Page 5 of Weixiao82 Travel Blog Posts


Europe » France August 2nd 2013

Geo: 50.7167, 1.61667After an almost disappointingly uneventful passing into France sans visa at 5am, driver Bill and our trusty Panda Mobile got their first taste of driving on the right. Bill immediately took to French driving - quite roads, smooth surfaces and lots of speed. Our first stop was Boulogne-sur-mer. I'd visited here on day trips as a child but had never clocked just how beautiful the old town is. We walked along the ramparts and soaked up the heat. We were pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive everything was e.g. a 3 course meal for 8 euros. Bill got to go up the Belfry for free. Isaac and I waved from below. ... read more
Interesting flower display!
Another interesting flower display!
Old town

Europe » France August 2nd 2013

Geo: 48.8023, 2.12982... read more

Asia » China » Sichuan » Chengdu April 16th 2013

Geo: 30.6667, 104.067Well I couldn't possibly be in Chengdu without visiting my favourite pandas! I'm very pleased to announce that Isaac shares my love for them! He quivered with excitement when he spotted his first panda :) We were really lucky with our panda viewings this time. We saw around 30 pandas and they were active! First we saw a group of 7 playing outside, then they went inside for feeding time where we watched them munch away at the bamboo for a few hours before one by one they flopped over and slept. ... read more
Tex Mex Grill
Panda Research base under construction
Pandas outside

Asia » China » Sichuan » Leshan » Emeishan April 12th 2013

Geo: 29.6468, 103.279We spent a day in Hongya visiting some of Bill's never ending Aunties and cousins. One was in a restaurant picking the nails off chicken feet the other had a posh new appartment. We then caught the bus to Gaomiao and Bill's Uncle gave us a lift to the village. On arrival in the village we were greeted by pouring rain and no electricity. At least It meant we didnt have to participate in the traditional tv worshipping - 'havent seen you for years, lets watch some awful anti Japanese soap opera together.' Ive had my hair rearranged and my breasts fondled by the scary little granny next door. Now I'm being force fed 'eels' which I'm sure are snakes. Considering making a bid for freedom and taking the poor starving dog chained up ... read more
Snakes
Cooking eels
Chatting

Asia » China » Sichuan April 11th 2013

Geo: 29.8672, 103.33After a very noisy and bumpy flight, we arrived back at the Traffic Inn. Bill's Dad left as early as he could in the morning (without saying goodbye of course). Bill and I spent the day visiting our favourite parts of Chengdu. First stop was the fish feeding park where Isaac was greeted by a chorus of croaking frogs. The park is beautiful. Thankfully the government hasn't started charging entrance fees for the parks yet so they're still the best place to relax and watch the world go by. We were accosted by a Chinese couple wanting to practice their English. It was just nice to escape sichuan hua! We stumbled upon a xinjiang restaurant next to the bus station. Yum yum ban fan. We navigated our way through the dust, scaffolding and corrugated ... read more
New ancient street
Bill's cousins
Lunch on the way to cherry picking

Asia » China » Yunnan » Jinghong April 7th 2013

Geo: 22.0057, 100.8Have spent a very relaxed last few days in Jinghong. Despite looming development, Jinghong very much remains a laid back jungle town. Unlike the normal giant Chinese metropolises you can walk from one side to the other in less than an hour. Plus the palm trees and peacock/pagoda lamp posts everywhere make it a beautiful city. Peacock Lake is the place to go to see everyday traditional Chinese life in action. Retired men take their birds for a walk and gather to play chess, mah-jong and gamble. Ladies take their grandchildren for a walk and join in impromptu karaoke with a portable amplifier. This was our favourite place to wander. There appears to be some wonderful places to visit in the region - village treks, jungle walks, hidden waterfalls, botanical gardens...However we opted to ... read more
Binjiang night market
Favourite shao kao
Please don't make me do that Mummy!

Asia » China » Yunnan » Jinghong April 5th 2013

Geo: 22.0057, 100.81km down the road from our hotel in Jinghong is Manting Gongyuan. We didn't have high hopes but it turned out that this is a fantastic place to visit. Much quieter than other 'theme parks' in the area, the paths are surrounded by dense tropical plants and birdsong. We stumbled upon a Buddhist temple which took us completely by surprise. Isaac loved whacking the giant drums. Whilst enjoying the scenery we bumped into a chatty elderly chinese gentleman from America who followed us around for the rest of our visit. We watched a peacock dance show (people dressed as peacocks rather than actual peacocks themselves!)... read more
Hello dragon!
Another dragon!
Front of temple

Asia » China » Yunnan April 2nd 2013

Geo: 22.0059, 100.8Visited the tropical plant garden here in Jinghong. Absolutely beautiful. A wonderful array of plants all in full bloom for the spring. We've managed to barter down some super decorations for the yurt. Souvenirs are no where near as cheap as they used to be but still gorgeous. Bill's happy as we managed to get takeaway rice and a choice of dishes for 6rmb each. You just pick what you like the look of. Unfortunately it's quite difficult to spot pig intestines and chicken bum just by looking at it in a tasty looking dish! Jinghong people are not morning people! however in the evening everything comes to life and the streets are much more crowded. We headed towards Thailand street where we encountered another of my favourite Chinese things - a Random festival ... read more
Feeding the fish
Flower garden
Flower archway

Asia » China » Yunnan » Jinghong March 31st 2013

Geo: 21.9736, 100.816On Easter Day we flew from Kunming to Jinghong. It was Bill's Dad's first time on a plane. he is travelling with us (and slowly driving me insane despite never speaking a word to me!) Jinghong (the region capital) is charming. I love it! Here I can still find all the things I love about China:BBQ (shao kao) stalls everywhere all night long.Beer for 30pMilk tea (nai cha) stallsAvailable taxisBig squares for dancing and gathering at nightFruit sellersTraffic lights that tell you how long you have to cross Nonsense signs in EnglishLadies wearing t-shirts with 'juicy' written in the back.The palm tree lined roads are a bonus! (Though watch a coconut doesn't fall on your head!) Plus nobody's told me that Isaac is too cold! We visited the Virgin Forest Park. Once Bill had ... read more
Baby melons
Yum!
Thailand street

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming March 29th 2013

Geo: 25.05, 102.7Note to self: if chinese people fussing over your baby and telling you are doing everything wrong are driving you crazy, do not confine yourself in a train carriage with them for 18hrs! Isaac had a great time whereas I wanted to throw everybody out of the window! Funnily nobody told us Isaac wasn't wearing enough despite the effective air conditioning that made it significantly colder than anywhere else we'd been! This time, we were just terrible parents for taking him on a train with air conditioning! Admittedly we did have top bunk tickets (no others left) that weren't ideal but nobody seemed concerned enough to actually offer up their bottom bunk - not very reminiscent of the China I knew and loved. The carriage was full of the loud harsh voices of an ... read more
Lots of space!
Froggy!
Yang ruo chuar




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