30 May – 16 Jun 2021 Originally, we did not plan to go to Ejin Banner (額濟納旗) in the most north western tip of Inner Mongolia. It is famous for the desert poplar trees (Euphrates poplar胡楊林) with the leaves turning into golden yellow only in a very short window of every October. In that single […]
Heartwarming Ejin Banner (額濟納旗) Read More »
內蒙額濟納旗巴丹吉林沙漠看日落 In the Gobi Desert, Mr. Qin(秦) who runs a tyre shop in the Ejin(額濟納旗) town took us fishing on an almost dried river and showed us the beautiful sunset. I learnt how to release the pressure in the wheels before driving in sandy terrains. Here is our exciting riding experience in the desert. Hope
Movie – Desert Ride Read More »
7-12 May 2021 After lots of late night chats and loads of fun with our young friend Jovy, the four of us returned to our quiet life. We headed eastward to Alxa Left Banner (阿拉善左旗). We made a pitstop to see the Mandela Rock Paintings (曼特拉岩畫). It has nothing to do with the famous South
Exploring Western Inner Mongolia Read More »
Date: 7-12 May (Part 1) Jovy and the four of us continued our journey northward and cut through the narrow strip of Gansu Province to reach the western part of Inner Mongolia. We drove about 200 kilometres and saw familiar road signs of Zhangye (張掖) and nearby places in Gansu along the way before reaching
Exploring Western Inner Mongolia with Jovy Read More »
30 Apr – 6 May 2021 Friends have wanted to join our travel in China ever since we started but then COVID got in the way and all travelling plans have been postponed indefinitely. Out of the blue at the end of April 2021, a carefree young friend Jovy joined us. She was already in
Amazing Mati Temple and Qilianxian (馬蹄寺與祁連縣) Read More »
Silly and unexpected things always happen in our journey, we are prepared and ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead. Here is what has happened when we were in a desert and someone needed to pee. 🙂 Location: Badain Jaran Desert
This post was written by Jovy Wong who travelled from Hong Kong during the pandemic to visit us in Gansu. She spent almost two weeks with us and we travelled together to Inner Mongolia. It was the first time we met her and we become close friend since. 此行印象最深刻景點之 一 甘肅張掖馬蹄寺 2021年4月30日 中國著名的石窟，單單在在甘肅境內已有敦煌莫高窟和麥積山石窟，且為中國的四大石窟，但我們卻在由甘肅張掖到青海祁連縣的路上，對相對小眾的馬蹄寺印象難忘。 始建於東晉時期（1600多年前）的馬蹄寺，最具參觀價值的是三十三天石窟，這裡的整體規模不算大，但那特質卻是令人十分獨特。 在荒蕪的高原峭壁之上，第一秒感受到的，不是如其他石窟寺廟的磅礴氣勢，而是一種孤傲的堅毅。
Matisi Caves and Temples, Gansu Read More »
After spending months in Tibet followed by a whirlwind three-week tour in Qinghai over 3,000 kilometres, we were ready to take a long break from travelling and hibernate for the winter. We arrived in Dunhuang (敦煌) in the last month of 2020 and it was very quiet in winter. We were particularly impressed by how
Winter in Dunhuang Read More »
From Lhasa, we headed northeast to Qinghai (青海) via the Qingzang route (青藏公路). I was even more unfamiliar with Qinghai than Tibet as all I knew about the place is Lake Qinghai (青海湖). As I started reading up on Qinghai (青海), I found out that it is China’s fourth largest province in area. It is
In early September, we arrived in Lhasa and ended up staying for over a month. My first impression of Lhasa when we were approaching the city was that it appeared bigger than what I thought and from a distance, the Potala Palace stood on a pedestal but looked way smaller than I anticipated. As we
A Month in Lhasa (拉薩的一個月) Sept 2020 Read More »
Nineteen days into our Ngari (阿里) journey, we saw spectacular snow mountains and lakes of various shapes and sizes. We were deeply moved by stunning landscapes and clay forest. We went back in time exploring the ancient ruins and cave paintings. We saw the way of life of the locals. As we embarked on the
Ngari, Tibet (西藏阿里) 3 Read More »
Ngari, Tibet (西藏阿里) 3 Burang – Menshi (Tirthapuri Monastery) – Zanda – Guge Kingdom Ruins – Shiquanhe – Pangong Tso 普蘭 – 門士鄉 (直達布日寺) – 扎達 – 古格王朝遺址 – 獅泉河 – 班公措 Before I begin my part two of the journey, you probably notice that I have updated the title from Ali to Ngari. Ali
Ngari, Tibet (西藏阿里) 2 Read More »
Lhasa – Shigatse – Tingri – Gyirong – Saga – Lake Manasarovar – Mount Kailash 拉薩 – 日喀則市 – 定日 – 吉隆溝 – 薩嘎 – 瑪旁雍措 – 岡仁波齊 I wanna start our trip to Ngari (阿里) by introducing our young Cantonese friend Huang Li Shing (黃利成) whom we met in Shannan (山南) on our way
Ngari, Tibet (西藏阿里) 1 Read More »
We met Harmony and Catherine, two bubbly women from Guangzhou on our last morning at the guesthouse near Linzhi, Tibet (西藏林芝山南) but already sensed their super outgoing vibe. Little did we know that we would meet up again in Lhasa. About an hour into our drive to Shannan (山南), the guesthouse owner Mr. Wu (吳濤)
Travelling with new friends in Tibet (日客則，羊卓雍措) 17-20 Sept Read More »
We have met many interesting people during our trip and in Milin (米林), a small town about 40 kilometres away from Linzhi (林芝), we met a remarkable man Mr. Wu Tao (吳濤老闆) who did not only design and built a chain of unique guesthouses, he has changed the livelihood of the little village he resides
