Day 429: Tuesday 1st September - Leaving China but not leaving China I have a two hour bus journey from Guangzhou to Zhuhai which is the city on the border with Macau. Macau, like Hong Kong, is classed as a special administrative region, so whilst it is part of China it is administered almost like its own country. Therefore, there are immigration controls whereupon I get stamped out of China, walk through the building and get stamped into Macau, without technically leaving China!! Macau is its own separate state in all matters apart from foreign policy and defence and like Hong Kong was handed back to the Chinese by the Portuguese in the late nineties. Nothing much is meant to have changed except there is a different country overseeing matters, and its relative independence to govern ... read more

Day 424: Thursday 27th August - Travelling to Guilin Normally you’re in a rush to get on the way when your day is going to be taken up travelling. After two days in Chengyang though I’m starting to get used to this slow, slow pace of life and just take my time to get ready and enjoy my last few hours in this beautiful village. At 10am, I catch the bus to Sanjiang where I must wait a further hour to catch a bus to Guilin. I feel like an exhibit in the zoo as I walk into Sanjiang’s bus station when dozens of eyes turn in my direction, intrigued by the white man! It is four hours in the bus to Guilin, which is still red hot even in the late afternoon. I’ve come to ... read more

Day 420: Sunday 23rd August - Arriving in Longji Rice Terraces In my last post, I had just arrived in the town of Ping’ An 36 hours after commencing my journey from Lijiang. Needless to say on my arrival, I take the first reasonably priced accommodation. I can’t be bothered to look around. Thankfully this gives me my own room to get a good night’s sleep. On closer inspection, naturally after I’ve agreed to take the room, I find the bed is rock hard. It hasn’t got what the average person would describe as a mattress, it only being an inch thick. Tonight I’m going to have to grin and bear it, which shouldn’t be too hard in my present weary state but I’m already making mental preparations to see the rice terraces and move on ... read more

Day 412: Sunday 16th August - Intimidated by China I’ve done numerous border crossings on this trip but none have intimidated me as much since the first one in Mexico City’s airport on day one than the one today into China. I don’t know why this is, whether it is irrational or maybe the fear of the unknown. I pack my bags for the trip into China ensuring that my Chinese guidebook is deeply buried in my main rucksack. I’ve read stories that Chinese border guards will confiscate guidebooks as they show Taiwan to be a separate country from China. I catch a minibus down to Lao Cai on the border and over 1000 metres below Sapa. Descending the valley, the bus passes rice terraces clinging to the steep mountains, my last glimpse of the stunning ... read more

Day 406: Monday 10th August - Water puppets and Bia Hoi I check into the only backpackers hostel in Hanoi on my return from Halong Bay. It’s been three long months since I was last shared a dorm room in a hostel - Malaysia, middle of May, three countries ago being the last occasion. Immediately, I am having regrets booking a dorm room. I have nothing against the people I’m sharing my room with, it’s just I’m used to having my own space. In Vietnam having your own room isn’t uneconomic - it would cost me only $4 a night more. I’ve decided I’ll stay here tonight as I’ve already paid upfront and then check in somewhere else tomorrow. As I think it through though I decide I’m not being fair - I’m going to be ... read more