The end is nigh, a few hours to go before the flight to Hong Kong and then home to Australia. Yesterday we awoke to blue skies and sunshine. In Chengdu, there is a saying that when the sun comes out, … Continue reading →

We are back.. After 2.5 days of schlepping up stairs, I am writing this on the bus back to Chengdu. And what a 2.5 days we have had. Drama, drama and … oh yes, stairs. I’ll begin at the beginning. … Continue reading →

A real quick blog today as I have about 25 minutes before we are due to leave the hotel and set off through the Monkey Forest. No technology again for a few days so it’s now or never. The plane … Continue reading →

It is 7.55am, our plane is due to take off in 15 minutes but we are going nowhere. It started to snow about 40 minutes ago and already there is a blanket of white across the ground. The entire sky … Continue reading →

Pheweeeeee!! Let me say that again,.. Pheweeeeeeeeeee!! Back in Songpan after 3.5 days of trekking including some of the hardest walking I have ever done. What a trip! Leaving Songpan on Tuesday, we had a bit of time in the … Continue reading →

An early start to the day saw us walking out of the hotel at 7.30am to be greeted by an oppressive sky and the rumble of thunder. Traffic, the reason we were setting off early, did not seem too bad, … Continue reading →

It’s Sunday lunchtime and we are sitting on the bus driving back into Chengdu after three wonderful hours at Animals Asia’s Moon Bear Rescue Sanctuary. The trip to China was long but mostly uneventful, (always good when planes are involved..). … Continue reading →

On any trip, I have always tried to balance the desire to bring the house and it’s contents with me, against the need to be able to actually carry my rucksack. Too full and you end up sweating your way … Continue reading →

The flights are booked, the visa is in the passport, Lonely Planet poured over and training occasionally avoided. In ten days time we are off to Chengdu. Eighteen of us in total with six days of hard trekking, a couple … Continue reading →