The Great China Roadtrip

I have had to give up all aspirations of being a gastronome during my time in Shanghai. Unfortunately I have had few meals here that leave any form of lasting impression. There are few restaurants that I crave to return to, and so far, I have yet been able to find any that are worthy of those coveted stars from the infamous tyre company .... until recently that is. In my mind, were I a food critic, not only would the food have to be exceptional, but the visit must be a total experience, an event even. Very often the most important ingredient in a successful restaurant is passion. A good chef will be one that takes reward from seeing satisfied customers. Unfortunately chefs in China do not yet enjoy the same status as those in ... read more

Lead Car: 2010 Mazda MX 5 Support Car: 1999 Toyota Landcruiser Dates: 31st March - 30th April Distance Covered - 10,017km Total off-roading distance covered - About 200km Toll Fees Paid for one car - A whopping RMB 3,030 Number of Toll Gates - 63 Total gas bill for MX 5 - Around RMB 8,000 Number of spare wheels used - MX 5, 1 / Landcruiser, 2 Speeding tickets - Hehe, None !!!!! Cheapest Room: Dong Village Guesthouse RMB 130 per night Most Expensive Room: Aman at The Summer Palace, Beijing RMB 3,865 per night Favourite Room: Dong Village Guesthouse Route: Shanghai-Huai'an-Tai'an-Beijing-Huairou-Datong-Pingyao-Hukou-Huashan-Xi'an-Jiangyou-Jiuzhaigou-Chengdu-Leshan-Xichang-Luguhu-Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Lijiang-Dali-Kunming-Xingyi-Huangg... read more

Day 29 - Happy to leave Guilin, we hit the road for the marathon 820km leg to Nanchang. Someway into our journey I was saddened to have seen a sign to Shanghai, the first in over three weeks. The landscape is also gradually becoming more familiar now and I am cherishing every single kilometer clocked as I know the dream is ending soon. On route we are hopelessly looking for signs to tempt us into a detour, anything to break the finality of the schedule. A sign for a hot spring has us pouring over maps to see if we can accommodate the detour and still make it back to Shanghai in time. Alas, no choice but to stick to the schedule and head for Nanchang. After 9 hours on the road we finally hit Nanchang, ... read more

Our $20 dollar rooms with balconies overlooked the river and rice paddies that fed on the river, and it was a perfect summer morning in the deep South of China. There is nothing quite so refreshing as waking up to the sound of running water. With a simple bowl of noodles for breakfast, we walked across the Dong bridges to the village. I was almost contemplating staying at the guesthouse for a year to simply clear my head of decades of city life. After a light lunch we drove to the Longji Rice Terraces, said to be amongst the most beautiful in the world. The lighting and timing prevented us from being able to capture it's beauty as well as in the numerous photobooks that you can purchase on the way up. It is hard for ... read more

Today was truly a special treat. As fate would have it, the Kaili Ethnic Minority Museum was closed for refurbishing. Leaving Kaili we headed into the mountains to visit the secluded 1,000 Family Miao Village. Access to the village required some real off roading, but fortunately we befriended a govt official who allowed us to drive through the villagers entrance to this magical place. If you ever visit China and could only see one place, I would choose this village. I could easily spend a week here, chilling out with the warm Miao villagers. The Miao women are known for their spectacular costumes and headdresses. Their houses and bridges were very intricate in design compared to the Baima, Naxi, Yi and Mosuo and Bai ethnic minorities we had encountered. And this village of just over 1,000 ... read more