Geo: 27.8205, 99.7074From PanZhiHua I decided to get the bus to Lijiang firstly which is around 9 hours away, from the hotel I tried to get a taxi but they were all full and I was getting tight for time after collecting my visa in the morning. One of the ‘minivan' taxi's said he would take me for 12 yuen but that's double the taxi fare so I declined, instead one of the guys hanging around the hotel (looking for work I think) said he would take me for 6 yuen on his motorbike so without hesitation I jumped on and I was handed a yellow hardhat to wear, I must have looked a picture! Although helmets are not compulsory here, many wear their work hard hats on their bikes as helmets, they're all red or ... read more

Geo: 29.4951, 102.625So from Chengdu we only cycled around 50 km, when Jane said she wasn't feeling well again, so we holed up in a hotel for the rest of the day. While she slept, I went out and around town trying out my new cycle shoes and clips but it will take me ages to get used to them without continually falling off the bike because you're feet at clipped in! I found the next day really trying, the panniers were popping off the rack at every bump and it's not a good road, I feel I've just added a problem to the bike instead of making it better, I need to stop several times to fix the rack back into place. I know that front racks are difficult to fit with a suspension set ... read more

Geo: 32.443, 105.818Cycling notes mainly for reference…From HanZhong it's a fantastic journey, firstly we cycle into Da'an 85 km away which was mainly downhill but through a beautiful valley, it makes all the hard work of going up mountains worthwhile when you get to go down them. The valley is just breathtaking and I could take a million photographs, it really is picturesque. Unfortunately the downhill doesn't last and it's a steep switchback next day however more back tyre trouble, this time I was almost at the top of the mountain when I heard a bang a thought was a shotgun and jumped out of my skin! It turns out it I had a blow out in my back tyre, the whole side wall of had ripped which gave me the fright of my life. I ... read more

Geo: 34.27, 108.9I left Beijing and caught the train to Xi'an, I've been in contact through email to meet up with a friend of a friend to start cycling with and as she is on the road already I've arranged to meet her in Xi'an where she's due to arrive in a few days. Her plan is cycling from Beijing to Melbourne where she's from, and it follows the basic route I plan on taking which is down through China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and eventually to Australia, so why not by bike, it seems like an adventure to me. So I head off to meet her and redirect delivery of my bike that I just ordered online while in Malaysia, to the hostel in Xi'an after clearance by customs, fingers crossed! The accessories ... read more

Geo: 3.12433, 101.684I am really sad to leave Sri Lanka, it was never on my agenda to visit but once there I found it really hard to leave with one month turning into three months before I knew it. I leave behind lots of friends and happy memories and beautiful beaches, sea and scenery which I will sorely miss, but it's onto new adventures and Kuala Lumpur is some where I have always wanted to go since a friend from college who was from KL made it sound magical… another world. So I depart Colombo on a fairly short flight out to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for only a flying 5 day visit on route to Beijing in China, and I'm glad I did.From the airport I caught an express bus into the city and although no ... read more