Kota Kinabalu (KK) is a gateway city to explore Sabah, Malaysia. We spent a few days around the city and then took a road trip north to explore the base of Mt Kinabalu and it's imposing 4, 200m peak. Often covered in cloud, it was a treat to get these views of the summit. The forest vista's could easily have been home in NZ. A9 spotted our first venomous snake on the edge of the trail. A quick dip in the Poring hot springs and sad history lesson of the poor aussie and british troops lost during the sandakan death marches during WW2. Onward northwest to the beaches. Barely inhabited, we had this little cove to ourself apart from monkeys, dogs, 6 goats and a cow who loved knocking over the rubbish bin and pushing it around with her horns!
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For a city of 20 million people, strangely Beijing didn't feel crowded. We found Beijing easy and cheap to explore using the metro, and found fabulous food on every corner. We ticked off the main tourist attractions and they did not disappoint! This 600 year old section of the great wall at Mutianyu is only an hour from Beijing and mostly restored. We hiked for about 3 hours between the gateposts trying to imagine the men building this wall over 1000 years, carting stone to the ridgelines of all these hills! The forbidden city is the palace of the last chinese emporer. Wide marble pathways and bridges, gorgeous imperial gardens and an impressive clock museum. The summer palace, another display of imperial opulence, boasts a huge manmade lake, and colourful pagoda's on the overlooking hill. Staying a little out of the CBD, we were able to meet many local children and we were again amazed by the generosity of the beautiful Chinese people.
WOW! What a buzz seeing panda bears! we visited Chengdu primarily to see these beautiful animals at the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre. we saw around 25 panda's including 4 week old twins in a incubator and the 'nursery' where all the little fur balls tumbled all over each other...so cute! A stroll around the people's park and visiting a tea house is a must in Chengdu. We sat in a corner of Wenshu monastery people watching and blowing bubbles for an hour one day. It was a lovely way to take in some of the hundreds of years of history while keeping the cherubs entertained. Chengdu is at the heart of the Sichuan province and they are famous for their SPICY foods! The hot pot is a local favourite. You choose the protein and veges, then cook them at the table in front of you. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the Chinese people. We were given gifts, bought food and drinks and the children were given a 2 hour free robotics/ lego lesson at an afterschool programme. The staff at our hostel spent so much time with the children, teaching them chinese writing, and playing dvd's for them. Chengdu is a long way from the main tourist spots in China, so you get a genuine Chinese experience, but it can also be hard to get to. We took 2 overnight trains (one 28 hours and one 22 hours) in and out of Chengdu. We absolutely loved the train trips, all settled into our 4 berth sleeper carriage, watching the coutryside change from hilly jungles to urban sprall. The toilet facilities....straight onto the track!
We arrived into Yangshuo having no idea what to expect of China, and were astounded by the karst rock scenery, the gorgeous lanes, the Li river and the food! Yangshuo has a chilled out feeling, strolling through the quiet lanes during the day, browsing for souvenirs. But once evening rolled around out came the LOUD pumping music, the food stalls and people jammed in like sardines. You can buy intestine kebabs, octopus cakes, and grilled cockroaches to try. The Li river is simply stunning, whether you are cruising by boat, walking or swimming. We took the '20 Yuan note ' tour along the river...which was really a glorified photo shoot but amazing scenery none the less. Just a few km's south of Yangshuo, you'll find moon hill which if you can brave the 880 steps, rewards you with views of the surrounding area. Closeby, you can walk through cave systems and take an underground mudbath/spa afterward. There is a not-so-exciting Big Banyan Tree and opportunities to raft the river or cycle the local countryside. We spent two days exploring this stretch of road but you could probably cram it into one! We absolutely loved our week in Yangshuo and would recommend it to all. The language barrier is intense with no english spoken or written. If you choose to visit be sure to download an offline chinese translator service and have addresses written in chinese to show taxi and bus drivers before you arrive. It's easy to underestimate the effect of blocking most american websites. It's tricky to navigate without google maps, to research without google search, and to keep in touch with home without g-mail or facebook. If you rely on these services, you would do well to download a vpn before arriving in China. This lovely lady was our boat tour guide on the Li river. English wasn't her strong point... |
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