Welcome to a city of blue skies, stackable dolls, and borsch. Oh, and a huge world made from ice and snow - we can’t forget that! Our trip to Harbin was so wonderful. It was great to get away from Xi’an for a little while and enjoy somewhat-smogless air and forks. Yay forks! It makes so much more sense to twirl the noodles with your fork rather than use the shovel-with-a-stick method, but that isn’t what I am here to talk about. I will divide our trip into locations to make it a bit easier to follow. Tigers! Our first big destination was to the famed Siberian Tiger Park! Apparently there are 1,400 tigers there, but only 400 were on display at the time… pick and choose the facts you believe. I choose to believe ... read more

I was going to get up really early, but I had a bit of a lie-in as I still had an evil headache. I took some painkillers and headed for a shower. Not the greatest water pressure in the world. Must remember to try a different shower tomorrow. It took me ages to get ready because I had to keep going to the bathroom to use the mirror and there was no space to store stuff, so I had to keep going back and forth my different toiletries. It's hard being a girl at times. I went down to reception and inquired about the ice festivals. I booked a tour for that night to the main night time festival (I was still knackered and dazed so didn't know what I'd booked and had to go back ... read more