5 days on the Tibet-Sichuan Hwy

We wrapped up our south west China experience with what turned out to be a gruelling 5 day trip along the Tibet-Sichuan highway. Early each morning we would board a local bus and head into the snow-capped mountains bordering the Tibetan plateau, spending between 8-15 hours getting to know our fellow passengers before rolling into a small town to spend the night, filling up on hearty Tibetan food and taking in the sights. We unofficially ended up travelling with a group of foreigners who had all decided to do the route at the same time and, with what turned out to be a really terrifying experience when we were stuck in the snow at 4,500m, it was sure great to have some company that spoke English.

The start of our snowy overland adventure- Zhongdian

The green rolling hills surrounding the village of Xiangcheng

The beautifully decorated entrance to one of the Xiangcheng houses

The Tibetan houses make for a very different scene to the China we had experienced so far

Our hand painted bedroom in Xiangcheng- a steal at $8 a night!

Between Xiangcheng and Litang we first struck the snowy white wonderland up there at 4000m- the road is often only wide enough for one vehicle so when there are two, one, if not two, inevitably get stuck

Tibetan Gompa in Litang

The magnificent gold and burgundy monastry in Litang

Prayer tiles outside the monastry

An 8 hour trip between Litang and Kangding turned into 14 when we got stuck multiple times- disfuntional chains being put on and off our bus, the bus skidding across the road sideways, one time towards a shear drop into white nothingness... ahh, we lived to tell the tale!

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Legend has it that a tiger once leaped across a 20 metre wide part of one of China's largest gorges to escape an approaching hunter. This gorge has now become a famous trek in Yunnan province- we spent two days/three nights discovering this stunning area. The gorge, although only 20 meters wide at its narrowest point, is a remarkable 4000m from the raging river to the sheer snow-capped mountain tops.

The first night we stayed at the start of the gorge and woke up early the next morning to begin the trek. This section of the gorge is dominated by terraced farmland, with the trekking path slowly winding its way up to and over the first mountain ridge.

The start of the trek- this river becomes the Yangtze a little further downstream

A little trick photography to scare the folks!

We spent our second night in a wonderful wooden guesthouse inaccessible by road. We had a spectacular view from our balcony, watching the sun set in front of the snowy mountains directly in front of us.

In the evening clouds rolled in over the mountains creating a moody atmosphere

The second day of the trek saw us walk through quaint farming villages set high up on the slopes and gradually decend back down to the river level.

This village is perched on the edge of the gorge- its a vertical kilometre down to the river

Heading down to river level, we were lucky to have trekked most of the gorge with very few people in sight

Lijiang, Black Dragon Pools and Tai Chi

Lijiang was the next stop on our Yunnan adventure. Another old town with beautiful winding cobblestone alleys, canals and bridges, we spent a few days here at a fairly slow pace. One of the main tourist attractions in town is the Black Dragon Pool. Set in a lovely park dotted with pagodas and bridges it is an early morning hang out for locals doing tai chi and, to our surprise, dance aerobics to rather loud up-beat music.

One of the pagodas looking into Black Dragon Pool

Ahh, the serenity- early morning tai chi

The pool from another good angle (a popular postcard shot)

A typical street in the old town... gotta watch those stones in the wet though

The sea of rooftops across Lijiang's old town

Trent stole a shot of this girl posing for a professional shoot above one of Lijiang's canals

A few days in Dali

After Yangshou we jumped on another 24-hour sleeper train and headed further west to Yunnan province. One of the most ethnically diverse provinces in China, we chose to spend a couple of weeks here. We arrived in the province capital, Kunming, where we spent a night before jumping on a bus to Dali, an old town set between one of China's largest lakes and the Jade Green Mountains.

Arriving at the tail end of China's May holiday week, the streets were alive with colourful festivals

A Dali local taking a rest from the midday sun

The sun sets behind the Qianxun Padoga (c.950AD), the Jade Green Mountains in the background

Some of Dali's Bai women

A detailed look at the intricately painted gates to the city

Dali's local food was spectacular- here I'm eating some fried cheese and yak stew

The kitchen window of one of the local eateries- the layers of grease built up on the shutters must mean that many a meal has been cooked in that kitchen

Rewind to Tongli

When we were in Shanghai (yes we have accidently posted some of the photos out of order) we had a day trip to Tongli- one of the 'water towns' north of Shanghai. Called a water town, because of the myriad of canals that criss-cross the town, Tongli was a great place to spend a quiet day wandering across old stone bridges and getting lost down alleys.

