sarah fitzpatrick

After spending my last few rather sad days in China, catching up with a friend in Nanning, I began the journey to Vietnam. The boarder is a little crazy- once you've passed immigration on the China side you have to walk for a bit to reach the Vietnam side, and with all you luggage and in the sweltering heat you push and shove your way to the counter and practically throw your passport to officals to organise. I was amazed I still received my passport in one piece! The scenery on the way is just breathtaking though- the land is so fertile so you see a lot of diversity in both flora and fauna. Once arriving in Hanoi I went straight to my guesthouse where I was greeted by some of the most lovely and hospitable ... read more

So I've decided to take the traditional name for Shangri-la as the location for this blog- Zhongdian. This is because this place was only renamed for the tourism industry a few years back- because Shangri-la sounds like some exotic destination beyond the Tibetan platau. But despite the touristy name, this place is every bit as interesting, welcoming and incredible as you can imagine. One thing I cannot get over here, is the simple kindness, generosity and overall friendliness of the locals here. Already in my first week here, I've made so many friends, and now when I walk the streets of old town, I pass by people and give them a wave and a friendly greeting; just like I've lived here for years. :-) The people at the Thanka Academy are especially lovely, and I've really ... read more

By far one of the most incredible travel experiences I've had so far is my short journey to Yuanyang. When I arrived at Kunming's south bus station I started thinking to myself, "What the f*** am I doing? I don't know where the f*** I'm going, I'm by myself, WTF???" So I was a little nervous to say the least. As I expected, I was the only foreigner on the bus- they were mostly Yuanyang locals and they were all naturally very curious about me and as soon as they found out I could speak a little Chinese, the questions started coming. "where are you from?", "what are you doing in China?", "you're here by yourself?". etc etc. But I didn't mind so much, they seemed like very friendly people. On the six hour journey to ... read more

It’s been three months. Three huge months immersing myself in Chinese culture- and yes; it really has been immersing. I've taken the time this week to reflect on some of the things I've learnt and of some of the things I'll miss and also the things that have made me even change my usual habits. For example, although I don't think I could even bring myself to spit in the streets, however I've noticed that I now spit out the bones from meat that I eat onto the dinner table like everyone else. :) Also I learned many new words and phrases that I don't think I ever could've learnt in a classroom. From 你干什么呀？ To 妈妈；我想尿尿！！ It’s been a real learning experience. I'll never forget the putrid smell that was on the street near the ... read more

I wish I had time to write a blog while I was actually in Hong Kong- but the fact is- I was just so busy that I just did not have the time. So I will rely on my recent memory to illustrate my blog. It started with a simple bus trip across the boarder from the mainland. As soon as we had hit the road my senses became excited about exploring a familar yet challenging and different environment. I arrived in Koowloon and more or less went straight to my accomodation in Causeway Bay. It was nice! THe Hong Kong Hostel is a far better option for single travellers if they want to escape the dangerous labarinth of dodgy guesthouses in Chungking and Mirador Mansions in Koowloon. This hostel was located in a plesant neighbourhood- ... read more