Milin, Linzhi (林芝米林) 3-9 Sept Read More »
If you are wondering how our furry children are these days, I can happily say that they are doing great. I know it sounds silly but I am proud to report that Daisy can now pee and poo in the van when she feels the need. She even walks around the van and demands food
Lake Ranwu and Laigu Glacier (然烏湖 + 來古冰川) 19-24 Aug Read More »
After almost two months since we left Yunnan Jianshui (雲南建水) in mid June, we finally entered the eastern border of Tibet and arrived at its first town called Mangkang (芒康). This is the eastern gateway into Tibet and usually people just stay the night and continue to head towards Lhasa direction the next morning. We
Tibet Mangkang (西藏芒康) 11 – 16 Aug Read More »
Our van has gone to very remote places without mobile phone signal, electricity and hot water for days. We were able to use pressure cooker in high altitude of over 4,000m powered by the solar panel and lithium battery installed in our van and we are very happy with it. We haven’t yet need to
Introduction to the Electrical System in our Van (太陽能供電系統) Read More »
We spent five days in the remote but serene Genie. Our van survived the very rough roads including falling rocks. We met many wild animals there. Genie is the most memorable place we have visited so far in our van trip around China. 我哋係格聶過左5日。由格聶去巴塘的路非常難，仲有落石。但係格聶的風景非常靚仲有好多野生動物，係我哋目前為止環遊中國最難忙的地方。 Video 裡面有開車經過飛緊落黎嘅大石，羚羊，大鹿。。。格聶真係好難忘。
The Magical Genie 格聶神山 Read More »
Our drive to Genie (格聶) from Litang (理塘) was adventurous to say the least as it was totally off the digital map and the road condition was rough. But it was totally worth it as the Genie Sacred Mountain range is simply spectacular. When we were in Litang, we asked around about the road condition
The longer we travel around China, the more we realize that we cannot make plans and expect to stick to them. Life is not about planning but more about accepting changes and being open to opportunities. We need goals but only to embrace them as a general guide. The best thing is to be prepared
Ta Gong (塔公) 25 – 29 Jul Read More »
China has many so-called ancient towns (古鎮) but they are sometimes overrated and too commercial. We decided to give Shaxi old town (沙溪) a go as from what we read, it sounds rather appealing and tends to take a back seat on the list of most popular destinations which is just what we like about
Shaxi, Yunnan (雲南沙溪) 29 Jun – 8 Jul Read More »
We made this video to give you a taste of what our almost five month stay in Jianshui is like and why we love it so much. 不經不覺在建水過了5個月，這是我們喜歡建水的人與物。
Video of Life in Jianshui (旅居建水) Read More »
After the initial few weeks of total shut down, the authority slowly loosened the measures and starting from early April, tourist destinations, hotels and restaurants re-opened. We found a small Muslim restaurant right next to the mosque that suits our palette as it is less oily and spicy than most other local restaurants. The three
Life in Jianshui (建水) 28 Jan – 16 Jun, Part Two Read More »
We arrived at the small old town of Jianshui (建水) just three days before its lockdown at the end of January during the Chinese New Year holiday. It was at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic in China and we felt as if we were entering a ghost town with most shops closed and not
Life in Jianshui (建水) 28 Jan – 16 Jun, Part One Read More »
You may think this is crazy and I am strange. I have just spent 22 years to learn how to play Beethoven’s Fur Elise by myself, not how to play the piano but only Fur Elise. Since I was 18 years old, after watching someone playing Fur Elise, I couldn’t help myself trying to play
Traveling with Beethoven 與貝多芬一齊旅行 Read More »
It took us a long time to prepare Daisy and Lavender for the trip including harness training, getting used to the van and use of travelling backpack. The key is to always keep their best interest in mind when deciding where to go and the length of travel time to ensure they have enough rest
A short film of Daisy & Lavender 貓貓同雀的短片 Read More »
Daisy and Lavender play a key role as it is a journey of discovery and growth not just for Kin and myself, but more so for our furry children since we get to see various facets of their personalities and reactions on the road that we have never envisioned before. When we first had the
All about our cat and bird Read More »
Many friends and family members are worried about us and been asking if we have gone back to Hong Kong. We are still in Yunnan and have kept them updated that we are doing okay. We are so grateful for all the support and care. Thank you guys. We learned about the coronavirus when we
Deep in a mountain area in Yunnan, there is a tribe called Hani. They grow delicious brown rice on terraces in high altitude using the same method of hundreds of years ago. We are honored being invited to join their New Year Eve Kill the Pig dinner. 雲南元陽有藍色的梯田和哈尼族人。我們被邀請參加了他們每年的殺豬飯慶祝新的一年。
Tribal Kill the Pig Dinner, Yuanyang (元陽殺豬飯) Read More »