Boats are still a great way to get around Tongli

The dark interior of one of Tongli's old houses

Me on the steps of one of the old stone bridges

An intense game of mahjong

Trent wandering down the narrowest alley in Tongli

In black and white, this scene could be 50 years ago (apart from perhaps the car in the background)

A Tongli local

The Thousands of Peaks of Yangshou

Our next stop after Shanghai was Yangshou, in Southern China's Guangxi province. Instantly (well as instantly as a 24hr sleeper train ride can be!) the landscape, people and overall feel of the country changed. This area is depicted in many Chinese paintings and travel brochures for very good reason- the karst landscape is stunning- flowing rivers and limestone hills rising out of lush green paddy fields. The town of Yangshou is quaint, but unfortunately we were there at the peak of Chinese May Golden week holidays, which meant that the popular streets were best avoided during the middle of the day.

Yangshou, with its cobblestone, non-trafficked streets (yeah!) is dwarfed by the beautiful surrounding karst landscape

Lush green foliage, water and bridges make for a very picturesque landscape

And then at night shadow and light makes for a different view

One of our days in Yangshou we spent on an organised boat trip along the Li river. It was a great day, and with a ticket that cost less than $10 we were pleased with the trip- the company was good, including quite a few Aussies, as was the weather.

An ox (?) strolling along the bank of the Li river

Some boats, similar to the one we were on, with limestone karsts in the background plunging into the Li river

About an hour into the trip we were advised that we had to get off the boat, as apparently we were on a vessel that was not licenced to carry foreign tourists, and a police boat was patrolling the river. To gain a licence, you have pay high taxes to the government, which out boat owner, a local farmer, could not afford. This also explained the low cost of our ticket compared to other trips we had seen advertised. We all got off the boat and trudged through farmland to an area along the river were the boat picked us up again- apparently the police boat was no longer in sight. This on-off routine happened a couple of times, and eventually, to get us back to our drop-off point, we had to unfold the chairs we had been sitting on and duck down as we tried to evade the authorities- more adventure than we had bargained for!

Illegal cargo trying to get back to safety!

The next day we went for something a little more sedate and hired bikes to explore the area outside of Yangshou.

Trent riding (well posing) next to some stunning scenery

The water-drenched farmland of Yangshou

A farmer and cow look tiny against the karst backdrop

After Yangshou it was back on a sleeper train to Kunming in the Yunnan province- heading further west.

Trent in our comfortable soft sleeper cabin that we shared with two other travellers

Cloud 9

We splurged while in Shanghai and treated ourselves to a couple of drinks at the Cloud Nine bar on the 87th floor of the spectacular Jinmao building. We went up just as the sun was setting over the city and the lights were coming on. Trying out best not to look like scruffy backpackers, we hid our day pack and dusty shoes.

Me, a yummy cocktail and Shanghai at night

The moon rises above the architecturally aclaimed Jinmao building

An awesome view of modern Pudong in the foreground and the historic Bund in the background

Up close the Jinmao's intricate design is revealed

The Old and New of Shanghai

We had a not-so-pleasant arrival in Shanghai, witnessing pick-pocketing in full swing at the train station (we would have definitely been vicitms if we had anything in our pockets to pick), however, the remainder of our time there was great as we explored the old and new of what the city had to offer.

The futuristic Pudong (east bank) is spectacular at night

Despite its size tranquility still exists in Shanghai- we found it in the beautiful Yuyuan walled gardens in the old town

It's a unique sight to see the Bund's old colonial buildings on one side of the river and the UFO-like modern structures on the other

The Ming architecture of the old town

Nanjing road- Shanghai's major shopping district is electric at night

Noodle slurping in one of Shanghai's many back alleys

The neon of Nanjing road

The spectacular view from our hostel's rooftop bar