Saturday morning saw us up at 6am and off the the airport for an early flight to Kunming. Our backup bus met us at the airport and took us on the 1 1/2 hour trip to the Stone Forest south of the airport. This is a forest of 100 acres or more of stones sticking out of the ground and weather worn over th last 2 million years. Many look like animals and people, examples being the queen with her crown, fish kissing, tiger, dog etc. It was very interesting and was accompanied by traditional dancing. The worst mistake we made was to walk up the steps to the 'conning tower' to have a view of the park from above. By this time the park was heaving and it was like Hillsborough all over again with ... read more

What a fantastic place! The scenery is amazing. The Yangtze River, a pea green colour, crashes through the gorge in places, running very fast, and in others it just meanders. The surrounding mountains are magnificent. This area is very remote, very wild, each family appears to have its own little patch, growing rice and maize. There are also lots of fruit trees, some bearing pomegranites. This morning it was extremely cold, I had to wear long trousers, several layers, jacket and gloves. It warmed up though as the day progressed, and ended up a scorcher at 35 deg. When the wind blows it is like a hot air drier. Some of the roads are not made up and we have to ride over gravel. There have been lots of landslides. Health and safety regulations do not ... read more

It is now late afternoon on our first proper rest day. sorry for repeating myself this morning, it must be the heat making me forget what I have written about this amazing place. The Jade Dragon Park was interesting and heard a Folk Band playing just like we should hear tonight. The lake also bubbles if you clap your hands - or is this a co-incidence. The old square had folk dancing at lunch time and allowed me to take pictures and video of people in traditional costume. The variety of Chinese facial characteristics is huge due to its vast area and make very interesting photo shots, especially if you can do it without them knowing. I look forward to seeing all my shots on my return and listening to my Chinese Folk Music CD's. China ... read more

Have now arrived in Lijiang and what an amazing place it is. It looks like a really old town, but in reality, it was all built in the last 12 years following the destruction of the original town by an earthquake. The whole place looks very antique with lots of sloping roofs. There must be at least 3000 shops. The town is literally heaving with people. There are bands playing and music and chaos are everywhere, what an experience!... read more

A very hot day today, 33-35 deg C. It gets very hot in the afternoons but at 6.00pm, when the sun sets, it becomes a lot cooler. Most nights I have been in just shirt sleeves but last night I had to wear a sweatshirt. Dali was a very nice place, very touristy, with lots of vigour, lights, live music in the streets and 100s and 100s of shops. I bought 4cds of traditional music and some small gifts.I am very worried about the weight for the plane. Been to a Bai village, a minority people with their own small kingdom. They had a market selling spices, live fish swimming about in buckets, live chickens, chicken feet and pigs' heads. It was a very interesting place. Most of the population are very friendly and the young ... read more