Day 469: Sunday 11th October - Over the border into Sichuan We arrive in Chongqing at 3am. I know because the ship sounds its horn, collides into the dock with some force and there is a lot of shouting outside. I go back to sleep and wake up at 6am as we have to get off the boat at 6:30am. Riley is staying in Chongqing for a few days but I can find nothing of interest in my travel literature which could persuade me to do the same. It sounds like just another drab Chinese city, and in my brief time there it looks as it sounds. It is famous for its hotpot but I’m sure I can try that in neighbouring Sichuan province. It is also incorrectly quoted in some sources as being the largest ... read more

Day 463: Monday 5th October - Another day, another province Not too much to say about today. My bus leaves Hangzhou for Tunxi in neighbouring Anhui province at 11:20am. This should give me plenty of time to get up and get ready at my own pace. However, I was of course forgetting that this is China and the bus station is over 10 kilometres from my hostel! The verdict on reception is that a bus would take an hour to do the journey due to it being busy because of the holiday period so I opt for a taxi instead as I don’t have much more than an hour by the time I check out. It takes about three and a half hours from Hangzhou to Tunxi which is the city closest to Huang Shan (translates ... read more

This is the hardest blog I have written in some respects but since I write my blog primarily as a diary of my travels so I tell it with honesty. There is no other way. Let the story begin...... Day 455: Sunday 27th September - A warm welcome to Shanghai I’ve travelled to many different places over the past 15 months but I can’t remember being as excited about arriving at a new place for a long time. There is nothing especially about Shanghai the city that excites me although I am intrigued to see this most modern of Chinese cities with a multi-national history as a trading port. Rather, it is seeing XueLan again, my Chinese friend who I met in Japan. I have arranged to pick her up from work at the end of ... read more

Day 445: Thursday 17th September - Himeji Castle and a stay in a traditional Japanese Inn It’s back on the Shinkansen this morning for Himeji. I share the hour-long journey with Matt who was staying in my dorm in Hiroshima. He’s heading on to Nara. Himeji is a small city (well small for Japan still = half a million people!) situated on the Shinkansen train line between Hiroshima and Kyoto, my next destination. It is home to what is considered to be Japan’s most impressive castle: Himeji-jo. It is situated on a hill-top in the middle of the city and along with Matsuyama which I visited yesterday is one of only three surviving hill-top castles in Japan. From first sight walking up through the city this is one impressive castle. It dates back to 1609 and ... read more

Day 434: Sunday 6th September - A new country, but no excitement Today is a potential turning point in my journey. The day itself is a long day and a long journey from Hong Kong to Tokyo via the Philippines, but it is more for my change in emotional state that I will remember the day. The day starts at 8am with an hour long journey through Hong Kong to the airport, which includes an exorbitant charge of 60 Hong Kong Dollars (£5) for the last section of about 10 minutes on the underground. It is an anomaly as for the rest of Hong Kong’s underground the fares are around a pound. I even check with the station attendant that the ticket machine isn’t having a laugh at my expense.....it isn’t! My flight is not until ... read more